I called in at the petrol station at Morrisons in the Hillsborough Barracks today for some fuel and while paying noticed a man stood at the other counter being told that the next time he filled up a can at their station he should use an approved can.

He instantly got the arse on and in a truely mardy voice said "ok, I won't use this station again".

This suprised me as I thought he was over reacting a little. The woman behind the counter had told him politely about the safey and law issues, but allowed him to get away with his incorrect container this once (which she shouldn't have done really, but it was in his favour, so why moan?).

He then went on to say "right, give me your name, I am going to complain as I can do this at any other station I go to".

It just made me think, what a complete arse. Even though I was nothing to do with this incident I was annoyed by him. He was instantly rude to their staff and chuking a proper tantrum which was shocking considering his age etc.

I nearly said something to him, but decided to leave it when he left quite quickly realising he'd made an idiot of himself infront of all us other customers that just stood there looking in shock at possibley the mardiest and most child like man in Sheffield.

It's nothing to do with me, I admit, but it shocked me and annoyed me that he took out his anger on this woman who was serving us all happily and she was in the right telling him about his container!

Just thought I'd rant on here about him. If anyone knows this person, driving a white van, then give him a clip round the ear and tell him to grow up. He was clearly bullying the staff for no reason and it ended up him looking stupid.

I am even tempted to write to Morrisons myself to state that I witnessed another customer have a go at their employee, heard him say he was going to complain and that she was doing everything right in my view. I don't see why she should be in trouble or complained about for doing nothing wrong.

People like this just annoy me I guess....

hopefully they wouldn't take his complaint seriously, but it would be a nice gesture and ensure that the attendant wasn't disciplined if you did write to them.

oh yes please write to support the poor employee LalaLand. Cos's he's such an arse he probably will try and get her into trouble and she's only following rules and regs ( like she personally cares for his health and safety).

Originally posted by samc
( like she personally cares for his health and safety). whether she does or doesn't, she was trying to make him aware of the rules and the safety implications etc. and he was out of order speaking to her like that. On another thought, he also held up some of us customers.

Imagine if his unsafe container caught fire, exploded or some other problem on the way home. The invesitgation would cause problems for the petrol station and it's staff and often in cases like this the person then has the cheek to sue!

Is the van on cctv? He should be reported to the authorities. The reason fuel has to be sold in approved cans is because it rots through certain plastics.

Remember during the fuel crisis there was a taxi driver with a bin full of fuel in his livingroom? It rotted through and the whole street had to be evacuated as it leeched under the terraced house. All the floorboards had to be ripped out to clear up the problem.

What did he want the fuel for? was he anything to do with the saville house fire? empty buildings don't catch fire on their own too easily :mad:

He was getting petrol about 30 minutes before I posted.

Originally posted by Strix
What did he want the fuel for? was he anything to do with the saville house fire? empty buildings don't catch fire on their own too easily :mad:

He could have been buying petrol for a petrol mower. Or indeed anything that runs on petrol. Seems a lot more plausible than him attempting to create a stockpile of petrol in his lounge.

I can well believe what happened at Morrison's petrol station.

But , I'm sure this is not a , "one-off" situation. I keep returning to the U. K. at regular intervals and I've noticed that , more and more , people are living "on the edge". Increasingly , people "blow up " at the least little thing. The vast majority seem in no way relaxed or happy or laid back. There's road rage , air -rage and just general rage ! Why is this ?
I put it down to too many rules and regulations and the reduction of smoking. People smoke to relax and/or to reduce tension. If you persuade or nag people into giving up smoking and deep down they still want or need to smoke , you are going to have a few hundred thousand people walking around , seething just beneath the surface. Add to that , the easier it is to get drunk and the endless pointless rules and you have the perfect recipe for increased tension and violence----to wit :- the latest crime figures.
Have a nice day !

The member of staff concerned would probably appreciate it if you wrote a letter - they don't often get much thanks. But when (and if, because he's probably a typical windbag full of empty threats) this bloke complains to Morrison's, to be honest, they'll probably just pass his name to one of the admin staff, who will send out a standard letter saying nothing much. And if he's particularly bad tempered then the staff might at least get a good laugh out of it. But they won't care very much, they are used to it.

There's just no excuse for someone to be rude like that.

He should have been grateful she let him take it in the wrong type of container and just left.

I think a letter from you would be a really nice gesture. It's all too easy for people to only write when they want to complain rather than writing to support someone or express thanks for good service.

'lalaland' has already suggested a possible pitfall of writing in.

