Customers who want the "hook up", outside of work..

[draggar]

Quite often I run errands on my way home from work. I trade in my online movies at Blockbuster, browse Best Buy, hit the grocerey store etc..

Customers *and* workers alike in these places think that since I have who I work for on my shrit, they feel that I am still working (with my groceries in a cart and not in the store?) so they ask me question after question or complaint after complaint.

The best is when they ask me for the "hook up", you know, free stuff, free service, free phones, free everything. I guess everyone wants the advantage of everything but not pay for it? So, I kindly tell the people that what they're asking for is not my department and I wouldn't even be able to think about it if I wanted to. Usually they turn a snotty nose and say "Fine then, WHAT department do YOU work in?". My one word answer shuts them up 100% of the time.

My answer?

"Fraud".

(BTW - not a total lie, part of my job description is fraud detection).

[sarahj]

I always either change my shirt after work, or put a jacket on. No way would I wander around with my work shirt in plain view! Though mostly I'm arriving/leaving quite late (after 10pm) or early (6-8am). Especially when I work an overnight shift with lots of drunk people. They're probably still hanging around outside or at the station nearby and I don't want them to recognize me as the girl who wouldn't give them free stuff! (Everyone asks, but I never give anything free.) Maybe you should just change your shirt after your shift?

[lordlundar]

Quoth draggar

My answer?

"Fraud".

(BTW - not a total lie, part of my job description is fraud detection).

I love it! May I use it for future reference?

[CRXPanda]

the uniform has powers, if you wear it outside of the workplace plane of existence, then you are still linked to the workplace, TAKE IT OFF or HIDE IT from the sunlight (which gives it the power to link). Same thing (and same level of power) applies to nametags and logo hats!

[MadRocketScientist]

I work for Boeing, people always ask me if I can get discounted Airfares. Can someone explain to me how that would work. Do I get a break on the price because as an Engineer I might be able to do something in a mid-air emergency (not bloody likely)?

[sarahj]

Quoth MadRocketScientist

I work for Boeing, people always ask me if I can get discounted Airfares. Can someone explain to me how that would work. Do I get a break on the price because as an Engineer I might be able to do something in a mid-air emergency (not bloody likely)?

Lol. MadRocketScientist, I'm only a 2nd-year aerospace engineering student. Have your friends ever asked you to build them a plane? (Mine have. It's disturbing.) When people ask me what I do, I tell them my job (Maccas), not my course. Though, that makes them want a cheeseburger.

Maybe they think Boeing's an airline?

[greensinestro]

A long time ago, I learned to never go shopping with my company uniform, or a t-shirt that displayed the name of the company I worked for. I used to have a racing windbreaker with Bellsouth emblazoned on the back of it, when I worked in customer service. Yet, I almost always had a person who would come up to me and ask the most outrageous, ridiculous questions. "How come I can't get DSL in my area?" or "Why are you (me personally, that is!) charging me $50 for a phone when you (me again, personally!) told me it would be $35?"

But, it doesn't just happen there. My brother wears a uniform and is a telephone technician. Whenever he is working, someone at times will drive up being they see his truck with the Bellsouth name emblazoned all over it, and demand to know why they can't have DSL, voice mail, etc, why they pay higher rates and so forth, and it turns out these are people who live 30 miles or so away. These are people who are out on a drive, doing errands or what have you, and when they see a Bellsouth truck, they pull over and bitch out the poor technician who happens to be on that person's driving route.

My mom also worked for Bellsouth, at a central office as a secretary. Once or twice a week, she always dealt with someone that wanted to discuss their bill, or was looking for a job, but preferred to have someone to talk to face to face about it instead of going through the normal channels. These people would look for the first available building with the name Bellsouth on it, pull off the road, knock on the door (sometimes pound) until someone came to speak to them.

Incredible stuff. I'm sure it happens at other major utilities.

[Imogene]

Note to self: buy bright pink tech suit, wear it out to go shopping. Amass chances to tell people off for assuming I'm a technician... Hmmm...