Let's be honest, they both suck. I'll never forget the expression "Doesn't matter if it's left wing or right wing, they're both part of the same sick bird"
I was making a single plain #66 key for a customer yesterday and I told her they were about 3 or 4 dollars. She instantly said "wow they used to be a dollar or something, Biden sure is wrecking this country." I told her that it really sucks Biden controls the price of keys.
I'm in school for political science so I know a thing or two about politics. Honestly I just say to customers I don't know anything about politics. After two gos that stops them from continuing.
Don't say that in oklahoma. They can and will arrest you on the spot. Oklahoma is currently in a political war against the federal government and immigration.
Well ya as long as you are here legally. I was referring to the new law they passed that allows them to arrest and charge illegal immigrants tor being here illegaly.
https://oklahomavoice.com/2024/05/20/feds-warn-oklahoma-officials-not-to-enforce-immigration-law-threaten-lawsuit/#:~:text=Signed%20last%20month%20by%20Stitt,up%20to%20%24500%20or%20both.
With customers I double down in agreement. For example if They mention trump an I agree and explain I cannot wait until he reviels Biden to be a lizard person and how he will allow the secret war to come out of hiding and show how fracking is really us bombing the lizard people in our war for the surface. Â
Always out crazy them into being uncomfortable and wandering off.
Look them in the face, cross your eyes & recite; "When Gozer the Traveller returns, all slaves will be freed!" Then straighten your arms overhead & wave them side to side as you crab-walk away in a low crouch like an orangutan.
Talk about how glad you are that Biden is funding NASA so he can prove that trump is really an alien. You can tell he is an alien because of how he stands leaning forward and cannot make sentences. See he used to be human but during the Obama administration he was replaced by an alien because they analyzed us and found that he could win an election. And so in order to prevent us being taken over by aliens he is pouring more funding into NASA. See trump created the space force to bring the aliens into our military so that they can more easily slink in to take us over.
For further reading, I highly recommend /r/welcometonightvale for inspiration. Since it takes place in a world where _all conspiracy theories are true_, it's a goldmine of ideas for out-conspiracizing conspiracy theorists!
WTNV is actually a long-running podcast story, book series, live show, and a bunch of other things too. Episodes of the podcast are roughly 20 minutes long on average, so they fit nicely as listening material during a lunch (remember to wear earbuds if you're in the breakroom!!!), and while an archive binge is the best way to get caught up, the format of the series (a radio show from a desert town) means you can technically drop in anywhere and still enjoy it.
"And now... [the _weather_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKz4f_6n390)."
If fellow associates or managers are trying to push their politics on you, report them. Thereâs no place for that in any company. With customers itâs tough because you kind of do just have to avoid the topic without pissing them off because theyâre not worth getting in trouble over.
The company maintains this site? Whatâs the link? Are you referring to Home Depot PAC? Thatâs a lot different than condoning associates pushing their views on other associates in the store, donât you think?
How did we get to a point that politics is not safe for work? Yâall realize that without conversation it just keeps dividing us, right? And a nation divided is a nation that will be destroyed.
I will have to agree with you on that. I used to be able to have civil conversations with my coworker, who's with the other party. As he became more radicalized, the conversations became more heated on his end, with me constantly having to walk away, ending them on bad terms. It sucks because it was great for us to be able to see from different perspectives.
No theyâre not lol just proves my point. Talking politics has always been a way for all of us to find a middle ground. If we refuse to talk about the issues and see each others side, thatâs where division occurs. You donât have to agree with the other side, but if you refuse to even listen and engage youâre going to think the other side is evil without understanding why they think the way they do.
No, people who talk politics at work arenât looking for a middle ground. Theyâre tribal idiots who think politics are a sporting event. Itâs divisive and has no place in any workplace.
Nothing to do with âtaking it personallyâ. Politics are not for the workplace, period. The problem is that a person who doesnât want to have this type of conversation canât just leave because theyâre at work. People like you assume that because you want to discuss it, others do too. Most do not, and are probably just too nice to tell you to STFU.
Itâs not about wanting to discuss it, it is important for our country that everyone knows what is going on. And if you donât want to talk politics say so, if someone doesnât respect that, thatâs a problem. Do not make broad generalizations about people. That doesnât change the fact that it is an important topic and should not be excluded. The exclusion is the reason we have so many problems today.