Sad as it may be, the regulations are such that the Morrisons lady should have refused to allow him to buy the fuel in a non-regulation container.

If Morrisons management are made aware of this in writing, they may feel obliged to issue some form of warning to the member of staff.

As frustrating as it may be, it is probably best to leave well alone.
The only other option that I can think of, if 'lalaland' cannot sleep, is to speak to the assistant on the next occasion you see her and leave your name and contact with her in the (very unlikely) event that a complaint is pursued.

It is the cashier's responsibility to authorise petrol from the pump and if the customer had the wrong container she should not have hit the button, so is more likely to get into trouble for that than his moaning.

In my petrol station days when I was a student the customers frequently threatened to report staff for the most petty stuff. I was once accused of rigging the pumps so they always went over by a penny by some idiot who refused to accept his £10 target had gone over. Stupid thing was we very often just let customers off the penny anyway.

Then there was the man who looked like he was going to have a seizure when I asked for his cheque guarantee card.....

Oh happy days....never again!

Most garages have a sign stating that only approved containers can be used for fuel.He should think his self lucky he got any at all.

The flip side of the coin is that this poor guy was probably innocently buying petrol for his mower or something! Just what does an "approved" petrol cannister look like?? Where does it state anywhere in a petrol station what sort of a can is approved by them? Maybe it does.........I have never looked in all honesty..............just like the rest of us? Is it red or green........is it plastic or metal????? I have seen folks fill up an empty milk carton before now! Lets face it.........if you had run out of petrol you would empty a pop bottle in order to get fuel. I do not blame this man for getting angry..................he was not committing any crime!! He had filled up his cannister with petrol and he was paying for it!!!! If anybody was at fault it was the person that had allowed him to get the fuel in the first place!! He had simply availed himself of a service that was being sold to the general public.........and he was the general public! He had been shown up in public by a "jobsworth".............one who was trying to shut the stable door after the horse had bolted...........and I don't blame him for getting angry. He is the customer and all he was trying to do was to pay for the goods he had bought. The forecourt assistant had allowed him to do this and then tried to turn it around on him!!! If anybody was in the wrong here it was the employee of the store!! I hope the customer made a complaint against the forecourt attendant ........becuse I would have done!

Originally posted by Fareast
Why is this ? I put it down to too many rules and regulations and the reduction of smoking. People smoke to relax and/or to reduce tension. If you persuade or nag people into giving up smoking and deep down they still want or need to smoke , you are going to have a few hundred thousand people walking around , seething just beneath the surface. Add to that , the easier it is to get drunk and the endless pointless rules and you have the perfect recipe for increased tension and violence----to wit :- the latest crime figures.
Have a nice day !

Wow.

I'll say it again. Wow

Anything to back this up? (especially dates)

Easier to get drunk? Reduction of smoking? Few hundred thousand? Pointless rules?

Fill us in, please.

-PK-

HSE guidelines (http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg216.htm#8)

To Gimmeesomepk :-

I think the evidence that it's easier to get drunk these days is all around us-----unless you believe there's a gigantic conspiracy by all governments and agencies who have anything to do with alcohol.Also if you walk round the streets enough , I would bet that you see more drunkenness than you did in years gone by. Why?
Well , generally , young people have more money ; in addition to that alcohol has got cheaper , relative to the average income ; pubs are open for longer and many more shops sell alcohol ; I'venever seen any evidence of the police rounding up and charging under-age drinkers and in any case the pubs seem so crowded that it would be a thankless task anyway; the amount of money spent on alcohol has soared over the years. Does this mean that the average Brits alcohol tolerance intake has gone up accordingly ?
Violence of all kinds seems to be on the increase. Even governments in power hardly bother to deny this. They never say , "Violent crime has gone down since we came to power ". They usually say , " Violent crime went up more under x party than it has under ours ".Hospitals , schools , the police , all seem to say they come across more violence. Perhaps they're all imagining it ? Perhaps all the people who live in certain areas don't really see any increase in violence ? Perhaps they're all making it up as a joke ?
Before the anti-smoking brigade started their various campaigns , years ago , millions of people happily smoked away.Then , a lot of them gave up. Is it 'cos they'd suddenly gone off the taste or smell of tobacco ? I think an intelligent guess would be that a lot gave up under pressure from their families , doctors.....etc.....NOT , because deep-down THEY wanted to stop. If they originally smoked to reduce tension , it logically follows that a few hundred thousand are walking around , straining at the leash , as it were.
Not only could this be contributing to the increase in violence but the increase in cases of people stuffing their faces with cream cakes and burgers.It's ridiculous to ask for statistics on how many people are more angry now , since they gave up smoking? Even they'd have a job to give an accurate answer to that ----there are so many other factors. However as I said , it's just an intelligent guess. The more people are nagged and pestered , the more of them re-act violently , it seems.

i've noticed numerous times signs saying that only approved canisters can be used.
So if I ran out of fuel, I'd expect to buy one at the station and then to fill it up with fuel.
The man was breaking the law, but without running out to check the attendant can't be sure whether a cansister is approved or not, the onus is on the people using the service to use it appropriately. This man sounds like an idiot.

