Apparently, I can't serve someone from staff.

[Slave to the Phone]

I ride a Harley. When I'm not at work, I wear beat up jeans, scuffed up boots and leather that reveals my boobage, and one single tasteful tattoo on my inner arm. At work, I wear long sleeved button up shirts.

My boss has gotten several calls from outraged taxpayers about what I wear when I'm not working. She always apologizes and promises to fire me posthaste. Then we laugh together.

Its so sad that we aren't allowed to have lives outside of our job.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Like the borg drones....

Nah. Borg Drones have more say in how the collective runs.

[PepperElf]

I also had a coworker tell me that they were once shopping at a completely different business before going home to change out of their uniform, and STILL they were interrupted by people looking for help. I'm sure it would be a terrific psychology experiment to see how many morons are out there who will stop you if you are in a uniform of any kind, in a store of any kind. Argh

I had that happen to me a few times.

Once, when going to a going-out-of-business sale, I had taken off part of my uniform but I looked professional still so a customer thought I was a manager or something.

Then when I'd switched to a polo-style uniform worn only by our techs, I wore it to Walmart after I left work one day and ... another Walmart employee came up to me thinking I was a coworker at first. Then they did a double-take and realize my company logo was from the business just down the street.

Thankfully no customers have actually been rude to me while I was dressed that way. At the most the lady at the sale above might have had a mild cat-butt-face but no more than that.

[Merriweather]

Don't you hate it when they mistake you for an employee, ask a question, then give you a dirty look when you say you don't work there? Like you've done something wrong by not being an employee of that company?

I've decided next time that happens to me, I'm going to ask them a detailed question about a nearby business, such as "could you tell me the interest rates on savings accounts at xxx bank next door?". Then when they look at me all indignant with "how should I know, I don't work there" I can just look them in the eye and say "Exactly". and walk away.

Who knows, might even get thru to one or two of them.

[Alpha Strike]

I ride a Harley. When I'm not at work, I wear beat up jeans, scuffed up boots and leather that reveals my boobage, and one single tasteful tattoo on my inner arm. At work, I wear long sleeved button up shirts.

My boss has gotten several calls from outraged taxpayers about what I wear when I'm not working. She always apologizes and promises to fire me posthaste. Then we laugh together.

Its so sad that we aren't allowed to have lives outside of our job.

If you dress so differently between work and private life, how do folks even know that you're the same person? And more importantly, why does your boss pretend to care about how you dress in your private life?

Don't you hate it when they mistake you for an employee, ask a question, then give you a dirty look when you say you don't work there? Like you've done something wrong by not being an employee of that company?

It's your fault that they were fooled. A good customer service drone wouldn't think of dressing in a way that confuses a customer.

[XCashier]

I've decided next time that happens to me, I'm going to ask them a detailed question about a nearby business, such as "could you tell me the interest rates on savings accounts at xxx bank next door?". Then when they look at me all indignant with "how should I know, I don't work there" I can just look them in the eye and say "Exactly". and walk away.

I like it!

[Merriweather]

If you dress so differently between work and private life, how do folks even know that you're the same person? And more importantly, why does your boss pretend to care about how you dress in your private life?

I agree totally, SCs already think of retail workers as slaves when at work, managers need to at least put their foot down and inform them that what the worker does on their own time is no one's business. Agreeing with them, even if only for show, just encourages them, and makes them think they're justified in trying to control even more of a worker's life than they already do. I know it's easier for a manager to agree with a customer and then just ignore it, rather than telling the customer they're wrong, but they're really making it worse for their employees in the long run when they do that.

[Slave to the Phone]

If you dress so differently between work and private life, how do folks even know that you're the same person? And more importantly, why does your boss pretend to care about how you dress in your private life?

I work for the government. I tell angry taxpayers "No" to their face. I assume they recognize me because they were so pissed off when I told them that they couldn't get their way that they actually looked at my face. I'm not evil, I go out of my way to try to help unless they come in screaming and accusing me personally of making the law or regulation they want me to waive.

As to my boss, I assume she just wants to shut them up. She thinks its awesome that I'm a biker and loves hearing stories of rides or runs I've been on. I have warned her that someone might come back to try to pressure one of my fellow techs into giving them what they want and will see me. She just shrugs and blows me off.

I'm afraid that my attitude at work is "whatever". As long as I do my job properly and am not rude, nobody will get me fired. If my boss doesn't care about it, I certainly don't.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I can't tell you how often I run into bar customers on the street, and they say something to the effect of, "Hey, aren't you supposed to be at The Bar?"

Got a variation of that just Wed. evening after work when I stopped by the cafeteria a few doors up to get dinner to go (after being up since 4 a.m. and at work since 6, I was NOT cooking.)

Some guy hollers over as I'm walking through to get to the To Go counter "Aren't you supposed to be over at the Litter Box?"

That's when I remembered I'd left my nametag on. I took it off, tossed it into my purse and replied back "Now I'm like YOU. A CUSTOMER."

I went to go order my food without another peep heard from the dude.

[Pagan]

I've decided next time that happens to me, I'm going to ask them a detailed question about a nearby business, such as "could you tell me the interest rates on savings accounts at xxx bank next door?". Then when they look at me all indignant with "how should I know, I don't work there" I can just look them in the eye and say "Exactly". and walk away.

Like the yahoo at Sunflower one time. I was looking for something and had set my hand basket down (it was a little heavy). Some lady asks me for something, told her I didn't work there. She said she thought I did because I was next to some stock that was being worked.

I pointed out to her that their shirts were sky blue with "Sunflower - Silly prices. Serious savings" on them. I, on the other hand, was wearing a crimson shirt that said "New Mexico State University" on it.

[Bella_Vixen]

One time, in high school, we took a field trip to a mall in Milwaukee. (The joys of going to Redneck High School in Inbred, WI. )

I was dressed in black jeans and a relatively nice shirt for some unknown reason, and was stopped by customers in at least 3 stores, thinking I was an employee. I was 17, and looked younger, and this was during school hours. I didn't know Mayfair Mall was into breaking child labor laws.

[Argabarga]

Off the clock, I've been approached while shopping in other stores 3 times and asked for assistance despite wearing a uniform that looks NOTHING like the one the employees wear

I've been asked if I'm an employee of places that DON'T have employees (While pumping the gas in my car, another person wanted me to do theirs, at a marked self-serve convenience store, while wearing a SHIRT AND TIE where the only employee is behind the counter inside)

And yet, when I'm ON the clock, people call the cops on me convinced I'm NOT an employee and am stealing or about to steal things.....

[wolfie]

I ride a Harley. When I'm not at work, I wear beat up jeans, scuffed up boots and leather that reveals my boobage, and one single tasteful tattoo on my inner arm. At work, I wear long sleeved button up shirts.

I'm sure you've been around here long enough to realize you were setting yourself up for the inevitable comment (and I'm surprised that some of the others haven't made it yet) - This thread is useless without pics.

[Dadeo]

I cannot count the number of times I've been asked about products. Twice in the last three weeks alone. The sad thing is that I can generally answer the question better than the actual employees. To be fair, I did exactly the same thing last week in the surplus electronics store. The guy had a familiar face and I assumed he worked there. Turns out he was a prop guy I'd worked with a few years ago and he was there buying props for Warehouse 13.