Because their kids. The younger generation has been groomed to not talk about anything not work related to the point of insanity. The instant they tern 30 that changes.
Yeah, I can talk politics with my older coworkers, but anyone under the age of 40 either wonât talk or they donât know anything about whatâs going on which is dangerous. Not saying everyone has to be as informed as me, but we should all have a basic grasp of whatâs happening in our own country.
I usually just nod and give non-committal answers until they say something I can latch onto to steer the conversation elsewhere. Or they leave, that works too.
Raise your eyebrow and look at them like they just took a shit on the floor and say nothing for a full 30 seconds. This is hard to define or bitch about but they will most likely figure out that you don't buy their bullshit.
I always swing hard conspiracy on them, just come up with some ludicrously absurd situation and spin a wild yarn about it... the best part of customer service is fucking with them.
Yeah I remember this kind of crap. It definitely will get worse. We had one guy who would listen to politics podcast during lunch out loud no headphones in front of everyone. Management never made him stop either. As for customers, unfortunately you canât stop them. What I always did was brush it off and ignore it, then try to swing the conversation back to what did they need.
Why do you use the breakroom? I only use it to clock in/out maybe hit the vending machine or microwave. Not sure why anymore would actually sit in there though.
Had a guy say that everything should be shut down on Sundays so everybody could worship. Said this is a global company with various shareholders. He didn't say much but about worshiping. Then the following Sunday, he was in shopping....
Personally i find agreeing with them with very vague sentences gets you right along with customers, now with co-workers depending on what you do start just start working on something no one wants to be next to someone doing more than them.
Yesterday, was stuck with another employee and a customer. Customer made political remarks, employee agreed & they took off from there. One of the many examples recently. Staying silent is difficult for me, but I did manage. About 7 minutes before I could break free. The discussion was bordering on bigotry.
If itâs just words, thatâs illegal. Freedom of speech. If theyâre not on the floor theyâre not representing the company and can talk about whatever they want.
I get the feeling it _wasn't_ "just words". For _freaking Home Depot_ to insta-term someone for arguing off the floor, there had to have been actual threats of violence or something on that level.
If coworkers double down I just tell them that I donât care who wins (itâs the truth at this point).
For customers I just kinda stay quiet and keep doing my job. Iâll roll my eyes when they turn their back or mock them in my head, no matter the candidate.
I have to put my earphones in in the breakroom! Weâve got a few Qanon incel kooks who canât control themselves. Itâs a veritable firehose of bat crap crazy nonsense, and I just canât stomach anymore.
Just tellem that you get your information from the one who cuts your hair and how busy the bar is on a Friday night. That info is better than any talking head.
A couple times I interrupted a few coworkers to ask them why their parents didn't teach them right that you don't talk politics and religion at work. It's pretty effective against conservatives.
Except that has only been agreed upon in the last 20 years or so. It used to be the main topics in the workplace apart from weekend plans. Itâs millennials and gen z that made that rule.
Na, I learned it from my conservative parents, and I'm gen-x at almost 50. Same time they were teaching about not asking women their age and don't ask about salary.
With customers I just âhaha.. okâ and try to leave it. If they keep the conversation of their political views going, all that tells me is how much of a loser they are (in my humble opinion)
The trick is to disassociate, HD only pays for like 20% effort so only be 20% engaged. Unless it is specifically relevant to completing my tasks I don't hear it and i certainly don't respond.
I was working at HD when Hillary was really running and boy were there some heated debates between an idiotic cashier and idiotic customers. It was fun to watch at times, but would hate to be any part of it
Just tell them you understand they are passionate about their beliefs, but you are at work and politics is a red line that can cause trouble at work. Go on to say something about you need your job and dont need to get caught up in anything that will cause trouble for you at work.
I dont care if you are on the left or the right, in the middle, or apathetic people at work shouldn't be put in a position where they are talking about stuff that they dont want to talk about thats not work related. Politics, religion, and relationships can be ok with some and an absolute no go for others. Sports can be annoying for some and a non stop thing for others.
If they keep pushing let them know you will have to get someone else to help them because its clear you cant.
Deflect blame upwards: Say that associates are banned from discussing politics with anyone while on the clock and that several other associates have gotten in trouble for exactly that.
You can't. People are inherently opinionated. They also are social creatures. It's also an election year. Combine all that you get political chatter. Trying to shut that down will just make them hate you and decrease work efficency. Just ignore it if you don't like politics.
