"I Don't Work Here" megathread

[Jester]

Proof that customers will believe anything....

So today, after my shift at the outdoor bar, feeling a bit sweaty, I did what I often do in that situation....I went to the clothing optional pier/bar/pool/sundeck. (This town is JUST a bit different from most!) So, jump in the pool for a bit, get out, and am hanging out at the bar in just a towel talking to the bartender, who I know, and a couple of customers who were there. Ms. Bartender was out from behind the bar, involved in the conversation, as nothing much was going on. I should point out that everyone else at the bar was fully dressed, I was the only one in a towel.

Two obvious tourists walk in, and Ms. Bartender says to me, "Jester....pretend you're the bartender!" I protest that I am JUST WEARING A TOWEL! "Come on, they won't know the difference." What the heck, right? So, wearing only a small towel, I give the guys a friendly greeting, and attempt to sell them drinks. They are only looking around, checking the view (it's right on the ocean), etc., etc. We banter a bit, exchange chit chat, yada yada, and they leave....and they never ONCE questioned the bartender dressed only in a towel.

Now, I wonder if that would have worked if I had tried it in a place that was NOT clothing optional. Hmmmm.....


TOMORROW STARTS MY VACATION! NO MORE ASSHAT SUCKASS CUSTOMERS FOR A WEEK!

[Rapscallion]

That's where the UK thing comes in. Have you seen the cost of trans-Atlantic postage? Let's not forget limited time :/ That's why I'd be far more interested in something based in the US.

Rapscallion

[Kiwi]

I rather liked my cafepress sweatshirt, I still have it, I cant wear it though because I ordered a medium and it comes down to my knees... and you can fit 3 of me inside it

Im sure there is an alternative Raps, it will all turn out alright in the end

[Jester]

I know my favorite web cartoonist has been very happy with Warehouse 23 (www.warehouse23.com). I myself have no clue about them, but he seems happy, and he has tried other places, including Cafe Press.



TOMORROW STARTS MY VACATION! NO MORE ASSHAT SUCKASS CUSTOMERS FOR A WEEK!

[Boulder_Bear]

So today, after my shift at the outdoor bar, feeling a bit sweaty, I did what I often do in that situation....I went to the clothing optional pier/bar/pool/sundeck. (This town is JUST a bit different from most!)

Where is this? US? UK? It ummmm.... sounds like a very interesting place.

[Twotall]

My story:

A couple of months ago, I was in my local grocery store. Now, all the employees there wear apple green uniforms with the store's logo displayed on the front and back. I was walking around wearing a black fleece jacket, black pants, backpack slung over my shoulder and carrying a plastic basket full of groceries. As I walked by the cooler where the water was displayed, a middle-aged woman wearing FAR too much jewellery looked at me, and asked:

SC: Is there any plain water left? I can't find any...
Me: Excuse me? Plain water...?
SC: Yes, without any flavouring, bubbles, or anything like that.
Me: *scans cooler* No, can't see any. Looks like they're sold out.
SC: Is there more in the back?
Me: Possibly, I wouldn't know.

At this point, she left in a huff ( ), headed straight for the registers, where she encountered an actual employee:

SC: I wanted to know if there was any more plain bottled water in back, and that man (indicates me) refused to help me!!!
Employee: That's because he is a customer, he does not work here... Now, why don't I go check...

[WHShit]

Had it happen AGAIN today! I was in Boot's (a drug store) looking at make-up on my break and 2 peole stopped me. One woman was nice when I said I did not work there. But one walks up to me and says "what is the difference between these two"? She was holding lipstick. Never even said "excuse me" or "do you work here" she just assumed I did. So I say "sorry, I don't work here" and she says "well, you are wearing all black".

WTF? The people in Boots wear WHITE coats, not black...WHITE! And lots of people wear black. It does not mean they work in a shop!

Granted, I had on dressy pants and a long sleeved dressy shirt (management dressy), but PLEASE! She actually looked pissed off when I told her I was not an emplyee! Errrrgggghh!

When I got back to work I was telling a co-worker about the lady and my co-worker had a story. She went into a supermarket wearing her work clothes (lavender shirt) and had a lady come up to her and ask where the milk was. When she said that she did not work there the lady said "are you sure"?

OMG!!! Why ask that? "Um...let me think, no I am not sure...come to think of it, I DO work here and the milk is on aisle 3".

The people at this particular supermarket wear dark blue shirts, not lavender.

WHAT is wrong with these people?

[rdp78]

This is my favorite thread.

It really makes me wonder how some people just can't pay attention to what people are wearing and just think that anyone who is in a store works there. I mean I understand if they are wearing a similar color shirt that employees are wearing or are in business causal but really if they are wearing like a tube top like WSHit was then that SC is must be really stupid. Well, I have say I only had a couple times where I was asked if I knew where something was and I showed where that item was because I knew where it was anyway (they weren't being SCs). Now one time when I was in a used bookstore I was asked if I worked there and of course, I said no. I guess I'm kind of lucky in way but if I ever in a situation where another customer really think I work there even through I'm another customer I know what to do but I still don't mind helping them if I can and they are nice about it (if they are an SC then well, I ain't gonna help them).

