Assault

[Sonic74205]

I know this probably going to just get deleted like most of my other threads in this section are but i dont really care. I need to talk and im not putting it in the TIM section where nobody on this already dead site goes.

I WAS ASSAULTED AT WORK TODAY!!!

I was working 2pm till 10pm today at work (a petrol station). Now it is company policy that there will NOT be just one member of staff working at anytime (accept the night shift when the doors are locked). So anyway i had another member of staff with me until 8pm tonight (for some reason the manager puts me on my own for the last two hours of my shift lately).

So anyway it was approximatly 10pm when this customer came in. He asked for a packet of 40 cigarettes and a pack of cigarette papers. I got them and scanned them through the till. Once he had given me the money he said he wanted just 14 cigarettes instead of 40 and they were the wrong colour. But as i had already put it through the till i had to search the database for his reciept and then use the reciept number to refund his transaction. By that time more customers were waiting, the till was screaming at me because it was time to change shifts (the night shift worker was LATE) and the till was bleeping for me to authorise some of the fuel pumps. So i refunded the money but i saw that i had left his money on the side rather that put it in the till. So with all this going on i got a little confused and ended up giving the customer the wrong change. (that would not have happened if two people was working as they would have authorised the fuel and served other customers giving me time to see to the refung properly). He then left and i carried on serving my customers.

A few minutes later he comes back and starts swearing at me very agressivly saying i gave him the wrong change, that i was being smart and trying to con him. So i began to enter my code into the till to open it and give him his money. He then says "you were f*cking around back there doing something trying to be a little smart arse", i then replyed "By the time you had told me i gave you the wrong cigarettes i had already ran it through the till. I then had to do a refund and then put the new cigarettes through". He replied "Don't you dare talk smart to me like that again! If you do that again ill jump over that till and kick the sh*t out of you!". I said nothing. I simply sighed and carried on entering my code. All of a sudden he jumps ver the till grabs me by my shirt and tie and pulls me over the till. His second hand then wraps around my head and he pulls me down towards him! as im sprawled over the counter two of his mates come running in from the forecourt. One was very large and mucsly and the other was just as large accept fat. they say "everything alright? Want us to sort him?" and they stand either side of him staring at me. eventually he lets go. I open the till and give him his money. He leaves. By that time the night shift worker had arrived and saw everything. He was standing behind me at the time he grabed me. The other member of staff did nothing. He stands there and continues to sort his tie out whilst saying to the agrovated customer "alright mate" whilst hes got me by the scruff of the neck ovet the till!!! In the shear shock of it i dont think to press the panic button, or lock the doors, or even take not to the customers vehicle registration. I simply carry on serving the customers, then i cash up my till and end the shift. all the other member of staff does is say "dont let it bother you" and "hes just one of those people". I mention about banning the customer and informing our manager. He simply replyed "lets just leave it, its nothing to worry about". I try to ring my manager but i cant get ahold of him. I drive home to my partner and straight into his arms. I then burst into tears and tell him what happened.

A few moments later i try my manager again but i still can't get ahold of him. I then ring the police and eventually manage to speak to my supervisor. First thing tomorrow morning she is going to check the security cameras and get them ready for the police. The police will be coming in on wednesday (the next time im working). They will take a statement and take the CCTV cameras.

I know that if i had fought back then things could have gone alot worse but that still doesnt sooth me. I also know that if there were two members of staff on rather than just me this situation would have likely been avoided.

What gets to me the most is that fact that its made me reasile how vulnerable i am at work. I feel quite protected behind the till with all the pillars and items around me, plus the cameras everywhere. But to realise that someone can just grab you and basically do what they want with you in a split second is a horrifying though. Not only that but there was someone behind me plus 3 customers behind this man. And still...i was alone. Anything could have happened, and in the end. I would have still been alone.

I have had no end of trouble with this job. I have this assualt, I have constant drive offs (grive off without paying for fuel), i have had customers kicking and punching at the doors when i have worket the night shift. I was robbed at few months ago (again when i was working on my own) and i get agrovated customers every shift because our manager has imposed the stupid rule that cusomters have to have all doors closed before getting fuel (without putting any signs up on the forecourt so the cusomers thing we are taking it out personally on them). It is really not worth �5.54 an hour. There arent many retail jobs like that where you will heve that much trouble and at the end of the day im there to earn money so i can live. I'm not a f*cking starship captain that puts their life on the line every day for their duty.

