Just don’t make, or take, a phone call while ordering. Chances are you might lose your place in the queue. 

Some Ballarat fast-food restaurants are beginning to take a stand on an issue that is steadily gaining more momentum: mobile phone etiquette while shopping. 

Is it okay to be talking on your phone while being served in a shop? It’s an issue that caused great debate online, with an overwhelming number of people agreeing that talking on your phone while being served in a shop, is just plain rude. 

The Courier’s Facebook page was overrun with comments from more than 70 people yesterday. 

One response worthy of more air time came from Narelle Dopper, who said she simply walked away when a customer took a phone call.

“Most of the time they could just let it go to message bank, they don’t even say excuse me, rude, rude, rude,” a fed-up Ms Dopper posted. 

The manager of one popular takeaway outlet, who didn’t want to be named, said with busy lunchtime services only growing, a sign on the door may soon be needed. 

“We literally have a line out the door every day,” the manager said. “And if people are on the phone, they simply don’t get served.”

But what about the customer always being right?

Surely in this tough economic climate retailers can’t afford to turn away customers because they’re on the phone. 

Commerce Ballarat chairman Andrew Rowan said while mobile phones had become part and parcel of most people’s lives, turning customers away was going too far. 

“We still need to take the view that the customer is always right,” he said.

“Businesses need to engage with customers more than ever now, and maybe even work out how to effectively incorporate the mobile phone.”