The "do you work here?" log

[TheSHAD0W]

Here's a thread for posting your "do you work here" stories.

I just had an older gentleman key on me in Orange Apron, perhaps because of my red suspenders. He flagged me down and just asked "uhhhh, cable?" (That was "cah-blay", in Spanish.) "No trabajo aqui", I replied.

[Kogarashi]

I haven't had any lately, thankfully. I'm usually shopping with my 4-year-old in the cart, and unlike others on here I haven't had any customers who've completely ignored the presence of my child to demand service from me.

Most of my "do you work here?" questions previously were because I happened to wear the wrong color in a store. The only two that really stick out in my mind were once when I wore my red fleece vest in a Walmart shortly after getting married, and someone just saw red and thought "CSM, right?" without paying attention to the fact that it was darker, fleece, and lacked store logos. They at least backed down when I pointed out that I didn't work there. And then my husband went and wore his red button-down shirt and a pair of khakis in Target a week later. Yup.

[Teefies2]

In full uniform, on a ladder, putting products on the shelf.

"Do you work here?" Ummm, no. I just randomly climb ladders in stores and rearrange their stock. And I think their uniform is SOOOOO cute!!!!!

[RealUnimportant]

I must radiate an aura of Customer Service, because I get this so much. I can understand it when I'm in my uniform but another establishment - if I'm wearing my fleece then I look like a trade show example of Generic Employee #3 - but when I'm in full civvies, I still get asked all kinds of questions. If they're nice about it, I can usually answer most questions albeit prefaced with "I don't work here but..." (How do I know all these mysterious answers? I walk around with my eyes open.)

[bunrotha]

If you wear a green polo shirt in a garden centre, this happens. I got stopped 3 times in one trip when all I wanted was some paving slabs.

I would have been OK if the actual staff weren't wearing purple polos with a massive logo on it..

[notalwaysright]

This just reminded me of a brain burp I had a while ago. I was in the grocery store looking for something, and I couldn't reason out where it might be. So I was standing in an aisle, which I thought was empty, and said "capers!" with a big sigh. I suddenly hear, "they'll be near the olives dear." A tiny elderly woman had ninja'd down the aisle and was standing a bit behind me.

I definitely said thank you, if in a shell shocked tone. She seriously made no sound.

[Kanalah]

I was shopping at the Target, wearing jeans and a rainbow tie-dye shirt, pushing a shopping cart with my infant daughter in it and I was asked if I worked there.

[An Haddock]

I was shopping at the Target, wearing jeans and a rainbow tie-dye shirt, pushing a shopping cart with my infant daughter in it and I was asked if I worked there.

I hope you said "Yes - and this is my supervisor.", pointing to the child.

[LoTech]

I was wearing a solid color long sleeved button down shirt, in the uniform color of the discount home-center I was shopping for a single item on my way elsewhere. (So I had no cart.)
I didn't get so much as an "Excuse me", they just started asking me where to find something.

[WishfulSpirit]

Dress code at the Era of Pan was polo shirts, but color wasn't specified, so I got what I wanted. Wearing a pink polo in Worst Buy, Greens of Wall or Bullsye apparently means I work there, even though NONE of those places have pink as part of their dress code. I was asked 3x in one trip to Greens of Wal. Maybe I should just wear a bikini top?

[April]

I don't get this anymore. But there is this new weird phenomenon that I've been experiencing. I have people walking up to me saying "I know you don't work here, but do you know where (X) is?"

[WishfulSpirit]

I'm totally happy to help someone who does that, if it's a store I'm familiar with. Having just moved a month or so ago, and visiting different grocery stores depending on whether I'm going right after work or on a day off, I don't know the layout of most of the places I currently shop. As long as they ask instead of demand. I haven't gotten a demand yet, but I'm role-playing "aisle 42, by the towels" with Hubby.

[SimonF12009]

I was shopping with my sister for a hard drive for her pc, at a very large store in the UK called computer planet, lol, wearing an England football shirst and jeans and was asked if I worked there

[Agent Paperclip]

I get this a lot. I don't know why because most of the time I'm wearing very casual clothes like jeans and t-shirts and it's even worse if I'm wearing anything from work. My friends think it's because I don't use a cart much and don't carry a purse or that I walk around like I know where I'm going instead of browsing at everything.

I don't mind if they are nice about it, "Excuse me, do you work here." or "Oh! I'm sorry. I thought you worked here." I'll even help them out if I got the time, but I absolutely hate the ones who demand I help them and go find whatever they are looking for or go check in the back or complain to me about such and such. Usually I just say I don't work here and walk away from those idiots but there has been a few times I've told a person off who acted like shit to me and I was already in a bad mood to begin with.

[scruff]

My work provides all staff with navy blue fleece jackets.
Guess what colour the nearest supermarket uniform is?
Yup.
I only made that mistake once - now I wear my own, different colour and with fluffy pompoms.