Some days are better than others

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Late on this afternoon I am in my shop, when these 2 women come in, I wd estimate 65-70-ish. One ov them buys a can opener. One of them sez "do you know who's got the shop next door"
(the shop next door was a laundry, but it closed b/c charvers kept ripping it off. Recently someone has bought it)
"no", I say
She lowered her voice slightly
"I heard it was coloureds" she said
just as this was sinking in, she added "pakis".
Thankfully I hear shit like this a lot less than you might fear, still, I felt a bit shocked. Here is what I wanted to say

1/ What, "pakis" like the ones who run three other businessess in this block quite successfully as far as I can see. Oh, I do hope so

2/ perhaps you prefer the fucking junkies who break into thee upstairs flat to take their h3r0in.

2/ if you want to live in an all-white society, perhaps you shd move to austria & see how you like it there/

other stuff in a similar vein.

what I actually said was "here's yer change", and I went to continue fixing the broken down raleigh activator that some poor sod got conned into buying (not by us)

What would you have liked to have said? What would you actually have said?

― Norman Phay, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Here's your change you racist old bitch"

― jamesmichaelward, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, something similar did pass thru my mind actually. It occured to me that if they had been young I probably would have booted them out of the shop, or told them not to be so stupid at the very least, but part of the reason I didn't say anything was because they were elderly. As an aside, South Shields, where my shop is was a big seafaring town, with a long tradition of better than average race relations. Consequently I am not used to older people spouting such stupid talk.

― Norman Phay, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I've met quite a few non-white Austrians (in Vienna at least)

― Spencer Chow, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i probably would have wanted to say what jmw wanted to say, but instead i would have said nothing, just pursed my lips and glared at them until they left the shop. customer service is a real friggin bitch. sometimes i wonder if i have "harass me i'm just the receptionist *giggle*" tattooed on my forehead.

― di, Thursday, 25 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"You talk too much for someone who talks so much shit."

― Andrew, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think I would have been able to restrain myself from kicking their asses in.

― geeta, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The first option would probably have been the best one.

― N., Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

why do you sell can openers in a bike shop?

― michael, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

as far as old people are concerned they are all the biggest bunch of rascists about - they would march with the bnp if there hips worked. anyway you should have been polite informed them of the help of india during the ww2 (old people love this and forget about the ETHNICS help in the conflict)ask them why they feel so much resentment to people trying to run a business (because its odd - perople dont like people openiong asian businesses but they also hate immigrants bludging off the state)

tthen u should have kicked there asses because this is a definite - old people cant fight - they think they can but they cant

― fightin talk, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If it is your shop as in ownership, you could have told them to get out and never darken your door again, but if you just work there this is less of an option. I tend to think it's not worth arguing with these kinds of people, because they are stupid and their minds are fossilised and they will be dead soon anyway and they are not the people who can oppress anyone much. Save your breath and energy for arguing with people who might matter more or make more of a difference.

― Martin Skidmore, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The reason we sell can open0rs (among other such things) is b/c @ thee end ov thee 1970s our old shop got compulsorily (sp?) purchased & the whole area got redeveloped. We bought a going concern which sold electrical goods, hardware & bicycles. We dithced the tellies & radios, but kept the hardware on b/c it sold (&sells) quite well.

My experience over the years is that it isn't old people who are the worst racists it is (big suprise) bloody hopeless charvers. People like the awful folks I saw yesterday are aktually very rare, thank goodness. Anyway, I had a better day to-day. I had some nice people in & one of them bought a Dawes tandem.

― Norman Phay, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

what's a charver?

― di, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Di, perhaps these will help answer yr question:

1
2
3
4

― Norman Phay, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

4 = possibly the best thread evah (apart from me vs gurls ov course) (see my shaming desire for battered eggZor)

― RickyT, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.