"You shouldn't wear what you're not selling!"

[JuniorMintz]

I first started working for an optometrist 2 years ago next month. When I first started at this place, it was only a couple of months after I had picked up the glasses I had ordered at the office I had been going to myself for the last few years.

The employee discount at this place is *fantastic*, so like I mentioned before, I've developed quite the collection in my time here. The only catch was that I had to work there for a couple of months before I could use it. Fair enough. I still liked the ones I had chosen on my own well enough, and I really do need them to see, so I just wore those until I was finally allowed to go nuts with my discount.

I had only been there a couple of weeks at that point, but one morning I was doing a frame selection for a lady, and she mentioned that she liked the frames I was wearing myself. She asked if she could get the same ones, and I explained to her that I was sorry but as it turns out, the frames I was wearing weren't anything I could have ordered for her... we don't have an account for that line. I went on to explain that I'd be happy to pull some catalogs and look for something that was very similar to them, but the more I talked, the more pissed she looked. *gulp*

She was PISSED. She snapped at me quite rudely that I "had no business wearing something that wasn't for sale", and that I should be ashamed of myself. :confused:

What, for needing to see?

Fortunately, a coworker came out and took over at that point, and I was grateful for the assist. Now that I've been there a while and am more comfortable with the place, I would have put her in her place good and proper... ah, if only I could go back in time... :beam:

[Juwl]

What is up with customers and your glasses, JM?

Vaguely along that line of thought, I used to have customers come up and offer to buy my advertising pins off my lanyard...
"Um, no. First off, we're out. Second, I can get fired for doing so. Third, Frodo's going to Mom as a birthday present."

[ZumZum]

Just happened to me the other day! The clothing store I work for doesn't require us to wear our merchandise. We can pretty much wear whatever we want, as long as it doesn't have a logo for another company.

I have a love for the clothing from Anthropologie (but can only afford to shop the sale racks!! LOL). I was wearing a top from there and a young girl came up to me and asked where my top was in the store. I told her I was sorry, but it wasn't from us. Her mother heard and came up to me and yelled at me that I shouldn't be wearing it if we don't sell it!

I don't think lying and saying it was from an older line from our store would have worked, either (as I have done in the past). I am sure the mother would have yelled at me for wearing something old!

Yikes, sorry lady.

[JuniorMintz]

What is up with customers and your glasses, JM?


I dunno. People just want what they can't have, I guess. Really, those were the only two stories I had of people getting pissed about what *I* was wearing... when I posted the first story, I was reminded of the second. :)


"Um, no. First off, we're out. Second, I can get fired for doing so. Third, Frodo's going to Mom as a birthday present."

HA! I saved my Frodo pin for Mom, too! She still has all my LotR pins in a box at home. :roll:

[Juwl]

Personally, I saved Gandalf for myself.
And Mystique, since Magneto had been called by the time we got X-Men 2. But Mystique kicks so much ass. It's just too bad they screwed up her costume... *sigh*

[lordlundar]

Gap store actually require that staff wear what's on the shelves. No discount or anything and they have to buy their clothes themselves because "it can be worn off of work as well."

And when the style changes, they have to do it all over again. some employees have to set aside almost a third of their paycheck for clothes, just so they don't get fired.:mad:

[ZumZum]

Gap does give an employee discount. There have been several lawsuits filed against companies that require you to wear their merchandise without offering a discount.

http://www.gapinc.com/public/Careers/car_bene.shtml

(it's at the bottom of the page, the mention of a discount)

[WonTon]

This is why I never worked at a clothing store.

BTW, I love Anthropologie's catalog right now. <3

[idrinkarum]

Gap store actually require that staff wear what's on the shelves. No discount or anything and they have to buy their clothes themselves because "it can be worn off of work as well."

And when the style changes, they have to do it all over again. some employees have to set aside almost a third of their paycheck for clothes, just so they don't get fired.:mad:


When I used to work at Geoffrey Beene (which is a MAN's clothing store - NO women's clothing), I was required to wear the shirts that were on sale there. (Like a shirt is going to look the same on a woman as it does on a man). Fortunately though, we got discounts. I just had to buy my pants at another store. :)

[moekosowl]

When I used to work at Geoffrey Beene (which is a MAN's clothing store - NO women's clothing), I was required to wear the shirts that were on sale there. (Like a shirt is going to look the same on a woman as it does on a man).
That wins the prize for stupidest corporate policy I've ever heard of. *hands you a cookie*

[MadMike]

If we shouldn't wear what we don't sell, then at both of my retail jobs, everyone should have been naked, since we didn't sell clothes at all.

**Shudders at the thoughts of seeing some of my former coworkers that way ** :runaway:

[Mighty Girl]

When I worked at the Limited, it was "encouraged" that we wear the clothes from there. They couldn't make us do it, but they had the PDLA (Perfectly Dressed Limited Associate) discount on certain items to make sure you bought the right stuff. The regular employee discount was like 15% off, and the PDLA one was 40%. The people who didn't buy enough stuff miraculously stopped being scheduled to work, they didn't actually fire you or anything, they would just stop scheduling you.

[bars.of.a.rhyme]

The people who didn't buy enough stuff miraculously stopped being scheduled to work, they didn't actually fire you or anything, they would just stop scheduling you.

Well, that's one way to make projection.


I wanted to work at a clothing store, but I didn't even apply at any because I didn't want to have to wear the clothes they sell. I'm a little overweight, and most of the clothing stores near where I live cater to either a.) people my mother's age (nothing wrong with that, but I'm not going to wear 50 year old clothing at 19), or b.) anorexic freshman.

I considered getting a job at Lane Bryant, but they're way too expensive. I'd be spending all of my paycheck just on clothes to wear to work!

[scorpionf]

So I guess, with that mentality... When I worked at Coles, we should all have been working in our birthday suits because Coles doesn't sell clothes! :p

[Pongydog]

Gap does give an employee discount. There have been several lawsuits filed against companies that require you to wear their merchandise without offering a discount.

http://www.gapinc.com/public/Careers/car_bene.shtml

(it's at the bottom of the page, the mention of a discount)


The LAW must be slightly different in the states.

I'm pretty sure that here in the UK, if an employer requires you to wear a specific form of dress, they have to provide it for free, never mind a discount.