SMILE!!!

[Pagan]

OK, OK, three genders. I'll make a note of it.

Except, for some reason, you took out part of what I said. Why did you do that? I was agreeing with you about getting from both genders, but saying that it seemed to be specifically little old women, not women of other ages.

I get it from men and little old women.

[EricKei]

I get it from men and women.

OK, OK, three genders. I'll make a note of it.

[Pagan]

I've been walking down the damn mall, minding my own business, and get some asshole telling me to smile.

Honestly, I think that people that go around with a smile all the time look more than a little insane.

The gal that trained me at Hasting's used to have trouble with people because she naturally looks like she's smirking. Oh, boy does that piss people off! I just realized that I tend to smirk more than full on smile, too.

Because I got tired of people telling me to smile while I was reading (I have this mean-looking scowl that actually served to keep me from being fought with in high school - the other girls thought I'd beat them up ), I developed this vapid sort of not-quite-smile that makes me look brain dead and just this side of drooling.

I find that people don't bother me any more since I started doing that.

^-.-^

Why the hell do people care how your face looks when you're reading?! I have a problem that when I am concentrating on something, my face goes totally blank. It's caused problems because I do it when I'm really listening to people. Teachers figured it out real quick, because I could always repeat back what they just said.

In the real world, I got told, "well, make sure you have an expression that looks like you're listening". If I do that, then I'm not really listening them, am I? Because I'm too damned worried about what my face looks like. Catch-22 that is.

I've also got eyebrows that have a mind of their own. I'll just be talking or just looking at something and my (mostly) left eyebrow will go up, Spock-style. People then think I'm pissed. No, I don't even realize it's happening until it's pointed out.

EDIT: This is awesome. I bookmarked because of it's awesomeness.

Another thumbs up for the awesomeness of the article. Tho, for the record, I have seen people of both genders request, nay, DEMAND smiles out of both genders, and it's a very asshole thing to do no matter what. I'm not sure if it's worse or better if the employer makes you do this.

I get it from men and little old women.

A (mid-30's) friend of mine just got his (remaining) teeth replaced with dentures for just this reason a few months ago. If people ask him for a smile, he takes his smile out and shows it to them

That reminds me of something my grandfather used to do! He'd stick his bottom plate out at me and my cousins, all girls. We thought it was hilarious! And I can remember the tone even that my grandmother would say, "Oh, Gilbert!" in when he'd do it. It's been 17 years since he died and I still really, really miss him.

[psycholicious_cxs]

I despise this demand. I hear the "Smile!" crap every time it's busy. Next time I think I'll quote from Murder on the Orient Express.

Hercule Poirot: You never smile, madame?
Princess Dragomiroff: My doctor has advised against it.

[dalesys]

OMG I'm thankful I hadn't yet taken a drink from the glass I'd brought up to my mouth. My poor laptop would have not been happy.

You realize you're blocking me from making a Rule #1 score...

[laborcat]

Give my dog a BJ and I'll laugh out loud.

OMG I'm thankful I hadn't yet taken a drink from the glass I'd brought up to my mouth. My poor laptop would have not been happy.

[XCashier]

OT, but I like the way you posted those smilies. Looks like the one is smashing his monitor against the wall the other is banging his head on!

Yeah, something cute and/or clever like that makes me smile. Being commanded to smile does not.

[downforit2008]

Fortunately, I've been lucky to not have a customer get in my face and tell me to SMILE in my nearly 4 years of Retail. Most likely, I'd just ignore them anyway or find out where they work and say the same crap to their face.

What the main issue is having some stupid coworker saying it to me when I'm coming into work at 7 in the morning after getting only 3 hours sleep due to the damn neighbors upstairs making a ruckus all night. Recently, I've had my boss telling me to scrub out the damn garbage cans just because she doesn't feel like telling Maitenance to do it and because I was "closer" to where she was anyway. I stare at her in disbelief and her cell phone goes off to the tune of "I feel good." She mouthed the words with a shit-eating grin and says to me, "Shouldn't YOU smile and feel good as well?"

No, you idiot bitch, because you're not the one who has to scrub out garbage cans and then smell like garbage the rest of the day and have the customers wrinkle their noses around you in a 10-foot radius just because the damn janitors don't want to do it. Must be nice to have your f***ing job if you feel like you can SMILE all day.

[EricKei]

I've got bad teeth. Like, really bad. I've got plans for some form of reconstruction, or all-out dentures in the near future.

A (mid-30's) friend of mine just got his (remaining) teeth replaced with dentures for just this reason a few months ago. If people ask him for a smile, he takes his smile out and shows it to them

[Kaylyn]

I've got bad teeth. Like, really bad. I've got plans for some form of reconstruction, or all-out dentures in the near future. So, next time someone tells me to smile, I will. See how long it takes them to beg me to stop.

[manybellsdown]

Of course you can't win, because there's that other thread on here where the customer posted a complaint online about the clerk because she smiled and was friendly to everyone and so it was clearly some sort of scam.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Can I just say that I was happy to know that it wasnt just me getting this? =)

Believe me, no, unfortunately, it's not just you.

Teskeria: "no" is a perfectly legit answer. It's a whole lot nicer than mine, but it's perfectly legit. And reasonable. It puzzles them because they can't fathom that you aren't some remote control puppet.

[Teskeria]

I have always just looked at them and said "no". It seems to puzzle them. Even as a teenager I have always looked solemn and frowny. The contrast between my face and my 'CS voice" really does puzzle people.
Now that I work on the phones, it frustrates those trainers that are always talking about how you have to smile so they 'hear it in your voice'. Because I can put that perky smiley voice on and off like a well worn shoe.

[Dreamstalker]

The men in my dad's family always look stern and sober in pictures. I've inherited that trait also. I never look like I'm smiling

Same here (my great-grandmother who I resemble a lot was never seen smiling in photos). My 'camera smile' looks okay, but still creeps some people out.

On Christmas Eve during a crazy busy rush (luckily we were closing soon and I was bagging for one of the 'cool cashiers' who knew my system) SM was wandering around the front end going "Are we having fun yet?" (yes actually I am, a very cool customer bought me a coffee).

SM: (claps me on the back) "Smile! Isn't it fun (sarcasm) working on Christmas?"
My response (in my best perky happy voice): "My on-command smile causes small children to scream in terror and dogs five miles away to start howling. Do you really want that during the holidays?"

[Sunshine]

Can I just say that I was happy to know that it wasnt just me getting this? =)