Muslim staff at M&S can refuse to sell alcohol & pork

[tattuchu]

The Muslim cashier can ring a bell for the manager to come over and perform that particular transaction. That's the way it's done here if, for instance, a cashier is underage and cannot legally handle alcohol. In the case of Muslim cashiers, if the manager is bothered enough then perhaps he might eventually question the wisdom of putting such a person on a till in the first place.

[Svartalf]

They probably ran a MiniMax on that before they decided.

Let's see how accurate that was... If they handle things well, it should go smoothly with the "no handling" muslim clerks shifted away from alimentation tills... but just the media backlash could hurt them bad, and worse if they actually cause customer inconvenience (like setting up "no pork or alcohol" lines and the ones handling them are too overburdened) it could cause serious loss of business, especially if the people stopping to go there for food also boycott the other departments...

[klr]

The Muslim cashier can ring a bell for the manager to come over and perform that particular transaction. That's the way it's done here if, for instance, a cashier is underage and cannot legally handle alcohol. In the case of Muslim cashiers, if the manager is bothered enough then perhaps he might eventually question the wisdom of putting such a person on a till in the first place.

It's still a waste of the customer's time. All the customers in fact, as there may be a long and very restive queue ...

Let's see how accurate that was... If they handle things well, it should go smoothly with the "no handling" muslim clerks shifted away from alimentation tills... but just the media backlash could hurt them bad, and worse if they actually cause customer inconvenience (like setting up "no pork or alcohol" lines and the ones handling them are too overburdened) it could cause serious loss of business, especially if the people stopping to go there for food also boycott the other departments...

Yup, I forgot about that. I was just thinking of all the other supermarket-related business they could, lose, but that in itself is only part of what M&S does.

I'm quite sure some of my local deli counter staff are either Muslim or Hindu, but of course I don't actually know, and nor do I care. Because they just serve me, no questions asked, no fuss.

[charlou]

The Muslim cashier can ring a bell for the manager to come over and perform that particular transaction. That's the way it's done here if, for instance, a cashier is underage and cannot legally handle alcohol. In the case of Muslim cashiers, if the manager is bothered enough then perhaps he might eventually question the wisdom of putting such a person on a till in the first place.

yep, good points tat.

[charlou]

feta: I'd been thinking in terms of consumer expectation only .. but tat's points take a pragmatic retail approach to employee diversity which also meets consumer expectation.

[klr]

Hold on ... will employees who refuse to handle certain goods get paid less? After all, they will effectively be reducing sales and ultimately profits for M&S.

[klr]

The sraight dope:

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/newslett ... ylaws.aspx

Dietary Laws
How to Avoid Pork
by Jamila Rufaro

He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of God... (Qur'an 2:173)

The Holy Qur'an prohibits us from eating pork in ayats 2:173, 5:4, 6:145 and 16:115. Avoiding pork in this country is difficult because pork and pork by-products use a variety of names when they are included in many of the foods and cosmetics we buy. Did you know that glycerine is often made from pork and is commonly used to make toothpaste and soap? This article will focus on pork products that are commonly overlooked by people who are trying to avoid pork.

Pork products are sometimes used to make snack foods such as puddings, jello, chips, crackers, cookies, donuts and marshmallows including marshmallow bits in cereal and hot cocoa. Pork products are also found in some brands of cake frosting, cheese spreads, yogurt, margarine, and ice cream. Look for words like lard, animal fats, animal glyceride, hydrolyzed animal protein, enzymes, emulsifiers, monostearates, mono and di-glyceride and gelatin on the label when you buy these products. Dairy products such as whipped cream, sour cream and cheese may also contain gelatin or rennet. Rennet is an enzyme which turns milk solids into cheese. Animal rennet is most often used. Look for mono and di-glyceride (forms of glycerine), or enzymes on the label. They may not all be made with pork but the only way to know for sure is to contact the company or look for the Kosher marking (K or U) on the label. Pork in the form of glycerine, keratin, collagen and tallow are used in cosmetics and toiletries. Some common ones that contain pork or pork by-products are lipstick, shaving cream, toothpaste, had lotion, bath soap and shampoos. Pork is also hidden in detergents, cleansers, dish liquids, and soaps.

Some medications may also contain pork products; the most common is the gelatin coated tablet of the gelatin capsule (gelcaps). The Physicians Desk Reference is a reliable source that we can refer to for the names, ingredients, indications, reactions and brands of every prescription and non-prescription drug or medication on the market.