Originally posted by rothschild
The flip side of the coin is that this poor guy was probably innocently buying petrol for his mower or something! Just what does an "approved" petrol cannister look like?? Where does it state anywhere in a petrol station what sort of a can is approved by them? Maybe it does.........I have never looked in all honesty..............just like the rest of us? Is it red or green........is it plastic or metal????? I have seen folks fill up an empty milk carton before now! Lets face it.........if you had run out of petrol you would empty a pop bottle in order to get fuel. I do not blame this man for getting angry..................he was not committing any crime!! He had filled up his cannister with petrol and he was paying for it!!!! If anybody was at fault it was the person that had allowed him to get the fuel in the first place!! He had simply availed himself of a service that was being sold to the general public.........and he was the general public! He had been shown up in public by a "jobsworth".............one who was trying to shut the stable door after the horse had bolted...........and I don't blame him for getting angry. He is the customer and all he was trying to do was to pay for the goods he had bought. The forecourt assistant had allowed him to do this and then tried to turn it around on him!!! If anybody was in the wrong here it was the employee of the store!! I hope the customer made a complaint against the forecourt attendant ........becuse I would have done!

are you suggesting Fareast that many of the problems of todays society are caused by withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. My God, it's more dangerous than we thought, yet we continue to allow our youngsters to become addicted.
How about we ban it forthwith, throw all the ex smokers in jail before they have time to become violent alcoholics and watch the figures on violence and drink related crime drop?

Or maybe you're just trying to link everything back to the self destructive disgusting habit that you seem to be so fond of defending.
Smoking doesn't relax you, what happens is that you become tense when you don't smoke if you are addicted. Don't smoke in the first place and you'll stay more relaxed than an addict who just took their hit of nicotine.
Fortunately the withdrawal doesn't last forever, so your assertions are basically nonesense.

The only one that i'll agree with is that alcohol is probably cheaper today compared to average disposable income. But it was never that expensive to start with and has been a social factor with humans for around 10,000 years.
PS - pubs stay open longer???? Licensing was only introduced in 1910, so does that mean that historically the problem was worse? I doubt it.

Originally posted by Fareast
To Gimmeesomepk :-

I think the evidence that it's easier to get drunk these days is all around us-----unless you believe there's a gigantic conspiracy by all governments and agencies who have anything to do with alcohol.Also if you walk round the streets enough , I would bet that you see more drunkenness than you did in years gone by. Why?
Well , generally , young people have more money ; in addition to that alcohol has got cheaper , relative to the average income ; pubs are open for longer and many more shops sell alcohol ; I'venever seen any evidence of the police rounding up and charging under-age drinkers and in any case the pubs seem so crowded that it would be a thankless task anyway; the amount of money spent on alcohol has soared over the years. Does this mean that the average Brits alcohol tolerance intake has gone up accordingly ?
Violence of all kinds seems to be on the increase. Even governments in power hardly bother to deny this. They never say , "Violent crime has gone down since we came to power ". They usually say , " Violent crime went up more under x party than it has under ours ".Hospitals , schools , the police , all seem to say they come across more violence. Perhaps they're all imagining it ? Perhaps all the people who live in certain areas don't really see any increase in violence ? Perhaps they're all making it up as a joke ?
Before the anti-smoking brigade started their various campaigns , years ago , millions of people happily smoked away.Then , a lot of them gave up. Is it 'cos they'd suddenly gone off the taste or smell of tobacco ? I think an intelligent guess would be that a lot gave up under pressure from their families , doctors.....etc.....NOT , because deep-down THEY wanted to stop. If they originally smoked to reduce tension , it logically follows that a few hundred thousand are walking around , straining at the leash , as it were.
Not only could this be contributing to the increase in violence but the increase in cases of people stuffing their faces with cream cakes and burgers.It's ridiculous to ask for statistics on how many people are more angry now , since they gave up smoking? Even they'd have a job to give an accurate answer to that ----there are so many other factors. However as I said , it's just an intelligent guess. The more people are nagged and pestered , the more of them re-act violently , it seems.

