Dear Abby??

[mattm04]

On Easter one of our regular old coot SC's who doesn't believe that policies apply to him came it. He started to wander into my back room and I had to shoo him out. He requested that i help him close a pastry box that we have by our self serve case.

I took the box in the back room closed it and tape it shut as he requested. I handed it back to him. He asks a few questions, I answer them. As he leave he pats me on they back ans says "good boy." He tried to rub my shoulder but I pulled away and told him to knock it off. He told me that it was OK.

What Mr. SC doesn't know is that i have told management and they will deal w/ Mr. SC next time he asks me for help.

[MystyGlyttyr]

I would write a Dear Abby letter, but she and I already did some verbal rumbling a couple years ago over her response to a schoolchild, where she basically told him "Your teacher is always right no matter what and you better just accept that." I'm pretty sure after the e-mauling she got from me after that one, all my addresses are blocked...

[Primer]

I'm not nearly as bad now as I used to be, but when I was 16, I was assaulted from behind. I used to react very violently to anybody touching me from behind. I still don't like being touched, especially by somebody I don't know, or unexpectedly.

Last year, DH, his sister and I went to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo in Austin. We were all in our wheelchairs, as we cannot do long distances or times on foot. A person dressed up as Shamu came up and put his/her fin around me. Through clenched teeth, I proclaimed, "I eat fish for breakfast." Thankfully, he/she removed his/her fin pretty quickly. Had it been 10 years ago, I'd have been eating sushi for lunch.

Yeah, it's completely inappropriate for anybody to put their hands on anybody else for any reason besides saving their life, or arresting them.

[technical.angel]

I just think it would be spiffy cool if there's a deluge of CS letters in a future Dear Abby column! Keep posting and we'll see them!

[Zyanya]

Dear Abby,

As someone who has worked retail, I find your response to Nicki absolutely horrifying. I suffered from anxiety attacks during my pregnancy. People thought they had the right to come paw at me, and would complain to my supervisor if I politely requested they keep their hands to themselves. The stress actually cased me to have to be in the hospital at one point. You suggested finding a new job as though decent jobs are being handed out on street corners for all comers. What should I have done, quit and hope welfare pays the bills just because some rude jerks don't understand that my wearing a nametag is not an excuse to assault me at their leisure?

-Annoyed

[crazylegs]

I think that sums it up quite nicely.

Dear Abby,

It is with regret that I am writing to you in response to your advice given to NICKI, the retail worker who, quite rightly, has an issue with unwanted touching and manhandling at work. To suffer unlawful violence is assault and to advise someone that they should keep silent about such treatment is disgusting.

No-one has the right to touch another human being without their consent be they a person on the street or someone working in retail or a service industry, perhaps there should be some clearer advice to us all to remind people of their boundries.

People do not cease to become human when they put on a stores uniform, nor do they deserve anything other than our respect whilst they serve us, to advocate anything other (as you have done so by implying unwanted touching is OK) than that is plain wrong.

[repsac]

I suspect, that the next Dear Abby may have an apology to Nicki in it. Or at the very least Abby will see what mistake she has made in this. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when she gets some of those letters about her condoning sexual harassment. (which technically she did.)

[Kyree]

Posted by me, right?

Yes



Dear Abby,

A retail worker myself, I was horrified to read your response to the girl who didn't liked to be touched at work. What you told Nicki from Maryland is horrible! No matter who you are, or what job you have, touching is NOT OKAY! That's sexual harassment if an employee does it to another employee. So you're saying that it's all right to be sexually harassed, if it's by the customer? They just have to keep their mouth shut and let it happen, otherwise risk losing a customer?

Do you assume that retail workers are less of a human being then customers? That's what you're sounding like. We are not slaves, or animals. If you haven't realized, we don't like to be treated that way either. We have the same rights as the customer.

Let me leave you with two questions. What would you say to someone writing your article about employees grabbing or touching customers? Or Co-workers touching others? The response should be the same. But I'm sure in your head they're "Different circumstances", aren't they?

[technical.angel]

Posted by me, right?

[Kyree]

www.dearabby.com

Thank you. I found it on page two or three about a minute after I posted

[technical.angel]

www.dearabby.com

[Kyree]

I'm sorry, I've never done this before, where do I go to write Abby?

[RebeccaOTool]

I saw that too. The new Abby's responses seem to fall short of the previous Abby, especially in cases like this.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Dear Abby,

YOU SUCK AND YOUR ADVICE SUCKS TOO.

That is all.


No, I'm not actually sending this. XD I doubt it would be printed, somehow.

[Amala]

"Dear Abby,
I was disappointed to read your response to Nicki in Maryland in regards to customers touching her at her retail job. Unwanted touching is sexual harrassment. Period. She does not need to find another job. People need to find some values and not touch strangers. Workers are human, too.
As for the potential loss in customers, I highly doubt that any of those customers creates enough PROFIT for the business that would compensate for the costs incurred in training a new employee. I'm not sure about retail, but in the restaurant industry, it costs $2000 minimum to replace someone. High employee morale, which includes being free from fear of being unwantedly touched, will most likely result in better customer service and higher profits anyway.

So, basically, your response sucked."