Adapted from: 'How Not to Eat Pork' (or 'Life Without the Pig') by Sharazad Ali, Civilized Publications, Philadelphia, 1985.

Beware of Pork in these Popular Brands:

Ivory soap, Colgate toothpaste, Nabisco cookies, Dryers ice cream, Lucky Charms Cereal, Jergens Lotion, Carnation Coffee Mate & Jello Pudding.

[charlou]

Hold on ... will employees who refuse to handle certain goods get paid less? After all, they will effectively be reducing sales and ultimately profits for M&S.

dunno .. but didn't begrudge an Indian colleague taking time out to visit his family in November for their religious festival. Asked him today about what he thinks about xmas .. His smiling reply: 'different date, different god'. I liked the nuanced irony.

[klr]

Hold on ... will employees who refuse to handle certain goods get paid less? After all, they will effectively be reducing sales and ultimately profits for M&S.

dunno .. but didn't begrudge an Indian colleague taking time out to visit his family in November for their religious festival. Asked him today about what he thinks about xmas .. His smiling reply: 'different date, different god'. I liked the nuanced irony.

He's just arranging different holidays. What is happening with M&S is that some people are being allowed to do less, not different.

[charlou]

He took time off in the busy pre xmas period.

[charlou]

Kinda less .. though he could be covered ... which is not dissimilar to tat's point.

[charlou]

But I see your point about being paid for hands on/off time.

[klr]

He took time off in the busy pre xmas period.

Then he very likely missed out on some lucrative overtime. On the flip side, he might well have been available (or more available) than many other staff during and just after Christmas itself, when it can be hard to get "local" staff to come in to work. That sort of arrangement probably benefits everyone.

[charlou]

yah, I think so.

[Bella Fortuna]

The sraight dope:

http://www.islamicbulletin.org/newslett ... ylaws.aspx

Dietary Laws
How to Avoid Pork
by Jamila Rufaro

He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of God... (Qur'an 2:173)

The Holy Qur'an prohibits us from eating pork in ayats 2:173, 5:4, 6:145 and 16:115. Avoiding pork in this country is difficult because pork and pork by-products use a variety of names when they are included in many of the foods and cosmetics we buy. Did you know that glycerine is often made from pork and is commonly used to make toothpaste and soap? This article will focus on pork products that are commonly overlooked by people who are trying to avoid pork.

Pork products are sometimes used to make snack foods such as puddings, jello, chips, crackers, cookies, donuts and marshmallows including marshmallow bits in cereal and hot cocoa. Pork products are also found in some brands of cake frosting, cheese spreads, yogurt, margarine, and ice cream. Look for words like lard, animal fats, animal glyceride, hydrolyzed animal protein, enzymes, emulsifiers, monostearates, mono and di-glyceride and gelatin on the label when you buy these products. Dairy products such as whipped cream, sour cream and cheese may also contain gelatin or rennet. Rennet is an enzyme which turns milk solids into cheese. Animal rennet is most often used. Look for mono and di-glyceride (forms of glycerine), or enzymes on the label. They may not all be made with pork but the only way to know for sure is to contact the company or look for the Kosher marking (K or U) on the label. Pork in the form of glycerine, keratin, collagen and tallow are used in cosmetics and toiletries. Some common ones that contain pork or pork by-products are lipstick, shaving cream, toothpaste, had lotion, bath soap and shampoos. Pork is also hidden in detergents, cleansers, dish liquids, and soaps.

Some medications may also contain pork products; the most common is the gelatin coated tablet of the gelatin capsule (gelcaps). The Physicians Desk Reference is a reliable source that we can refer to for the names, ingredients, indications, reactions and brands of every prescription and non-prescription drug or medication on the market.

Adapted from: 'How Not to Eat Pork' (or 'Life Without the Pig') by Sharazad Ali, Civilized Publications, Philadelphia, 1985.

Beware of Pork in these Popular Brands:

Ivory soap, Colgate toothpaste, Nabisco cookies, Dryers ice cream, Lucky Charms Cereal, Jergens Lotion, Carnation Coffee Mate & Jello Pudding.

Does that mean those employees refusing to handle the overt products like ham or bacon will also refuse to touch toothpaste and the like? If not, their devotion might be in question.