How to handle corporate mask bullies.
Fri 7:35 pm +01:00, 23 Apr 2021 10I’ve started with a new strategy against aggressive mask enforcers working for corporate businesses like Costa, Starbucks and so on.
The idea is, once they start their procedure to put pressure on you, let them carry on to the point they get confused. As in…
They wrongly start off with “Have you got a mask with you?
You answer is – ‘No’ followed by silence.
On their training courses they are told to expect more than just ‘No’, so they don’t know what to say next.
The cafe manager I had today looked cross and added, ‘If you don’t wear a mask and are not exempt, we can refuse to serve you.’
Answer simply – ‘Okay.’ Followed by silence. Now they have no idea what to say or do and are totally confused.
If they refuse to serve you without finding out or asking if you are exempt you can sue.
Best thing is to wait and see if they can compute what to say next, which is of course entertaining.
Only reply to the question,’Do you have a mask?’ with ‘No’ and ‘Are you exempt? with ‘Yes’.
Otherwise keep silent. If they refuse to serve you, threaten legal action immediately.
If they ask, ‘are you exempt?’ I always reply politely, ‘Yes.’
But don’t reply to any other question or prompt, after saying you do not have a mask.
If they refuse to serve you without asking you about exemption first, you have a case against them, possibly winning £7000 in damages.
If they refuse to serve you knowing you are exempt, you can head straight to court ready to collect. Their insurers will soon grow tired.
Ask them to repeat the refusal, and confirm on camera and in writing. ‘Are you quite sure you are refusing to serve me?’
I would repeat that to them a few times. Try to have a witness nearby.
They should always ask first ‘Are you able to wear a mask?’. This would save them a lot of time, stress and probably money.
Small cafes privately owned should take note, and ask the right question first, which is ‘are you able to wear a mask?’
They will soon find more customers coming to them who are fed up with the bullying attitudes trained into staff by corporate businesses.
https://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/news/daughter-caught-in-costa-incident-5666392
Don’t complain. Keep silent and sue the ‘bejezus’ out of them. You’ll soon find a change in their behaviour.
I don’t see much point in being like the post advises. I just say that I’m exempt, and nearly always, it is accepted without fuss. Any funny stuff is very rare and usually from other customers.
That however is just my opinion, and if it floats your boat to wind them up, then feel free.
If today was the only thing on our minds I would agree Ian. But tomorrow requires us to resist. If we back down to this push from authority, others will follow. I spent six years in an aggressive authority prep school from aged seven followed by a psychological regime of oppression at a top public school. I am highly aware of bullies and unreasonable authority, and will never miss an opportunity to push back – a thing we could never do as youngsters without collecting corporal punishment in return. Throughout my adult life, I’ve enjoyed an amazing amount of freedom. I know how precious that is and will never miss a chance to push back a bully. I don’t enjoy it at all, but I don’t want others to live through what we went through at a very young age. I spent many years dedicated to Brexit, keeping the £, saving jewellery hallmarking and many other things that were threatened by authority. I guess we will lose much of our freedom in the end but not if we resist all the way, and in every way we can, in sufficient numbers. Luckily authority is invariably dumb, and they only succeed because people don’t push back as they can’t bothered. As for other customers, say anything you like to get rid of them, as they’re a waste of time in the equation.
I fully understand what you say Tap’. I just feel that I for one, find confrontation very stressful. When the masks first became mandatory, I wouldn’t go into shops, then I decided to go in maskless. It was stressful at first with lots of challenges, and jumped up security unsure of their limits, but I got there. To up it a degree would be more stressful. I’m, temperamentally an avoider, who has only two settings, ie easy- ozy, or full in your face. I don’t do a very good, controlled, in between. I suspect that my up bringing contributed to that. Due to these things, I would probably kick off and get lifted, if I ended up in an arguing situation with management. I am however aware of what has been said and will give it time to sink in. Thanks for the advice.
That all sounds rather complex. Practical experience suggests a strategy of “medically exempt” CU later giving the desirable outcome. Keep it simple folks 🙂
They want it simple Sov, so make life complicated for them.
Asked twice today (more and more rare) if I had a mask.
“no” and walked away.
2nd
‘You need to have a mask to enter’
‘Sir? Sir? SIR!?
And walked away
Nice. But wouldn’t it be more fun to upset them first?! I usually get a member of staff come over and offer sympathy and support once seeing off the bullying manager. Maybe I don’t have enough to do! But each little victory against a bully is worth the fight in my opinion.
I started out with this VERY confrontational, but later on I was discussing all of this with an ex-SEAL, and he said; ‘The more attention you draw to yourself over something with no measurable reward ONLY draws attention to yourself, because there is a very good chance there could come a Full Purge – and every Karen will be MORE than happy to point the finger at you and say;
“He’s a NON-BELIEVER!”
IF…….Shinola turns to shite, I want to be in it for the long run – not get taken to some camp by OVERWHELMING force simply because I loved (and I do!) getting in their faces.
There ARE time, I’ll admit – when I do go on the offensive. Just too hard to pass up.
Was at the checkout in Morrisons the other day and a store assistant was at the pay point machine helping a customer when she turned to me and asked “Can I ask you to stand back”, to which I replied “Since you have a voice you probably could.”
I bet that confused her, Gordon!