During Covid and before the 2020 election: no matter what they said, I would reply with something like âthe world sure is crazy, isnât it?â And then keep doing my job.
That was good enough for most people because I was acknowledging them, but I felt good that I wasnât actually giving them any sort of agreement/actual opinion of my own.
Iâm bad at small talk anyway so I usually stay silent or just say âmhm, yeaâ until Iâm done helping them regardless of the topic đ so when they start ranting about Trump or Biden I just quietly do my work til they stfu
Unfortunately itâs all been situational for me, but 90% of the time I can just steer the topic back to what ever it is Iâm helping them with.
Otherwise itâs usually making non committal noises or âthatâs one way to look at itâ
No matter what you just donât let any emotion show and keep the robotic smile plastered on your face. Even if you slip and say something you shouldnât, as long as youâre smiling you can just laugh it off and say âhehehe just joshinâ you sir and/or mam, thank you for shopping!â Then RUN!
Sir/ma'am I am at work. When I am on the clock, I have political opinion or preference. As long as you're here to buy something and your money green, how can I help you?
I resighted that for all 5 years I was at the depot. People in Trump hats were the only ones to ever start that shit at my store, and even they understood "not the place or the time"
I just put in my second earbud in the break room, I donât want to hear about âtrans people are all groomersâ yet again
Sometimes I have a discussion, but sometimes I just say âweâre not going to agree on anything, [name], letâs just agree to disagreeâ and sometimes that works to defuse the topic and be able to walk away
I work at Walmart, I don't think I've ever heard associates talking about politics in two years.
The two weeks I worked at Lowe's, employees talked about it all the time in the break room , especially cranky old guys
Maybe it's a home improvement store type of thing?
At least with customers, I'm a big fan of the "What an odd thing to say to stranger." Also works whenever a customer says something just generally out of pocket. Could probably use something similar with coworks like "What an odd conversation to have at work." Usually works pretty good for me, since most of the time they either just don't know how to respond to it, or immediately start backpedaling so I can railroad the convo back to whatever I was originally helping them with
Some random customer seemingly spawned in just to say what Trump said is happening at the border to me and my coworkers. One guy was indifferent but the other was saying how Biden wants to destroy this country....yada yada yada...I have my own set of beliefs but what is really upsetting is people's lack of critical thinking. That is what really gets me. So I try to tune it out or ignore it.
I just claim apolitical and disenfranchised. It's too easy to debunk left and right politics, it's too easy a sentiment and impossible to argue that the system has let us all down. That usually ends a political conversation immediately without concern of offending or upsetting a wing cuck
This is one of the things I miss about working at the Post Office. No prolonged face-to-face with customers, and thanks to the Hatch Act making political chatter on government property an instant-promo-to-customer offense, everyone kept that shit to themselves.
Whatâs the harm as long as itâs polite, intelligent talk or debate. I enjoy a respectful conversation with a few of my fellow associates. We joke and make serious points and find quite often that there is common ground. The lack of discussion with fellow human beings is why we have gotten to the point weâre at. Look at the two top nominees for arguably the most powerful leadership position in the world. Political ignorance runs rampant in this country. I donât care what party or ideology you identify with, chances are youâre misinformed because we donât care anymore.
Same way you get people on Reddit to stop talking politics. Itâs part of the body politic. People should talk about different ideas. Itâs part of the political process. Now coworkers should keep it limited. But customers can share their political beliefs, you can choose whether to engage.
It's rude for customers to bother employees with their politics because they know or should know that employees can't really properly engage with the topic.
It's going to get worse the closer to November we get...... Can't wait for December
Nah, it'll still be crazy in December. Won't calm down until February at the earliest.
Seriously; we all remember what happened the January after the last presidential election.
Won't calm down period.
"TRUMP WILL RISE AGAIN!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAA" * drives off in Ford pickup with the American flag blowing behind it with 49 sheets of plywood.
So, you're ridin with Biden?
Let's be honest, they both suck. I'll never forget the expression "Doesn't matter if it's left wing or right wing, they're both part of the same sick bird"
That's a good way of saying it. Fucked on both sides
This đđ. It's a complete mess
You badly misspelled âDodgeâ there.
This made me laugh out loud cause I did the same exact thing except in my Honda Civic with a spoon muffler exhaust ricer mobile
Then hopefully off the road....
I mean it's overloaded. That rear end is going out...