Little harsh calling his assertions nonsense, isn't it? Nevertheless, I also disagree with the "not smoking makes you more tense and prone to violent outbursts" statement.

I think the reasons that people today are getting more aggressive are many. For starters, people are expected to work longer hours for (relatively) less pay than they were 15 years ago. How many companies are left that still offer paid overtime, and how many will actually EXPECT you to stay late every day for nothing because they're giving you too much work to fit into your 37.5 our week. Not that any places are left who still have a 35 hour week. And in my housemate's experience, in addition to staying late, you rarely get more than 15 minutes to go get some lunch, then have to bring it back to eat at your desk while you carry on working unpaid.

I also blame a lack of discipline. As a child I would be reprimanded if I ever lost my temper (even if it was justified in hindsight) because I had to be taught to be civil to people. I was brought up to treat people as I'd like them to treat me, and to give everyone a chance (which admittedly has backfired on a couple of occasions when I haven't trusted my gut feelings). Basically, I was trained to act in a pleasant way, and I'm grateful for that. I see people behaving in such hideous ways, and it makes me ashamed to be near them.

Originally posted by rothschild
and I don't blame him for getting angry. He is the customer and all he was trying to do was to pay for the goods he had bought. The forecourt assistant had allowed him to do this and then tried to turn it around on him!!! If anybody was in the wrong here it was the employee of the store!! I hope the customer made a complaint against the forecourt attendant ........becuse I would have done!

go on, you can tell us - it was you wasn't it ... :P

Originally posted by GimmeSomePK
Wow.

I'll say it again. Wow

Anything to back this up? (especially dates)

Easier to get drunk? Reduction of smoking? Few hundred thousand? Pointless rules?

Fill us in, please.

-PK-

Was thinking the very same thing myself!! Smokers smoke simply cos they are addicted to the drug nicotine and because they have a habit. As tobacco is a stimulant, it does not relax anyone - the feeling of relaxation comes from the body getting the much needed 'hit' it needs from its drug addiction.

it was early and i wanted to be still in bed.
But I do think they are actually mostly nonsense.

I think comparatively we now have more leisure time and disposable income than we have ever had in the past (averages of course, so i'm sure some people have less).
I work a 37.5 hr week, I take an hour for lunch, I don't work any overtime unless it's being paid for (which it is as long as it's been requested). My only complaint is that my extra travel time (to a non base office location) isn't counted as working time when it should be, but the company argue that i choose to drive and i can stay in a hotel if i like.
I agree about the lack of discipline and that comes back to bad parenting.

Originally posted by RichD
Little harsh calling his assertions nonsense, isn't it? Nevertheless, I also disagree with the "not smoking makes you more tense and prone to violent outbursts" statement.

I think the reasons that people today are getting more aggressive are many. For starters, people are expected to work longer hours for (relatively) less pay than they were 15 years ago. How many companies are left that still offer paid overtime, and how many will actually EXPECT you to stay late every day for nothing because they're giving you too much work to fit into your 37.5 our week. Not that any places are left who still have a 35 hour week. And in my housemate's experience, in addition to staying late, you rarely get more than 15 minutes to go get some lunch, then have to bring it back to eat at your desk while you carry on working unpaid.

I also blame a lack of discipline. As a child I would be reprimanded if I ever lost my temper (even if it was justified in hindsight) because I had to be taught to be civil to people. I was brought up to treat people as I'd like them to treat me, and to give everyone a chance (which admittedly has backfired on a couple of occasions when I haven't trusted my gut feelings). Basically, I was trained to act in a pleasant way, and I'm grateful for that. I see people behaving in such hideous ways, and it makes me ashamed to be near them.

