Sara,
You have been aggressive in the sense that you do remind them of the rules and have even complained to your boss. And hopefully, if your boss is in agreement with your concerns, things will improve. So these disrespectful people are clients or customers?
Can you suggest to your boss to put a HUGE sign with rules that is clearly visible........and can be pointed out to customers who feel they can get away with breaking them. That's one suggestion. Pointing the written rules to the the customer OUT LOUD will make them feel like an IDIOT......and the other customers will learn from it.
Don't be mean, just be firm and LOUD,** get in their non-conformist faces if you have to*. *"Excuse me, Ma'am. HELLO. The rules are clearly posted and it is OBVIOUS that YOU have NOT followed them. Please follow the instructions to help make things run smoothly for us and YOUR FELLOW CUSTOMERS" Say it **loud **enough for other customers around her to hear. They're gonna be too embarrassed to follow the stupid customer's NON-EXAMPLE.
The way to be aggressive is to be firm and louder, in my opinion. I was more soft-spoken before, but teaching rowdy adolescents has helped me find my voice.....and it's a little tough at first........but a loud firm voice succeeds in commanding attention and making u seem serious. Picture the customer as a younger sibling getting on your last nerves........and just give it to them.....verbally!**
Is there a security guard that you can call upon to escort these customers out? Just the out loud mention of a security guard will discourage others from breaking the rules.
Tell the customers in a condescending tone, "Your requests will NOT be handled/processed efficiently unless the rules are followed. It helps to keep everything organized for us and the customers. If the rules are absolutely impossible for you to adhere to......then there are OTHER services which unlike **us don't value *organization.........and that might suit *you** much better."
BTW....do you work at a bank?