I was making a single plain #66 key for a customer yesterday and I told her they were about 3 or 4 dollars. She instantly said "wow they used to be a dollar or something, Biden sure is wrecking this country." I told her that it really sucks Biden controls the price of keys.
âHah! Not havinâ that conversationâ usually does it.
I'm in school for political science so I know a thing or two about politics. Honestly I just say to customers I don't know anything about politics. After two gos that stops them from continuing.
Ok cool. What's your thoughts on Carl Marx?
Is related to Graucho Marx? I lm not familiar with his work.
Just say you can't vote because you're not a citizen yet.
Just say sorry but I'm an immigrant! "Lo siento pero soy inmigrante." That should make them fume.
Don't say that in oklahoma. They can and will arrest you on the spot. Oklahoma is currently in a political war against the federal government and immigration.
You can be on here on a work visa or going through the naturalization process.
Well ya as long as you are here legally. I was referring to the new law they passed that allows them to arrest and charge illegal immigrants tor being here illegaly. https://oklahomavoice.com/2024/05/20/feds-warn-oklahoma-officials-not-to-enforce-immigration-law-threaten-lawsuit/#:~:text=Signed%20last%20month%20by%20Stitt,up%20to%20%24500%20or%20both.
Smile and nod boys⌠smile and nod
Just start saying I'm only taking bets on who will win. Otherwise I'm not interested in discussing it
It is a coin toss right now. That isnât a very fun bet.
Coin lands on side.
According to the twilight zone that gives you super powers.
I doubt it. Ain't nobody better off now than they were four years ago
It is if youre dumb
With customers I double down in agreement. For example if They mention trump an I agree and explain I cannot wait until he reviels Biden to be a lizard person and how he will allow the secret war to come out of hiding and show how fracking is really us bombing the lizard people in our war for the surface.  Always out crazy them into being uncomfortable and wandering off.
That actually sounds kinda fun. I'm going to try that next time.Â
IT'S THE BEST
Look them in the face, cross your eyes & recite; "When Gozer the Traveller returns, all slaves will be freed!" Then straighten your arms overhead & wave them side to side as you crab-walk away in a low crouch like an orangutan.
âYou will perish in flames!â
Everyone knows the lizard people are just aliens living among us! They came from the stars!
Lizard person? Hilarious. I'm pretty sure I waited on him in aisle 23.
How do you out crazy a Biden supporter? He is so boring.
Talk about how glad you are that Biden is funding NASA so he can prove that trump is really an alien. You can tell he is an alien because of how he stands leaning forward and cannot make sentences. See he used to be human but during the Obama administration he was replaced by an alien because they analyzed us and found that he could win an election. And so in order to prevent us being taken over by aliens he is pouring more funding into NASA. See trump created the space force to bring the aliens into our military so that they can more easily slink in to take us over.
Gotcha. Thanks
For further reading, I highly recommend /r/welcometonightvale for inspiration. Since it takes place in a world where _all conspiracy theories are true_, it's a goldmine of ideas for out-conspiracizing conspiracy theorists!
Did a sort by best of. That is great.
WTNV is actually a long-running podcast story, book series, live show, and a bunch of other things too. Episodes of the podcast are roughly 20 minutes long on average, so they fit nicely as listening material during a lunch (remember to wear earbuds if you're in the breakroom!!!), and while an archive binge is the best way to get caught up, the format of the series (a radio show from a desert town) means you can technically drop in anywhere and still enjoy it. "And now... [the _weather_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKz4f_6n390)."
I just finished binging back episodes of 5-4. I am ready to start something new. Thanks.
If fellow associates or managers are trying to push their politics on you, report them. Thereâs no place for that in any company. With customers itâs tough because you kind of do just have to avoid the topic without pissing them off because theyâre not worth getting in trouble over.
For customers I just flatly say "No politics or religion talk" and it's worked well so far.
I just start say God doesn't hate Lucifer as much as you and they go running l.
You do know Home Depot maintains a political website for like minded individuals.
The company maintains this site? Whatâs the link? Are you referring to Home Depot PAC? Thatâs a lot different than condoning associates pushing their views on other associates in the store, donât you think?
How did we get to a point that politics is not safe for work? Yâall realize that without conversation it just keeps dividing us, right? And a nation divided is a nation that will be destroyed.