[Joey]

you know where i live they imposed a "pay before you pump" rule, I recommend that you ask your manager to try that?

as for the assult, it is not acceptable, if your manager does nothing to make sure of your safty (from what i have heard the answer is no) go above them(if you can)

[squiggy]

[Joey]

[squiggy]

[Sonic74205]

the problem with the refund was ME doing maths. I had so much going on in my head (as there was too much going on for one member of staff) to do maths accruatly as well. The maths part was my fault i admit that. However if a second member of staff was present on another till then they would have authorised the fuel for me and served the customers whilst i took the time to complete the refund correctly.

Making suggestions to our manager doesnt work. Basically as a manager he is rather weak. This is his first job as a manager. He completed his training just two weeks after he finished his course. He sticks to the very rigid rules imposed by people sitting in some board room in an office bloke. Probly by people that have never had to put their own fuel in, in their lives.
My manager an i have had quite a few dissagreements in the past. One mainly being that a rule withing our company has been imposed that all car doors must be closed before fuel is authorised. HOWEVER there is no sign ANYWHERE on the site stating that you have to do so. It is common policy for most companys that you display signs for customers. If they disobey the signs then you have every right to speak to the customer. If there is no sign for the customer, then you tell them they are doing something against policy then they get confused, agrivated and the smart ones complain stating there are no signs. AND THE CUSTOMER HAS EVERY RIGHT TO COMPLAIN. But then that just makes the staff either look stupid or look like they have a personal vengdetta against the customer.
He refuses to put signs out about closing the doors. When i made my own signs and put them on the forecourt he ripped them off. He refuses to speak to the area manager about getting authorisation for the signs. And when i asked him for proof that our company ellegidly does not have to display any sign what so ever to back up their claims. He ignores my request!

At the moment for our site you fill up with fuel, then come in and pay.

Its now 7:50AM here, i havent gone to bed tonight as i was still too upset (im supposed to be moving into my new house today as well). I have just got off the phone with my manager. I explained what happened to him, how i was feeling and how i was not happy that 1. there wasn't a second member of staff assigned to work with me and 2. that david (the night shift worker) didn't do anything, even though he witnessed everything. I also expressed the fact that things could have gone a hell of alot differently if there was just someone working with me tonight.

His reply to all of it was not to worry about it (because ive got more important things on my mind like moving house), he is genuinly sorry he didnt get back to me, he is going to get a statement off of david the night shift worker. He will be coming in later on today (its his day off) to look at the cameras and speak to the supervisor. On monday he will ring the area manager and discuss the situation and asses all of the problems to do with the situation. He also stated that i was going on about a staffing problem, that he is not allocating the hours correctly. Then then tryed to explain that he only is allowed to give out a certain amount of hours each week, and that its based on the times the shop gets busy. He claims that 8pm - 10pm is a very quiet time and they have never had an incident during those hours.

1. i have worked the 2-10 shift on saturday & sunday since september 2006. In that time i have had so many drive offs i have lost count. I have been robbed and now i have been assaulted. All of those incidents were after 8pm. Always durin those two hours when im alone!
2. He is indeed flawed at working out the hours for every member of staff each week. At times he can be a push over. Mainly with the weekly night shift worker (Kathy). Because she is in her 50's moans and plays her face all the time he lets her work over 48 hours a week! thats more than hour supervisor and some weeks more than him. She only does 5 days a week which works out she does over 9 1/2 hours per shift. Which is illegal.

If i didnt suddenly have a new house and a new car to pay for i would leave that place, no matter how much i like the job or the staff.

[squiggy]

I'm here if you wanna talk, I've been through a few similar situations.
PM me if you wanna talk, I'll give you my MSN address.

[Hitchhiker]

Maybe you should quit. If the situation is really as intractable as you describe, then you can't change it, so get out of there. No job is worth risking your personal safety because your employer doesn't care about it.

[robbiewebster]

^I agree, your employer and fellow employees should have done more to defend you. If not physically, they should have at least notified the police. I don't know what it's like where you live, but in ny there are cameras everywhere. They'd have the guys plate number and he'd be in a cell within a few hours. What you discribed is assault and battery.

[PrankishSmart]

Well, thats terrible. If I was you I would not have put up with that I would have resigned from that workplace and requested (demanded or taken the matter to court) a compensation package of some sort for physical assault and mental trauma.

[squiggy]

[Captain Dappet]

Sounds like that bloke's taken too much cocaine.