The point about smoking is that it IS mildly addictive----so what ?Many things in life are mildly addictive.Many people find it hard to believe that people actually LIKE and LIKED to smoke. Just because some think it's disgusting , so what ? Do we ban everything that certain groups think are disgusting ?I'm sure some people think that driving around in cars is dangerous , dirty ,pointless and so on but we don't seem keen to ban driving for pleasure.My point about smoking is that in the past 20 years millions of people have given up smoking under pressure , not because they REALLY wanted to do so. The point is that these people were mildly addicted and therefore felt tensed up when they were pressured into stopping. {Apart from the point of being "nannied" too !}
I did not say that the ex-smokers were responsible for most or even many of today's ills. I did say that it was one of the contributary factors that went towards making people in Britain today , more angry , tense and violent.
Licencing may have come in 1910 [There were also further restrictions in 1917] and from the 1ST. World War to about 1970 , Britain was regarded as a very safe country compared to the vast majority.I don't know what the crime figures for violence were before 1910 but , whatever , that was a time when everybody who wanted to smoke did so anyway !
The point about smoking is that it is one of many bad habits we have as a nation. I just think that it's ironic that Society seems to have jumped on smoking and yet encouraged almost everything [ films , t.v , full of violence . alcohol easily available....etc...] that creates violence and nastiness and then they throw their little hands up in horror and go , "Oh dear , how did it get like this ? "]

I have to say alcohol doesn't cause violence. I drink reasonably often, and occasionally to excess, but I never get aggressive. Alcohol simply loosens your inhibitions and encourages Violent People to exercise their own nature.

Smoking on the other hand, seems to fool the smoker into thinking he/she isn't doing anyone but themself any harm. Not true. My asthmatic girlfriend can attest to that.

I wouldn't mind that so much, but the concept of courtesy seems to have vanished from society in recent years. When was the last time anyone heard a stranger ask them, "Do you mind if I smoke?" It's very rare in comparison to say, 15 years ago.

lol thats because 15 years ago they would say smoke away now they make you stand outside !! :o <<<recovering smoker

lol maybe in the workplace, but in public there's a whole different situation.

My girlfriend has to get the train to and from work every day - other methods of transport are not viable. At the station she'll go find a seat on a bench, away from those who are smoking. Then invariably someone will sit next to her and light up without a word said. When asked if they would mind not smoking next to her, the reaction is varied - some will happily agree and move to another seat. Others will go off on one about their god-given right to smoke (and therefore to restrict her breathing) as they see fit, and if SHE doesn't like it she can go to hell. Such attitudes I find intolerable.

I forgot to mention another group of people , of course ; those who still smoke but who are prevented from smoking , almost everywhere they go. They , too are likely to be tensed up.
Really , I feel really guilty about smoking !

When I see the litter-free streets in Sheffield all around me , I feel like throwing myself under a beer-mat.

When I see the dinky little pubs and
cafes in Sheffield , filled with nice , polite people , sitting , discussing the important problems of today , I feel obliged to stub out my cigarette.
When I travel on public transport and I know that no fat , smelly person , listening to rap music will sit next to me , smelling of sweat and garlic , I feel really guilty and throw my cigarettes out of the bus window in disgust.
When I go in a City Centre pub and don't hear loud -mouths shouting , swearing , f**ting , and belching , I soon put out my cigarette and blush with shame at my weakness.
Can anyone recommend a Counsellor or better still an Outreach Counsellor ?

That's the last time I accuse anyone of being too harsh on you. Cyclone was right - you are talking nonsense.

I've put forward logical arguments using real life examples, and all you can do is throw sarcasm back at me? Fine, be like that. Just don't expect me to take you seriously in future.

Rich D.
Sorry for the loss of your support.
Considering a couple of points however.
Just because you , personally , don't go round chinning people , after having a few drinks ,absolutely has no bearing on what goes on in the rest of U.K. society. All the evidence from wherever you care to mention seems to point to the fact that alcohol-fuelled violence is on the increase.
The same with your girl -friend's experience. It must be much pleasanter for non-smokers , in general , these days , to sit and not be bothered by smoke. Us smokers have been driven to the ends of the Earth , almost , to keep us away from you health -enthusiasts. In the particular case of your girl-friend , couldn't she have just got up and walked away -----because the smoker had just as much right to sit there as she did.

Well actually, no, she couldn't. She has a chronic knee injury (which wasn't her fault - it happened in the course of her job, not a sports injury) and can't stand for long periods without pain. She chooses her seat to be as far from smokers as possible (which I'm sure you'll agree is reasonable). Then someone comes and sits next to her and lights up. It's fine if they then listen to her polite request for them not to smoke right next to her, but if they choose to have a go at her for having the sheer nerve to make a simple and reasoned request, that doesn't exactly make her feel good.

Firstly, it hurts her feelings that someone has been nasty to her. Not the other person's problem, fine. But it also means she has to do one of two things: get up and stand around waiting for the train, whch causes her pain, or sit there and put up with the breathing restriction, which can get quite severe. Meanwhile, this person next to her is sitting there internally gloating at their 'victory' over the whinging non-smoker, and cares not a jot for the suffering they're inflicting on her. On occasion they have been known to accuse her of putting on an act, which I can assure you is not the case. Perhaps they need to convince themselves of this so that they don't feel guilty for causing her such discomfort - I don't know.

