I was assaulted at work. My boss did nothing. (WA)

[NewYorker11356]

Originally Posted by musicfamly5

So what happens when that customer sues you and your company for assault? Because that's what you've just done...assault an customer instead of leaving the situation or seeking a non-violent response. And if that customer has a good enough lawyer you'll be fired before your next shift.

Violent and abusive customers are bad, but if your response is to stoop to their level and dish up just as much violence back you have a massive problem. As a fellow employee I would report and look at seeking out your need for discipline before a pointlessly crazy customer. And as an owner or manager; no questions asked I would fire you on the spot if you even threatened a customer. You call the police or management if your feeling "unsafe". It isn't about looking tough or needing to grow a pair; It clears the air of who started the issue and allows ease of getting rid of the person who is truly harmful, rather than creating a "he said, she said" situation where you ARE a perpetrator of a crime if the other person gets injured.

You two are talking about assaulting others and claiming its "self defense" because you feel threatened. But in real life if you attack another person instead of just walking away or finding a way to solve the problem without violence (and unless they have a gun or weapon you can always walk away or call for help) they place just as much guilt on themselves for extending the situation and creating more violence which will lead them to getting fired, sued, or even jailed. It's really simple, in the workplace if a customer is agitated leave them alone and if they start to initiate violence or make other uncomfortable ask them to leave or call the police. You don't need to ever approach them or get in their face. You don't need to defend your honor or respond back in any way. You don't need to appear the toughest or try to frighten them. Just walk away, tell a manager/leader, and call the police and stay calm.

So you would just stand still and let them keep assaulting you? Lol

Even if they did sue, they wouldn't win if they threw the first punch and started it.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by NewYorker11356

So you would just stand still and let them keep assaulting you? Lol

Even if they did sue, they wouldn't win if they threw the first punch and started it.

Interesting that some of the men here are interpreting the situation as "throwing punches" What the OP described earlier was far from that.

The OP needs to talk to whoever is tasked with security at the store, that there's a problem customer who's shown violent tendencies toward the OP. The OP can then notify the boss, that security is keeping an eye on the situation, and solicit the boss' support. If there's any further incident, the police can be called and a stalker reported. Police will brief the OP and his/her supervisor, and the store security monitor about how to handle the customer in the future. The police do have procedures and policies for such cases.