M&S - Member of Staff Refuses to Sell Alcohol

[shyvas]

Marks & Spencer has apologised after a Muslim member of staff refused to sell a customer alcohol.

http://news.sky.com/story/1186301/m-and-s-says-sorry-over-alcohol-refusal

 

[Blobbenstein]

she just shouldn't have been put on the till.
I suppose it would become a problem if there weren't enough people to staff the tills who were prepared to handle certain products, though.

Maybe veg*ns could refuse to handle meat, and other stuff too.

 

[shyvas]

she just shouldn't have been put on the till.
I suppose it would become a problem if there weren't enough people to staff the tills who were prepared to handle certain products, though.

Maybe veg*ns could refuse to handle meat, and other stuff too.

That was also what I was thinking.

 

[Mischief]

M&S apparently has a policy that people who won't handle certain products because of their beliefs aren't put on the till. They should have followed that policy.

Alternatively, they could also have a policy that people who won't handle certain products because of their beliefs are not hired, and that would be acceptable also.

 

[Amy SF]

Hmm...interesting. If that happened here in the US, that customer would have been featured on the Fox News Channel before you could say "white Santa" sobbing about how she was persecuted by some evil mooslim because she was a Christian. Just saying.

 

[spottygiraffe]

Sorry but I don't think people should get a job on the checkout if they're not willing to handle the goods that might have to be processed.

 

[Pirate]

Hmm...interesting. If that happened here in the US, that customer would have been featured on the Fox News Channel before you could say "white Santa" sobbing about how she was persecuted by some evil mooslim because she was a Christian. Just saying.

I am always doubtful of these stories and how true they are, and articles often have that slant you mention. I wonder what the Daily Fail's take on this is! I wonder how much of a big story it would have been if a Catholic was refusing to sell condoms or something. It must be really hard to pick between being unemployed and taking a job that goes against your morals. That said, I'd be pretty miffed if I was asked to re-queue (I would expect the till girl to call over a colleague).

 

[hungryraccoon]

Sorry but I don't think people should get a job on the checkout if they're not willing to handle the goods that might have to be processed.

I agree.

 

[Amy SF]

I am always doubtful of these stories and how true they are, and articles often have that slant you mention. I wonder what the Daily Fail's take on this is! I wonder how much of a big story it would have been if a Catholic was refusing to sell condoms or something. It must be really hard to pick between being unemployed and taking a job that goes against your morals. That said, I'd be pretty miffed if I was asked to re-queue (I would expect the till girl to call over a colleague).

We actually had a thing going on in this country, don't know if it's still happening, but several years ago there were several incidents in which Christian pharmacists were refusing to dispense birth control to some of their customers because they didn't believe in birth control, leading me to ask, if they didn't want to dispense certain drugs because of their religious beliefs, why did they become pharmacists in the first place?

 

[Calliegirl]

I remember when a girl sued a fast food company for not hiring her. She would have been required to wear a uniform, but said her religion required her to wear long skirts. It seems like wearing a long skirt in a kitchen where things are being grilled and deep fried would be dangerous. How quickly can you move out of the way of splattering grease with material wrapped around your legs, not to mention, you have to hustle to keep up with the orders.

 

[SummerRain]

Sorry but I don't think people should get a job on the checkout if they're not willing to handle the goods that might have to be processed.

You don't know though, whether they assured her (as per their policy) that she wouldn't have to go on the grocery checkouts, and then someone made a mistake and put her there. Also, not everybody is in a position to be choosy about what jobs they get.

It's not much of a story really though, M&S have a policy, that they didn't follow. It was awkward for their staff and a customer for a couple of minutes. Learn, move on. If her reasons for not selling alcohol were something other than being a Muslim, would it have made the news?

I don't think companies should have to hire people whose beliefs mean they can't do aspects of the job, but I think it's nice when employers try to work around individuals needs - religious or otherwise. I'd rather work for a company that would take into account my personal beliefs.

 

[ledboots]

If she wasn't the only employee there, just have some one else ring up the booze.

I once left a newborn nursery job that added to my job description attending on the doctors doing circumcisions, which I think are unethical. My manager was not going to make any concessions; she was a real ******* about it, actually.