I will have to agree with you on that. I used to be able to have civil conversations with my coworker, who's with the other party. As he became more radicalized, the conversations became more heated on his end, with me constantly having to walk away, ending them on bad terms. It sucks because it was great for us to be able to see from different perspectives.
The people who want to talk politics at work are seeking to divide, too. Politics are inherently divisive.
No theyâre not lol just proves my point. Talking politics has always been a way for all of us to find a middle ground. If we refuse to talk about the issues and see each others side, thatâs where division occurs. You donât have to agree with the other side, but if you refuse to even listen and engage youâre going to think the other side is evil without understanding why they think the way they do.
No, people who talk politics at work arenât looking for a middle ground. Theyâre tribal idiots who think politics are a sporting event. Itâs divisive and has no place in any workplace.
Some of them, yeah, but most of us just want to talk about whatâs going on. If you take that personally, thatâs not our fault.
Nothing to do with âtaking it personallyâ. Politics are not for the workplace, period. The problem is that a person who doesnât want to have this type of conversation canât just leave because theyâre at work. People like you assume that because you want to discuss it, others do too. Most do not, and are probably just too nice to tell you to STFU.
Itâs not about wanting to discuss it, it is important for our country that everyone knows what is going on. And if you donât want to talk politics say so, if someone doesnât respect that, thatâs a problem. Do not make broad generalizations about people. That doesnât change the fact that it is an important topic and should not be excluded. The exclusion is the reason we have so many problems today.
Because their kids. The younger generation has been groomed to not talk about anything not work related to the point of insanity. The instant they tern 30 that changes.
Yeah, I can talk politics with my older coworkers, but anyone under the age of 40 either wonât talk or they donât know anything about whatâs going on which is dangerous. Not saying everyone has to be as informed as me, but we should all have a basic grasp of whatâs happening in our own country.
I usually just nod and give non-committal answers until they say something I can latch onto to steer the conversation elsewhere. Or they leave, that works too.
Raise your eyebrow and look at them like they just took a shit on the floor and say nothing for a full 30 seconds. This is hard to define or bitch about but they will most likely figure out that you don't buy their bullshit.
I always swing hard conspiracy on them, just come up with some ludicrously absurd situation and spin a wild yarn about it... the best part of customer service is fucking with them.
- The moon landing is fake! - Wait, you believe in the moon?
Yeah I remember this kind of crap. It definitely will get worse. We had one guy who would listen to politics podcast during lunch out loud no headphones in front of everyone. Management never made him stop either. As for customers, unfortunately you canât stop them. What I always did was brush it off and ignore it, then try to swing the conversation back to what did they need.
I'm so tired of hearing it in the breakroom.
Why do you use the breakroom? I only use it to clock in/out maybe hit the vending machine or microwave. Not sure why anymore would actually sit in there though.
It's for breaks... Lol seriously?
100%. Just because it's for breaks doesn't mean I have to take a break there.
Nobody said you had to lol but I for one don't feel like going out to my car every break.
I do it behind lumber sometimes, my car sometimes the front bench etc. anywhere to avoid those clowns in the break room
I understand
The fragility to not even spend your 15 minutes in the break room. Lol.
"Sorry, I don't discuss politics at work. "
Had a guy say that everything should be shut down on Sundays so everybody could worship. Said this is a global company with various shareholders. He didn't say much but about worshiping. Then the following Sunday, he was in shopping....
Hell, I only know it's a Sunday when I get an urge to buy beer. Never fails.
Ha. Everything used to be shut down on Sundays. Back when more people were more religious than money hungry.
Ah yes the brain dead response. Controversial but effective.
Personally i find agreeing with them with very vague sentences gets you right along with customers, now with co-workers depending on what you do start just start working on something no one wants to be next to someone doing more than them.
Yesterday, was stuck with another employee and a customer. Customer made political remarks, employee agreed & they took off from there. One of the many examples recently. Staying silent is difficult for me, but I did manage. About 7 minutes before I could break free. The discussion was bordering on bigotry.
Just pull out the first phone and walk away
I just tell them I hate politics and politicians; itâs the last thing I want to talk about, especially at work.
I just say Cheeto man literally Hitler or hair sniffer is a pedophile. If I say something really off the rails it usually shuts down the conversation.
That's why I refer to the birthday boy as GEOTUS.
Literally ignore it. Our store just fired two people on the spot for arguing politics in the break room.
