If an employee of a store is on break in the designated outside smoking area?

Question

while smoking a cigarette, should they be asked to put it out by a customer who just happend by and decided to sit there? The area is a long distance from any entrance but there are soda machines nearby that create stray traffic. Yes, this happen to me and I got up rolled my eyes and took my ciggarette with me without a word. If I was not in uniform I would have pointed straight to the Smoking Permitted In This Area sign with the big red letters. Am I wrong for feeling that this was very rude of her?

No I do not get little 5 min. breaks. I get nothing more than designated breaks. Same as everyone else. I wish.....

Answer 1

well as a smoker my self! i do think that it was very rude of her! they are taking away all of the smokers rights. Now if you were standing at the door way then yeah you could have expected that but common you were where you were suppose to be and she obviously wasn't. Next time I think you would be okay to just look up smile and point at the sign and gentley say i'm sorry but i'm in the smoking area they give this area so we don't bother the ones that don't smoke. she will probley be like oh my i didn't notice i'm sorry an dyou can finish your butt in peace.

Answer 2

Well I do agree. Even though I do not smoke, I do not have an issue with smokers who smoke in designated areas. You have a right to take a break and smoke. But I guess it depends on the management. If I had been your boss, I would have told you to tell the lady that you are in a designated smoke area and you were taking a break. If she wanted to complain, I would have told her that by law that employees are to take a rest break and if they chose to smoke and they are smoking in a designated smoke area, well there was not really anything that could be done. And its like a fence she can get over it.

Answer 3

Pointing to the sign would have been more polite then rolling your eyes and walking away. Maybe the person didn't see the sign. Simply put all you needed to say is "Please forgive me, but this is a designated smoking area and I am trying to stay with in designated areas as to not bother any of the non smokers" then I would have pointed out obvious non smoking areas with this person could have sat. Uniform or not you had a right to be there just handle things professional and nicely and you will be amazed how many people just simply say Okay thanks, Sorry about that..

Answer 4

You are a better person than I am. I would have nicely told the customer that I was in the designated smoking area and that if she does not like the smoke she can find another place to sit. She was in the wrong section to complain about cigarette smoke. I don't smoke, but I would not ask someone to put out their cigarette if I was in their smoking area.

Answer 5

I would have told her that I am on my break and this is the DESIGNATED smoking area and if she wants a smoke free environment she can walk a few feet away. I used to work at a restaurant and we had crabby old hags like that all the time sitting outside and I had to stand by the dumpsters to smoke and they would still complain to me and I just kept telling them- You really think my cigarette smells worse than the trash fine you stay by the trash with the clean air and I'll go somewhere else and smoke! I don't work there anymore and I'm REALLY ok with that- I hate working with the public!!

Answer 6

its bad enough that smokers are already banned to tiny designated smoking areas that are ridiculously distanced away from everything else, now people aren't even happy with that. no you're not wrong for being pissed, there are lots of other places this Non-smoker could've sat and not been bothered by your smoke, but YOU only have that one place. besides you were there first. people are getting ridiculous with this ****. people don't drive up to an occupied handicapped parking space and ask the wheelchair-bound person there that their car is bothering them and they need to move! so why is it okay for people to go to "handicapped space" for smokers and tell them to put out their cigarettes!? in your uniform or not, next time this **** happens to you politely but sternly point out the smoking area sign and then direct the pompous asshole to another place he may sit located in a nonsmoking area

Answer 7

I do not think an employee smoking area should be in the front of the store or anywhere else where there will be customers present anyway. Where I worked, we were instructed we were to take our breaks in the break room and smoking was to be done "out back" away from an entrance. I agree with your frustration however since you were clearly in a smoking area. If this happens again, maybe you could politely point her in the direction of the smoke free area.

Answer 8

I think it was rude of her. It really bugs me that people think they can make everyone else adjust things to their liking. Even if it wasn't a smoking area, you were still there first. And besides, it was outside, so the smoke should not have created that much of a problem for her. She didn't have to sit close to you if she didn't want to.

This makes me glad I don't work in retail anymore. People just flat out suck sometimes.

Answer 9

It was a bit rude of her. Some people who do not smoke are right gits these days!
I do agree, however, you did the correct thing, simply moving away.
Soon people will be made to smoke only in rooms on top of buildings, with some sort of filter to clean the air before it goes out into the atmosphere.
I rather think things could be taken too far in this matter.
Charles--That Cheeky Lad

Answer 10

You are right to be annoyed but as you were in uniform you did the right thing!
Raise it with HR and suggest they put a notice there informing customers that it is a designated staff smoking area and they enter it at their own risk ie breathing in smoke.