Alan writes it in a Facebook post in the hope it will make friends pause for just a moment as they prepare to descend on shops and restaurants over Christmas.

He isn’t the only one concerned about the season of joy’s dark side.

On Monday, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association launched a national campaign, saying a survey of fast food workers found 87 per cent had experienced abuse from customers.

Alan is a chef at a busy Bendigo kitchen and this year’s post was in part about the small things that bug him this time of year, like the high numbers of people who don’t say the basic things like ‘please’, or ‘thank-you’.

It was also about the people demanding refunds for things his restaurant could not control - like the customers who, without asking whether it would be OK, brought their own drinks to a function only to discover the business was not licensed for BYO.

But what really angers him is when people are complete, well, b*****ds to the people serving food or selling goods, like a customer at a Bendigo retail store who last year swore at and insulted staff because an item was incorrectly marked (Alan’s partner was one of the staff members on the receiving end of the tirade).

Some people act that way because it’s busy and they are stressed, the shopping lines are long or things are going wrong. Others just feel they are entitled, Alan says.

It is enough to make someone snap, though that is very rare. Mostly, staff just talk privately about what they wish they could have done. 

Yet every so often, stories emerge of customers going too far.

Related: Grog tax the best way to tackle obesity, researchers say

Chris saw Alan’s 2018 post and shared the moment a thirsty customer slapped him across the back and demanded a refill. Chris turned around, opened a full bottle of red and started pouring, keeping eye contact as the wine spilled onto the table.

“Went out the back, made myself a scotch, had a smoke. My manager came out. Didn’t yell, just said ‘so I guess you’re done?’” he said.

Alan says an experienced manager will understand staff snapping, even if they do instantly fire them.

In one of his final acts in hospitality, Chris apologised to the table and then turned his attention to the bloke who had hit him.

“‘I would like to point out all these people moving around the restaurant after your waitstaff’” he said.

“‘I would also like to point out we handle your food when you can't see us. 

“I really hope you enjoyed your meal’.”

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