This Guy’s A Real Bum… mer

I went into my local bottle shop to buy a couple of bottles of wine, and I was served by a staff member I didn’t recognise. I presume he was new — all good, no worries. Then, I went in a few days later to buy another couple of bottles. The same staff member was there and decided to get chatty.

Staff Member: “So, what do you do for a living?”

Me: “I work in response handling and scanning.”

Staff Member: “Oh! Well, at least you’re not a bum!”

Me: “Ha, I wouldn’t mind a bit more bumming around and a bit less work!”

Staff Member: *Talking over me* “So many people come in here and spend hundreds of dollars on alcohol, every day! They don’t have jobs! They must be doing something on the side to be able to afford this…”

I forget everything he said, but it was a pretty intense tirade about many of the other regular customers, with strong implications that they were criminals and “bums”. Being female-presenting, I’m never sure when it’s safe to tell a man he’s being awful, plus I was totally blindsided, so although I was internally very confused and bothered, I tried to just smile and make some other conversation. I think I said something about the football.

A few days later I decided that what he’d said, while not against me specifically, was not okay and not professional, so I emailed the head office to let them know. It wasn’t long before I had a response apologising for the experience and assuring me that they would speak to this staff member. And I know they did, and I know he knows it was ME who reported him because when I see him now, he’s hilariously awkward and very, very obviously sticking to the absolute basics of a retail interaction! I try not to go there anymore.