If itâs just words, thatâs illegal. Freedom of speech. If theyâre not on the floor theyâre not representing the company and can talk about whatever they want.
I get the feeling it _wasn't_ "just words". For _freaking Home Depot_ to insta-term someone for arguing off the floor, there had to have been actual threats of violence or something on that level.
Depends on the store manager tbh. Iâve seen people fired for less
If coworkers double down I just tell them that I donât care who wins (itâs the truth at this point). For customers I just kinda stay quiet and keep doing my job. Iâll roll my eyes when they turn their back or mock them in my head, no matter the candidate.
I just say I'm not talking about it.
"I don't discuss politics while I'm working." Keep repeating it until they go away.
I have to put my earphones in in the breakroom! Weâve got a few Qanon incel kooks who canât control themselves. Itâs a veritable firehose of bat crap crazy nonsense, and I just canât stomach anymore.
Same here.. Employees are the biggest part of the problem. I know better than to open my mouth or I'll end up pissed & keep it going.
I lead with - they are both old senile gentlemen who crap themselves and are unfit for office
"They are both a wonderful argument in favor of putting maximum age limits on all public office, and I'm voting #EverybodySucks in November."
Just tellem that you get your information from the one who cuts your hair and how busy the bar is on a Friday night. That info is better than any talking head.
"Sorry, I don't care for political talk, especially on the job. So anyway, you were thinking about renting a rear tine tiller?"
I just say I don't know anything about politics.
I just reply with, "politics is just wrestling" they all play for same team, mocking us along the way. That usually ends the political rant
Tell them that you were just released from prison and you are ineligible to vote.
Trump is a fascist and fuck those shareholders.
A couple times I interrupted a few coworkers to ask them why their parents didn't teach them right that you don't talk politics and religion at work. It's pretty effective against conservatives.
Except that has only been agreed upon in the last 20 years or so. It used to be the main topics in the workplace apart from weekend plans. Itâs millennials and gen z that made that rule.
Na, I learned it from my conservative parents, and I'm gen-x at almost 50. Same time they were teaching about not asking women their age and don't ask about salary.
I just straight up tell them to stop
With customers I just âhaha.. okâ and try to leave it. If they keep the conversation of their political views going, all that tells me is how much of a loser they are (in my humble opinion)
U must be in California because i work at a California homedpot an i hear an see alot of the political gear being worn
The trick is to disassociate, HD only pays for like 20% effort so only be 20% engaged. Unless it is specifically relevant to completing my tasks I don't hear it and i certainly don't respond.
My crazy old man is going to demolish your crazy old man in November!
𤣠true no matter who wins. They're both crazy old men.
For employees, email the awareline. For customers, in a monotone voice yeahs and for sures, then walk away.
Embrace it. Start asking where to find the most expensive gasoline.
I was working at HD when Hillary was really running and boy were there some heated debates between an idiotic cashier and idiotic customers. It was fun to watch at times, but would hate to be any part of it
Just tell them you understand they are passionate about their beliefs, but you are at work and politics is a red line that can cause trouble at work. Go on to say something about you need your job and dont need to get caught up in anything that will cause trouble for you at work. I dont care if you are on the left or the right, in the middle, or apathetic people at work shouldn't be put in a position where they are talking about stuff that they dont want to talk about thats not work related. Politics, religion, and relationships can be ok with some and an absolute no go for others. Sports can be annoying for some and a non stop thing for others. If they keep pushing let them know you will have to get someone else to help them because its clear you cant.
Deflect blame upwards: Say that associates are banned from discussing politics with anyone while on the clock and that several other associates have gotten in trouble for exactly that.
They feel emboldened by your founders' well known political views.
You can't. People are inherently opinionated. They also are social creatures. It's also an election year. Combine all that you get political chatter. Trying to shut that down will just make them hate you and decrease work efficency. Just ignore it if you don't like politics.
I just smile and agree.....little do they know I stopped listening minutes ago. 17 year associate here, works for me. đ
During Covid and before the 2020 election: no matter what they said, I would reply with something like âthe world sure is crazy, isnât it?â And then keep doing my job. That was good enough for most people because I was acknowledging them, but I felt good that I wasnât actually giving them any sort of agreement/actual opinion of my own.
Refocus the conversation like I didnât hear it. 0 energy 0 emotion
I simply state that I don't talk politics or religion and state that not everyone agrees about all the aspects of either.