[crewboy]

A lot of you are getting a lot of rude, though, to hear you tell it. Don't miss your big chance here. I don't mean your big chance to be rude back. I mean your big chance to maybe make a clueless person give a little more thought to what they are doing and how they are treating people.

I am wondering at some of the continuence to be polite and subservient sounding to obviously rude people I'm seeing here. I certainly don't blame or condemn anyone for trying to be polite, but it might be working against you in some of these cases. Maybe you should be taking a firmer tact. After all, most rude people are only rude because they thing nobody's going to call them out on it.

<<snip>>

These people desperately need a wakeup call. Give them one.

I agree completely. I've been in so many situations over the years in retail where I had no choice but to bite my tongue--just stand there and take it when they are being ignorant and obnoxious, or just totally unreasonable. I have not yet been in a situation where someone was rude or nasty to me when they mistook me for being an employee of the store I was shopping in. I have, however, had many different instances where they did ask me something thinking that I work there. They will usually just walk away or else apologize

I'm almost tempted to start dressing up to look similar to an employee of a few different stores just to see if I can get a rude person to go off on me so I can put them in their place, but that wouldn't be ethical, would it?

[LostMyMind]

I'm almost tempted to start dressing up to look similar to an employee of a few different stores just to see if I can get a rude person to go off on me so I can put them in their place, but that wouldn't be ethical, would it?

Go ahead, as long as you buy something when you leave those stores. You were there to shop. It was pure chance that another "customer" harassed you

[WHShit]

Ok, I was in Boots again and looking at makeup AGAIN (hey, they have all the good stuff like Max Factor on sale down to £2!). I have my purse and a drink in my hand.

This old lady comes up to me with a lipstick (a cheapo stay-on lipstick) and says "do these really work"? I said "sorry, I don't work here". She said sorry and went on her way. I felt bad, cause she was a sweet old lady, so I went up to her and told her that I use the stay-on stuff alot and that the one she had did not work, but I went through the ones that did and she was so nice and grateful! She ended up buying a Lipfinity by Max Factor....even though it was bright pink! It made me feel good to help her, even though I was not a worker and on my break.

I saw her in front of WHShit while I was smoking and she waved at me! It was ok...she was a nice SC! LOL

[Mixed Bag]

Great mitzvah for a day off--you'll get yours! Good thing she wasn't being helped by someone with bad advice or you'd be faced with an SE for stepping in.

Nonemployees helping...the first step in victory over control freaks!

[CaroPhoenix]

I actually had a near-miss last night at the local Best Buy.

Hubby, daughter & I went to Best Buy last night to buy some cable cords, an HDMI thingee and a new DVD player (bought a few other items too now that I think about it, but anyways.)

I was pushing said daughter in the shopping buggy & I was talking to her when I looked up and saw some woman eyeing me, giving me this really confused look and looked like she wanted to ask me a question, I smiled, looked down at daughter and said: "Is this scrunchie bluuuuuue? Noooooo!" And the woman walked right past me.

BTW, I was wearing a turquoise, pull-over t-shirt and peddle pusher pants!

I don't konw if it counts 'cos she didn't actually *ask* if I were an employee, but she had that glazed look that most SCs have.

[Tanizaki]

This is my story.

My dad is a store manager for Eckerd Drug Store.

I would go to visit him often since our work schedules usually didn't allow for us to get together. Their uniform at the time was a navy blue polo style shirt and khaki pants. I never worked for them, but I was at his store a lot so I did help him while I was there. This day I was wearing a light blue polo shirt and khakis.

Well this day was my day. My dad was busy staightening the magazine rack that was down the aisle in the store. I was kinda half-helping him while reading a few of them. He got called to the front. The whole time he was there, there was a lady standing about 10 feet away. Now she comes up, Of Course.

SC-Stupid Stuckup Customer
ME- me

[snip]

Good little afternoon chuckle.

CM

Forgive me, but you are in a store wearing clothes easily mistaken for the store's uniform and were engaging in work. Why do you feign offense and surprise when you are mistaken for an employee?

Next week, maybe you can throw on your Cubs uniform, head out to Wrigley Field, and start warming up your pitches in the bullpen during the 5th inning. Then, when you get asked to close the game, you can throw a hissy fit, "I DON'T WORK HERE! I JUST LIKE TO WEAR THESE CLOTHES!"

[Ree]

There was a nicer way to word that, Tanizaki.

I agree that it seems odd to be amused that a customer mistook Confuzed-Monkey for an employee when he was wearing clothes similar to the uniform and helping out, but there was no need to be so sarcastic.

Confuzed-Monkey was not throwing a hissy fit or even complaining. He just found it amusing.
I think you owe him an apology.