None of the above would be a problem if people in society today had the same manners and courtesy that they used to. You and I feel exactly the same about today's youth, as has been established in another thread.

As for the drinking issue, I agree with you to some extent - but what I'm saying is that we can't just blame the substance. The person who continues to abuse it is responsible for their own actions. Especially when they already know they get violent after a drink.

Rich D :-
Well , it does throw a different light on the matter now that you've explained the full facts and I apologise if , in the circumstances , my reply appeared callous in any way.
I do agree that years ago smokers were unthoughtfull in general about the effect smoking might have on non-smokers. I think nowadays smokers are more considerate ; in fact most smokers feel persecuted , in their turn !
I think your girl friend was just unlucky to keep coming across such boorish people. Really and truly , though , I think if they knew that smoking distressed her AND she had a mobility problem too , most of them would act differently----I hope so , anyway !

I'd like to think so too. It just seems from the law of averages, that there are more obnoxious people around than we'd like...

Fair enough it sounds like he was an arse but it's the attendants responsibility to check who they are issuing fuel to and what it's being put into.

Originally posted by Fareast
The point about smoking is that it IS mildly addictive----so what ?Many things in life are mildly addictive.Many people find it hard to believe that people actually LIKE and LIKED to smoke. Just because some think it's disgusting , so what ? Do we ban everything that certain groups think are disgusting ?I'm sure some people think that driving around in cars is dangerous , dirty ,pointless and so on but we don't seem keen to ban driving for pleasure.My point about smoking is that in the past 20 years millions of people have given up smoking under pressure , not because they REALLY wanted to do so. The point is that these people were mildly addicted and therefore felt tensed up when they were pressured into stopping. {Apart from the point of being "nannied" too !}
I did not say that the ex-smokers were responsible for most or even many of today's ills. I did say that it was one of the contributary factors that went towards making people in Britain today , more angry , tense and violent.
Licencing may have come in 1910 [There were also further restrictions in 1917] and from the 1ST. World War to about 1970 , Britain was regarded as a very safe country compared to the vast majority.I don't know what the crime figures for violence were before 1910 but , whatever , that was a time when everybody who wanted to smoke did so anyway !
The point about smoking is that it is one of many bad habits we have as a nation. I just think that it's ironic that Society seems to have jumped on smoking and yet encouraged almost everything [ films , t.v , full of violence . alcohol easily available....etc...] that creates violence and nastiness and then they throw their little hands up in horror and go , "Oh dear , how did it get like this ? "]

firstly, nicotine is more addictive than heroin, so if that's your idea of mildly addictive i'd hate to see something strongly addictive.

Secondly, i'm glad you've given up on the idea that smoking relaxes you. What it does it cause tension after you are addicted if you don't have a hit. It's a source of tension, not a relief from it.
I'll agree with you that some people become violent after drinking, but it is a minority.
And I'm sure you said that rich's girlfriend should have to move in order to enjoy clean air just to wind us up. A smoker has a right to smoke, they do not have a right to harm anyone else. Her right to not be harmed outweighs a smokers right to smoke, so they should have to move.
Unless you believe that the right to smoke is more important than the right not to be assaulted.

Cyclone

Well , admittedly , I haven't tried heroin so I can't say much about its addictive lure but I would have thought it difficult to measure addiction as it seems so subjective. Some people seem to give up heroin and/or tobacco much easier than others.
I don't think I made it very clear about tension and smoking. Once a person starts smoking and then for some reason is prevented from doing so , he or she feels thwarted , frustrated or even angry. I know you might think they should never have started in the first place but this is not a ,"perfect" world where everyone follows the H.&S. guidelines. People do all kinds of immoral or silly things. It's called living.The point is that smokers tend to feel doubly aggrieved when they've been nagged into stopping or told they can't smoke here , there and everywhere. They do feel the lack of nicotine but also the fact of being nannied. You said previously that the urge to smoke soon wears off so the ex-smokers don't go round feeling frustrated. Well , that depends on the individual. There could be many a person , for all we know who sees someone smoking and thinks , "I wish I could smoke again. Why did I listen to X....."
Smokers are very much restricted as to where they can smoke and no doubt in RichD's girlfriend's case , the smoker thought that he'd found a nice , legal place to sit down and smoke. He wouldn't know that the girl had a disability or couldn't even stand smoke in the open air. I did say he was boorish. It all depends on the way things are said and he could have just walked away but he was entitled to sit there just as much as a fat woman guzzling a cheeseburger with onions and two screaming kids would be. Life's full of little trials.