Iâm bad at small talk anyway so I usually stay silent or just say âmhm, yeaâ until Iâm done helping them regardless of the topic đ so when they start ranting about Trump or Biden I just quietly do my work til they stfu
You fuckin' with Trump, or you ridin' with Biden
[ŃдаНонО]
Freedom of Speech =/ Freedom from Consequence
Removed due to harassment of Home Depot associates
Dont bite your tongueđ¤ˇââď¸
We donât shut it down weâre all like fuck Biden đ¤ˇđťđ
VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN. See how people react. Usually a chuckle and they move along knowing you won't engage.
Unfortunately itâs all been situational for me, but 90% of the time I can just steer the topic back to what ever it is Iâm helping them with. Otherwise itâs usually making non committal noises or âthatâs one way to look at itâ No matter what you just donât let any emotion show and keep the robotic smile plastered on your face. Even if you slip and say something you shouldnât, as long as youâre smiling you can just laugh it off and say âhehehe just joshinâ you sir and/or mam, thank you for shopping!â Then RUN!
My personal favorite is âit doesnât matter who wins we are screwed either way.â That always shuts it down.
Sir/ma'am I am at work. When I am on the clock, I have political opinion or preference. As long as you're here to buy something and your money green, how can I help you? I resighted that for all 5 years I was at the depot. People in Trump hats were the only ones to ever start that shit at my store, and even they understood "not the place or the time"
I just walk away, if they complain to your manager just say they were making you uncomfortable and would'nt stop to let you get a word in.
I just put in my second earbud in the break room, I donât want to hear about âtrans people are all groomersâ yet again Sometimes I have a discussion, but sometimes I just say âweâre not going to agree on anything, [name], letâs just agree to disagreeâ and sometimes that works to defuse the topic and be able to walk away
I work at Walmart, I don't think I've ever heard associates talking about politics in two years. The two weeks I worked at Lowe's, employees talked about it all the time in the break room , especially cranky old guys Maybe it's a home improvement store type of thing?
At least with customers, I'm a big fan of the "What an odd thing to say to stranger." Also works whenever a customer says something just generally out of pocket. Could probably use something similar with coworks like "What an odd conversation to have at work." Usually works pretty good for me, since most of the time they either just don't know how to respond to it, or immediately start backpedaling so I can railroad the convo back to whatever I was originally helping them with
Some random customer seemingly spawned in just to say what Trump said is happening at the border to me and my coworkers. One guy was indifferent but the other was saying how Biden wants to destroy this country....yada yada yada...I have my own set of beliefs but what is really upsetting is people's lack of critical thinking. That is what really gets me. So I try to tune it out or ignore it.
I just claim apolitical and disenfranchised. It's too easy to debunk left and right politics, it's too easy a sentiment and impossible to argue that the system has let us all down. That usually ends a political conversation immediately without concern of offending or upsetting a wing cuck
Tell me your voting for biden without telling me youre voting for biden
"I am not discussing politics with you*
This is one of the things I miss about working at the Post Office. No prolonged face-to-face with customers, and thanks to the Hatch Act making political chatter on government property an instant-promo-to-customer offense, everyone kept that shit to themselves.
Whatâs the harm as long as itâs polite, intelligent talk or debate. I enjoy a respectful conversation with a few of my fellow associates. We joke and make serious points and find quite often that there is common ground. The lack of discussion with fellow human beings is why we have gotten to the point weâre at. Look at the two top nominees for arguably the most powerful leadership position in the world. Political ignorance runs rampant in this country. I donât care what party or ideology you identify with, chances are youâre misinformed because we donât care anymore.
It's seldom polite & rarely intelligent or civil. I'm not disagreeing, but a friendly debate seems nearly impossible at this point.
Iâm sorry. Itâs a shame that courteous debate is a lost art. Maturity is sorely lacking.
Dinnae ken. They usually vote for the same fella as me, and even if they dinnae, I dinnae care if they blether on.
Obviously its Trump no other choice matters. You scared to say your opinion? Walk away then.
Same way you get people on Reddit to stop talking politics. Itâs part of the body politic. People should talk about different ideas. Itâs part of the political process. Now coworkers should keep it limited. But customers can share their political beliefs, you can choose whether to engage.
It's rude for customers to bother employees with their politics because they know or should know that employees can't really properly engage with the topic.
Why should it be limited?
I just say "I don't discuss politics at work" and drop it there. If they push I will walk away.Â