Customer Hits Me With A Can and Gets Away With It.

[bubblelittlepally]

So I'm working the register at a grocery store and the belt is full of this lady's groceries and suddenly this nut job walks up, drops his basket in the middle of her order, and stands there. So I nicely pick up his basket, reach way to the end and put it behind my current customers items with a divider in the middle. He flips out, yelled at me saying "I'M NOT STUPID I KNOW HOW TO DO THIS", picks up a can of green beans and hits me in the chest with them and keeps yelling at me. My manager comes out, APPOLOGIZES for MY RUDENESS and rings up his order at the service desk.

My manager takes me aside and says something along the lines of how he's sorry but maybe I shouldn't have moved his basket.. I should have "worked around it". Meanwhile I have a bruise the size of a quarter where the lip of the can caught me on the right side of my chest a few inches below my collar bone. It aches, not to mention it sort of knocked the wind out of me.. I can't remember if it did or if I was just shocked. I asked if I could press charges for assualt and my manager said something like "The store has to agree to do it and I decide not to because that's bad press".

Yea, I really think my manager is stupid and has no clue about policy, laws, or gravity for that matter.

[Crazeyal]

Wow..

LAW
SUIT...

[Amina516]

I think that may have warranted a call to the Police.....

WTF is wrong with ur manager? No one has a right to lay hands or anything else on u.

[Sandy]

You know what? The store has a responsibility to protect its staff. I think you ought to take this into your own hands. The customer could be charged with assault. It doesn't matter if it happens at your workplace or not, noone has the right to throw a can at you. You could also sue the workplace for not looking after you. The only trouble is that you'd need to know the customer's details. Do you? Is he a regular customer?

[godaistudios]

I don't know about that, you, as the individual were assaulted. Keep in mind that IANAL, but I personally think that's a criminal act, therefore the store should have no say in the matter whatsoever. If it's a civil case, the store may have involvement, but here, you were assaulted by the customer - moreover, even if the store is unwilling, you can subpeona the tapes showing the assault. If the store refuses, they can be hit up an obstruction of justice charge.

Personally, I suggest you bring it up to your supervisor, state your intent to press charges against the customer, and advise your supervisor that if the store and/or corporation attempts any kind of retaliation against you for it (firing you, cutting your hours, etc.) advise them you will take it up with the EEOC (assuming you are in the US) and have them slapped down for it. Which is worse press? I'd say the possibility of an obstruction of justice charge and an unwillingness to take care of it's employees will garner more negative opinion than pressing charges against the customer.

If that doesn't work, you should talk to an attorney about filing a civil suit against the store - which again, would be bad press, but significantly higher in your favor... that manager has no idea what bad press really is, does he?

[KabeRinnaul]

There's a nice list of issues here. The top two area assault and battery charges, which would be a civil case. Assault for verbally threatening you, and trying to intimidate you, and battery for attacking you with the can.

Then possibly an additional civil suit in regard to a hostile work environment. If your store is part of a union, I can't imagine them passing up an issue like that.

Also, they shouldn't be able to take this to private arbitration, because the defendant/apellee wasn't part of the store.

Now, I've only taken business law courses, so I'm not as familiar with criminal charges. But to my knowledge, if the store refused to cooperate, that would be obstruction of justice. Also, depending on jurisdiction, assault with any form of weapon (such as that can) is considered aggravated assault, which is definitely criminal.

Regardless, you should find some real legal advice on this. I'm no lawyer - just a management major who's taken some business law.

[nomorecarts]

with my employer being so afraid of liability, i can fairly confidently say if any of my managers tried that my store mgr would hand me the phone and dial the DM's number for me. he doesn't like to yell at salaried managers, he's kind of spineless

[Anakah]

Go above the manager. He had NO right to do that to you. Making it OKAY for Jerks just to assault people. He should get fired for that. Or suspended but that is CRAP. Don't let him get away with it. Take a picture of the bruise (if you can depending where its at...) and file some charges.

He doesn't want bad press? How about a law suit press?? I don't think he can tell you that the store won't allow it. I'd ask him if I could throw a can at him and just get away with it. The jerk. I don't know how I would have handled that. You handled it better than me, I would've just blown up and made a huge scene.

[iradney]

*weeps for humanity*
Get a lawyer, contact your labour board and maybe get a lovely legal letter sent to your manager with phrases like "witness to assault" and "hostile work environment"
A company has an OBLIGATION towards it's employees to provide a safe, comfortable working environment. Here in SA, if an employee is harrassed or assaulted, and the company does nothing after being told about it - BIG FAT LAWSUIT and a lovely payout.

[Amandarthegreat]

I'm going with board consensus: it's definitely time to use the legal route and go over the manager's head. If you have a Human Resources person, you should call and inform them of your intent to press charges and hire an attorney.

[tropicsgoddess]

What the fuck did your manager smoke to let that douchebag get away with assaulting you with that can?!!! I'd take this further up the chain and/or HR and report the incident. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment from their employers.

[Thatgirl71]

Wow, your manager is a complete a-hole. I hate to say it but not reporting the incident to home office and the police could get him in a whole lot of trouble. I would go above him and call home office and tell them what happened.

[powerboy]

I would be going all the way up the ladder. Plus getting lawyers and the police involved. Employees are supposed to be safe at work and since you are not.

[AirHostess]

I agree. REPORT it!

If a passenger did that to me they would be met by the police on landing.

[Forensic Waitress]

Don't let this slid, get pictures as best you can and report this. Like everyone has said you are meant to be safe at your work and the company is responsible for that.