Whilst addiction is heavily influenced by the person, the affects on the brain can be easily studied, you just have to use each person in the study as their own control factor.
I understand your point about tension, but you presented it in a way which suggested that smoking lowered tension (originally), we're now agreed that it's the act of not smoking when someone wants too which raises tension.
I just had a thought, the act of relieving that tension may well annoy the hell out of someone else, so smoking may be a source of tension whichever way you look at it.

Yes , I agree with you about that.
AS you said in one of your previous responses , you do believe in as much personal freedom as I do , provided it doesn't harm other people. I think we often just disagree on the details.
Yes , I'm sure , in general that there are a lot of people in Britain today who don't like to see people enjoy themselves or become self-indulgent. As a nation we seem to have had a streak of puritanism running through our veins for a long time.
I go on about drinkers and over-eaters but I only do it to illustrate that there are other "bad" habits , besides smoking.
It really doesn't bother me at all what people get up to in their personal lives as long as it doesn't bother other people and you were right to point out that if it's a 50/50 case , then the "mover "is more guilty than the passive person.
What's so annoying is that the Powers-that-Be seem to treat the real nuisances in Society very lightly indeed , whilst burying the rest of the largely well-behaved population in a myriad of rules and regulations.

Originally posted by Cyclone
I understand your point about tension, but you presented it in a way which suggested that smoking lowered tension (originally), we're now agreed that it's the act of not smoking when someone wants too which raises tension.

I thought it was dangerous to smoke around petrol?

(not that anybody seems to have wandered off topic or anything :rolleyes: )

Yes, stick to the topic or start another thread!

I think the bloke in Morrisons was probably caught at a bad moment, he may regret his outburst now.

Some people will always act rudely and selfishly, but I can honestly say I find they are a very small minority. I have met some of the most polite, friendly and respectful people in recent years - perhaps it's just the company I keep? Or is it that behaviour breeds behaviour?

How come a discussion on an arrogant customer at Morrison's petrol station was hi-jacked into a discussion on nicotine habits? I fail to see the connection.

I was once told off by a petrol station staff member for apparently allowing my daughter to fill up my car. (As it happens, my daughter is an adult, though of small stature).

There are notices displayed on the forecourt relating to age restrictions when filling, as well as the use of approved cans, no smoking, switching off lights (and engine) when filling and not using mobile phones - though I wonder how many drivers actually read these warning signs?

Ok here's one for you.

A smoker is sat on a bench merrily smoking away minding their business - a nonsmoker sits down and requests they put the cigarette out. Whose rights come first?

Originally posted by rooby_roo
Ok here's one for you.

A smoker is sat on a bench merrily smoking away minding their business - a nonsmoker sits down and requests they put the cigarette out. Whose rights come first?

Please go to another thread. This one is about an arrogant man in Morrisons petrol station - not about the rights of smokers v non-smokers.

Mind your business nobnose - look at the posts above.
Its seems to be a natural progression of the thread

Nobnose! LMAO!! I like that..

Anyway so the morrisons guy, I think was a bit harsh with the person serving him but the point of the matter is, how did he know which can he should be using for petrol in it?

Did anyone stop him filling his can up with petrol?
Nope.

So Im not surprised he reacted like he did at the cash-desk.
I probably would have too as I dont have much patience at being told off by someone I dont know.

'told off' he wasn't a kid, and you know it's approved if you buy it from a petrol station, otherwise unless it says in big letters that it is approved it's safe to assume it isn't.
Angelus, you must have a hard time whenever you parttake of any activity with staff controlling it then.
Chances are the attendant couldn't see the type of container from where she was, but assumed that it was correct. When he came inside she realised it wasn't and to save him trouble the next time told him so. Completely reasonable behaviour. Having a strop at that is the behaviour of a child not an adult.

FarEast - I agree with your last post.

I agree with Cyclone - there's a difference between being 'told off', and being advised of the rules and regulations. As long as the attendant isn't obnoxious about it, there's no need to be so in return. After all, only certain types of containers are approved for a reason.

