How obvious does it need to be that I'm on my lunch?!

[cleorose]

Probably the same people that ask you if you work there, when you aren't wearing the uniform, with an armload of your own shopping in your hands.

When I used to coupon, I would have a cartful, two kids in tow, a big binder of coupons and a disgruntled hubby following me around. I got asked more questions than the people who worked wherever I was at.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I just tell people that I don't in fact work there. If I'm not on the clock I'm not working, therefore I am not working there right now.

My stock answer as of late has become "Not right now. I will be tomorrow at 7 when I come back."

I mean, as if the shopping cart, my coat on over my work clothes, my BRIGHT pink handbag and lunchbox and you can't buy a clue?

[Raveni]

I always told my employees to tell the customers. "Not right now. I'm sorry, but my boss will write me up if he catches me working off the clock. Please ask someone up front. "

[drjonah]

After the lady threw the giant hissy fit in my last post, I changed up the way I informed customers I was on break. If they asked me 'do you work here?', my response changed to 'Not right now but I will be in xx minutes'. 99 times out of 100 the customer was fine with that and would look for someone else.

[otakuneko]

I'd... probably just end up doing what I do with shoplifter alarms and receipt-checkers: keep on walking like I'm in my own little world.

....cus I am.

[MadMike]

I made that mistake once. Lady then comes in a couple days later and sees me working and throws a GIANT fit because I lied to her the other day about not working here.

That could have happened to me towards the end of my last job. I had stopped in on my way back from a job interview to pick up a few things, and someone asked me if I worked there. I was too well-dressed to be one of the regular employees, but she may have thought I was a manager.

As it turned out, I did get the job I had just interviewed for, so I wasn't there much longer anyway.

And if I did get called on it, I think it would have gone something like this: "No, that wasn't me. You must have me confused with someone else. A suit? I can't afford a suit on what they pay me here!"

[veniteangeli]

I had a roommate who worked as a cashier with me at a big supermarket. He was a nice guy, jovial, and well liked by the customers. One day we were shopping (at the supermarket we worked at) after his shift. He had a hoodie over his uniform shirt, but it wasn't zipped. We also had his eighteen month old daughter in the child seat of the shopping cart he was pushing - and he was engaged in singing to her, much to her delight. A customer recognized him, and stopped us, interrupting the song he was singing to his child to demand his help.

Did he help the woman?

Did he shite! He told her he was obviously off the clock and to leave him alone while he was with his family/roommate.

[Mr Hero]

I've once stopped someone on their way to their break, but I wasn't aware of it at the time. After she let me know and directed me to someone who could help me, I thanked her for her help. I kinda felt bad afterwards.

[computeraide]

Lunch time is the bane of my existence. I work in a school library and have a desk. On those rare instances when I choose to eat at my desk, I have a bright green sign that says LUNCHTIME and then directs them where to go instead to get help. Most of the time people push the sign out of their way and ask their question anyway. Even as I am typing this on my lunch break I have a kid standing here ignoring the sign. Ugh.

[Jay 2K Winger]

This very thing was why, when I worked at the wholesale club, I always left the building to get my lunch, and if I ate on site, I did it in the break room. Most customers did not go in there. The one exception I can think of was this one probably-senile old woman. I remember her because she had two jokes she loved to try to repeat, and to try to excuse her behavior. One was that she was my grandmother (ha, no), and the other was that she was the boss' mistress.

Which was even more hilarious, because the boss in question was gay.

[thatcrazyredhead]

I think the trick to this one is to never stop moving until you're in the clear. "I'm on my lunch, but Bob can help you at the counter," all while still walking toward the door.

In computeraide's situation, I think I'd either eat in my car or under my desk.

[Legacy_of_Torment]

I've been in the supermarket across the street, buying my lunch when a customer has recognised me from where I actually work and asked me a question about film times or prices. Piss off already, I'm not even in the right building!

[Hitokiri Akins]

I always told my employees to tell the customers. "Not right now. I'm sorry, but my boss will write me up if he catches me working off the clock. Please ask someone up front. "

Didn't stop them from bothering me. I told them "I'm off the clock and going home" and they insisted that I help them.

[drjonah]

Another trick I used which seemed to work 95% of the time was when I was on break/lunch/shopping on my day off, I would wear my sunglasses in the store. Didn't matter what time of day it was but I would put them on as my secret code for 'leave me the f@#$ alone'.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Another trick I used which seemed to work 95% of the time was when I was on break/lunch/shopping on my day off, I would wear my sunglasses in the store. Didn't matter what time of day it was but I would put them on as my secret code for 'leave me the f@#$ alone'.

That's another trick that seems to work most of the time for me . . , besides the fact that I have sensitive eyes and even turning on the overhead light in the middle of the night will cause them to hurt.

And yes, it for me also means "Do not approach under penalty of DEATH!"