Retail and hospitality workers report that customers increasingly ignore them in favour of their phones, a behaviour known as 'phubbing' (phone snubbing), which staff say makes them feel ignored and hampers quality service.
Café owner calls phone use 'constant' frustration
Rouz G Habibi, owner of More Munchies in Acton Vale, London, described the issue as a 'constant' frustration, telling SumUp: 'They walk in on their phones, order on their phones, sit down on their phones. They don't even look up when you're serving them. I find it very rude and, honestly, quite sad.'
Habibi is not alone. A study interviewing almost 3,000 retail employees found phubbing to be a common experience, leaving those on the receiving end to 'feel ignored and find it difficult to deliver quality customer service.'
Workers share horror stories online
Online forums echo the findings, with staff at hospitality venues and supermarkets sharing stories of customers scrolling distractedly while being served, or arriving at the till mid-phone call with headphones in. One Reddit user complained: 'Then they have the nerve to get irritated with you for trying to work out what they want.'
'So many customers sit down at my bar, and before they even order they're just zeroed in on their cellphone,' said another, while a third added: 'I honestly can't understand why people think this is okay. Do they assume we're not worth their attention, or do they just not care?'
Owners respond with patience and tactics
Bakery and café owner Beverly Botha, of The Travelling Cupcake in Andover, Hampshire, said the behaviour has become 'more and more common' over her 12 years in business, and she finds it 'so incredibly rude.' Her tactic is often to tell customers she will serve them when they finish on their phone, or to 'just carry on doing what [she's] doing until they get the hint.'
'As a business owner, I really do understand,' Botha told Metro. 'I have to be on my phone so much, so I do get it. But if I'm speaking to a human being in front of me, I always try and make a point of not being on my phone.'
Claire Alexander, owner of The Killingworth Castle pub in Wootton, Oxfordshire, said most customers are present when interacting with staff, but they are 'accustomed to' some ignoring them for a screen. 'It comes down to manners,' she told Metro. 'Parents often lead by example and don't have phones around, it's often when adults are together you might see more of it.'
With 19 years in the trade, Alexander has learned to 'roll with it', adding: 'People usually look a bit guilty when they realise they've been rude and kept you waiting. But sometimes it just means someone else gets served quicker when others aren't "ready".' She tries not to judge customers glued to their phones, both to 'provide a backdrop to have a good time' and because they might be posting positively about the pub on social media.
A shift towards real connections
Alexander has noticed 'a slight shift' recently, with more people keeping phones off tables and 'actively seeking conversation again.' Those who do, she said, 'generally seem to have a better experience because of it.'
'Pubs are the original social media, and while I wish more people would realise this, I genuinely believe the tide is at last turning in favour of real connections and face to face contact,' she added. 'The question is whether the tide will turn quick enough to support pubs — who face such difficulties right now — in real terms.'