Originally posted by rothschild
The flip side of the coin is that this poor guy was probably innocently buying petrol for his mower or something! Just what does an "approved" petrol cannister look like?? Where does it state anywhere in a petrol station what sort of a can is approved by them? Maybe it does.........I have never looked in all honesty..............just like the rest of us? Is it red or green........is it plastic or metal????? I have seen folks fill up an empty milk carton before now! Lets face it.........if you had run out of petrol you would empty a pop bottle in order to get fuel. I do not blame this man for getting angry..................he was not committing any crime!! He had filled up his cannister with petrol and he was paying for it!!!! If anybody was at fault it was the person that had allowed him to get the fuel in the first place!! He had simply availed himself of a service that was being sold to the general public.........and he was the general public! He had been shown up in public by a "jobsworth".............one who was trying to shut the stable door after the horse had bolted...........and I don't blame him for getting angry. He is the customer and all he was trying to do was to pay for the goods he had bought. The forecourt assistant had allowed him to do this and then tried to turn it around on him!!! If anybody was in the wrong here it was the employee of the store!! I hope the customer made a complaint against the forecourt attendant ........becuse I would have done!

they come with a label on stating they are approved, the plastic ones tend to have some sort of statement of the same effect moulded into the plastic, the metal ones are usually fairly easily identifed as such but don't appear much since 5 and 10 l sizes in plastic were approved unless you are into 5 gallon military type cans

the purpose designed heavyweight plastic 5 l cans you can buy from garages/ halfords/ supermarkets for a couple of pounds are approved, old motor oil, screen wash, industrial chemical or mineral water plastic bottles aren't !

There are too many rules and regulations around now.

When I worked at Sellafield, I used to take some of the Nuclear waste to the council tip in "Netto" carrier bags.

No one knew, and it certainly did me no harm.

Originally posted by rothschild
The flip side of the coin is that this poor guy was probably innocently buying petrol for his mower or something! Just what does an "approved" petrol cannister look like?? Where does it state anywhere in a petrol station what sort of a can is approved by them? Maybe it does.........I have never looked in all honesty..............just like the rest of us? Is it red or green........is it plastic or metal????? I have seen folks fill up an empty milk carton before now! Lets face it.........if you had run out of petrol you would empty a pop bottle in order to get fuel. I do not blame this man for getting angry..................he was not committing any crime!! He had filled up his cannister with petrol and he was paying for it!!!! If anybody was at fault it was the person that had allowed him to get the fuel in the first place!! He had simply availed himself of a service that was being sold to the general public.........and he was the general public! He had been shown up in public by a "jobsworth".............one who was trying to shut the stable door after the horse had bolted...........and I don't blame him for getting angry. He is the customer and all he was trying to do was to pay for the goods he had bought. The forecourt assistant had allowed him to do this and then tried to turn it around on him!!! If anybody was in the wrong here it was the employee of the store!! I hope the customer made a complaint against the forecourt attendant ........becuse I would have done! I witnessed what happened there and can confirm this man was a complete arsehole. He was out of order with his reaction to the attendant, she hadn't had a go at him and wasn't making a scene, it was he that blew it out of proportion.

I just hope this person doesn't react like a spoilt childish brat with every situation he encounters. If he'd have spoken to me in the way he spoke to her then he'd have been on the floor before finishing his outbirst. He was simply bullying this person and using the fact that he was the customer to get away with it.

Had you have heard the comments made by other people in the cue behind me then you'd realise exactly who was in the wrong here. I recall the word prick and similar words were mentioned a few times towards him.

Yes I agree the woman in the station shouldn't have allowed him to fill the container in the first place, but she didn't do anything wrong explaining that to him and stating that in the future she wouldn't do it again. Imagine if she hadn't, Mr Tantrum would have had a field day ranting about how last time he was allowed to do so etc.

She was polite with him and explained quietly etc. he then threw a tantrum and that's what I think is wrong. Adding to that the fact that he wanted to complain just made this guy look like a complete penis in front of the rest of us customers that his tantrum was holding up.

If that's how you'd behave then shame on you..........

If you think that Guy was an arse then Everytime you go in to a pub Think about the people who serve behind the bar and the arseholes thay have to sever everynight i know some people can be less than polite but there giving a service and with out them you wouldent have your food drink petrol or anything else that means you have to pay over a counter


Please think of the people who are working

its nothing to be polite and say please and thank you

:) be nice


i know this was off topic but people in pubs and bars Get sh&t all the time

Got to admit, I am always nice to these people. It costs nothing to be nice to someone serving you. I did a few of these jobs when I was a student, so I know the crap they take and there's no reason to be impolite to them just because you are the customer and they are there to serve you.

Let's just hope that idiot insults the wrong customer service staff one day and gets a slap to teach him some manners!:clap: