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

[MadMike]

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.

My eyes are the same way, and I have to put my sunglasses on every time I step outside, even if there's just the slightest hint of sunlight.

One day, I had just helped a customer with a carryout, and when I came back in, one of the managers asked me why I put on my sunglasses every time I step outside. Without missing a beat, and with a completely straight face, I told him, "Didn't you know? I'm a vampire!"

His eyes got all wide and he asked, "Really?"

Again, with a completely straight face, I told him, "Oh yeah! I sleep in a coffin and everything!"

He left me alone for the rest of the day.

[veniteangeli]

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.

Yeah, but to eat in the break room, you gotta GET to the break room. That's the kick in the ass.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Yeah, but to eat in the break room, you gotta GET to the break room. That's the kick in the ass.

I rarely had that problem. I think part of it was just that I'd march in that direction with an aura of "don't talk to me." It helps that I'm six-foot-two.

[siskaren]

This thread reminds me of this Retail strip:

http://retailcomic.com/comics/march-26-2006/

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I got one better than that.

I worked at a games store near here for several years, so most customers who went there routinely got to know my face pretty well. I haven't worked there since late 2012.

A few weeks ago I am in line at a Subway, when a woman asks "You work at <games store> don't you?"

I answer honestly and say "I used to but not anymore."

She proceeds to ask me a question about hooking her PS3 up to wifi.

[MadMike]

Yeah, but to eat in the break room, you gotta GET to the break room. That's the kick in the ass.

Yeah, I got stopped once at the door to the break room, with food in my hands. Can't get much more obvious than that. When I told the guy I was off the clock, he got all pissy, and asked if I could get him someone who could help him, in a rather annoyed and condescending tone. I was going to page someone for him, so I started to open the door so I could set my food down on a table. I guess he thought I was blowing him off, because he called me an "asshole." Well, I certainly wasn't going to do anything for him after that.

I was almost certain I was going to catch hell about that, but if I haven't heard anything after roughly 25 years, I doubt I will. Especially since I left that job not too long after that, and the company went out of business ages ago.

[Mike Taylor]

Yeah, but to eat in the break room, you gotta GET to the break room. That's the kick in the ass.

Yep, and in some stores, the path to said break room takes you right through "Just A Quick Question" Central. I got caught by a customer in that area the other day and tried to flag down a manager to get someone to help them. I had to repeat myself to said manager three times to get it to click that I wasn't on a fifteen but clocked out for the full half hour. He kept trying to get me to help while I had my very visible lunch in my hands.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Yeah, but to eat in the break room, you gotta GET to the break room. That's the kick in the ass.

Yep, and in some stores, the path to said break room takes you right through "Just A Quick Question" Central. I got caught by a customer in that area the other day and tried to flag down a manager to get someone to help them. I had to repeat myself to said manager three times to get it to click that I wasn't on a fifteen but clocked out for the full half hour. He kept trying to get me to help while I had my very visible lunch in my hands.

When I worked at the flagship store in the mall, I was really taking my chances if I decided to get something to eat from the food court. Because that meant going from the back corner of the store to the mall entrance, down the hall to wherever I wanted to order food from, and then back down the hall to the store and then to the back corner again.

Lots of opportunities for lazy shoppers to ask me questions, and they took advantage of those opportunities often.

[Food Lady]

I find someone to call on the phone sometimes. So today after work I was shopping, talking to my friend, and not wearing my sweatshirt over my work shirt* because it was hot. Some lady told a manager I was on the phone while working. With my bag and a shopping cart full of merchandise. Whatever. *And my shirt isn't even really the correct color. It's tantamount to wearing a grey one when black is required. Customers would have to work extra hard to deduct that you work there.

[Morningchaser]

Unfortunately for us we don't have a break room at the bucks of star. Our store in particular has a table that a temp manager (when ours was on paternity leave) put in the back with one chair. It's now directly in front of the fridge, between two trash cans, and if one of the supervisors or managers needs to use the desk you're going to be knocking elbows, so..yeah, no. Eating in the car used to be an option until I got tired of eating inside of a tin can, so the only other option is out with the rabbl-I mean customers. My tactic is headphones, a book or my phone, and perfecting the Kim Pine stare if anyone draws near me.

[Monterey Jack]

My tactic is headphones, a book or my phone, and perfecting the Kim Pine stare if anyone draws near me.

"Scott, you really are the salt of the Earth. I'm sorry, I meant the scum of the Earth."

[wolfie]

"Scott, you really are the salt of the Earth. I'm sorry, I meant the scum of the Earth."

Actually, Scott IS the salt of the earth - completely out-of-place and screwing things up.

[The Hurting]

I've had customers approach me when I'm clearly off duty. Second biggest brain exploding job irritant ever. Are you that blind that my headphones and purse not tell you something?! LEAVE ME ALONE!!

[Zellie Crescent]

As soon as I read the title I thought of the lunch scene from Bad Santa.

[pzychobitch]

As soon as I read the title I thought of the lunch scene from Bad Santa.

Hahahahaha

Me too!