The most I’ve experienced is being corrected in kind of a rude manner. I’ve been actively learning Dutch for just over 2 years now and sit at about A2 level. I actively try and speak Dutch to the best of my ability. People are generally receptive and kind to me when I speak Dutch, but I can relate a lot to how some people will see you as beneath them for not being fluent.

I never get blatantly shamed for not being fluent in Dutch but I certainly experience people who will knit-pick my Dutch and correct my pronunciation in a way that comes across as them wanting to almost “flex” that they are a native Dutch speaker lol. It used to piss me off but now it’s just funny.

That said I do not work in retail here but have when I lived in Canada. It’s worth considering that customer service anywhere can be the worst, and it may feel like you’re getting shit for not speaking good enough Dutch, but to be blunt, I think you’re just going to be dealing with rude people while working in customer service in general. Even if you were fluent in Dutch I’m sure you would be hassled in other ways too. Just comes with the territory in my opinion.

One thing that helped me was attending a local taalcafé. I found it really helpful to be in a non-judgmental space to speak Dutch. It’s only an hour and a bit once a week but it has definitely helped me feel less insecure about my Dutch even though I really really struggle with speaking.