What part of "Off Duty" aren't you getting?

[cashierbex]

I always get interupted when on lunch break. I wish the breakroom was by the time clock.
I even get interupted when coming in, a minute late. I tell them I have to clock in and I will be right there. Attitudes all around.

[mikoyan29]

I never really got the "Do you work here?" think myself. Let's see, I was wearing a Kroger smock, nametag and was probably putting milk on a shelf. NOpe...Just faking it. This was when the only outside people that came in to stock were the soda folks.

[XCashier]

Me: Do you work 24/7/365 and serve every single person that approaches you, even when you are not on the clock?
SC: No
Me: Then why do you expect ME to?

Amazing. You put it in terms they understood and could relate to, and they still thought you were being "unhelpful and rude". That's some pretty heavy self-centeredness there. Glad your manager backed you up.

[gremcint]

here's a trick I learned, if you are alreay on your way to your break tell them you are with another customer and keep walking.

[telecom_goddess]

What do they think? That they put you in cold storage for the night & reactivate you in the morning?

Or, as someone pointed out once, you get put in your charging pod for the night like the Borg.

I like the cold storage idea though.

[EricKei]

I see that most of our examples in here are across the pond ^_^ I don't know how it is over there (read: check your local laws), but, in the US, this sort of thing should be easier to deal with ... Ya see, "allowing" someone to work off the clock is considered the same exact thing as *forcing* them to work off the clock in many places (this may be Federal -- I had good reason to research this a few years back). Check the laws where you are first, but if they fall in line with that standard, you can just say that you cannot help them because you don't want to break the relevant laws and get your boss in legal trouble.

[SkullBash]

It's the Aura of Competence, cono. Everyone who has ever worked as a wageslave has it to some degree.

Ah yes, this CURSE. That aura of confidence you can never mask, even while dog-sick hungover. Confidence in one's ability to handle every shade of poo that is flung one's way after doing time in customer service. Combined with the fact that most people aren't comfortable by themselves and prefer to be led by the nose and presto. You have people like in the OP bothering employees off the clock while KNOWING they are off the clock.

Sometimes I wish that employee uniforms by law had to have red and green lights to indicate their ready-to-work status. And maybe yellow lights to designate employees on a short, paid break. And a blinding white light to stun sucky customers who ignore the red light so that the employee can have an opening to run far away.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

This is why when I am off the clock I usually vacate my place of employment as quickly as possible OR, if I am planning to stay for some reason (or go by when I'm not working) I will dress in a uniform that makes it painfully obvious I am not on the clock.

Usually shorts and a baseball cap do the trick since I have never worked anywhere that allowed that as acceptable work attire.

It doesn't always work, but it seems to be pretty effective.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

This is why when I am off the clock I usually vacate my place of employment as quickly as possible OR, if I am planning to stay for some reason (or go by when I'm not working) I will dress in a uniform that makes it painfully obvious I am not on the clock.

Usually shorts and a baseball cap do the trick since I have never worked anywhere that allowed that as acceptable work attire.

It doesn't always work, but it seems to be pretty effective.

I have a top-hat

[Syriilord]

Hope you at least managed to finish your meal in peace, even if you did have to do it under the Muggle version of an Invisibility Cloak.

I think in this case it would be the El Goonish Shive [Impressive Booming Voice]'Coat of Solitude'[/Impressive Booming Voice] as seen to best effect here: http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-03-27

Or, as someone pointed out once, you get put in your charging pod for the night like the Borg.

I like the cold storage idea though.

We are retail.
Resistance is futile.
You will be assist - imalated.

[Scorpodael]

What part of "Off Duty" do they not understand? Why, the "Off" bit, of course!

[Arcus]

My standard response to the "Do you work here?" when I'm off the clock is "Not right now I don't" or "When I'm clocked in and being paid for it, yes. I'm not being paid right now."

[Anglesmith]

I don't think I could have been as polite. I'm on my own time and at that point I'm just another patron.

[Freak]

This is why when I am off the clock I usually vacate my place of employment as quickly as possible OR, if I am planning to stay for some reason (or go by when I'm not working) I will dress in a uniform that makes it painfully obvious I am not on the clock.

Usually shorts and a baseball cap do the trick since I have never worked anywhere that allowed that as acceptable work attire.

It doesn't always work, but it seems to be pretty effective.

You'd think that would work, but I was once in a budget department store (sort of Australia's equivalent of Walmart) and got asked if I worked there. I was wearing a cape at the time. Seriously, they thought that someone dressed in a cape was working.

[dragon_wings]

Several times when resetting the makeup wall at work I have had people come up to me and ask me if I worked there... My fantasy response: 'Umm, why else would I be fooling around with the stupid shelves on the makeup wall?' (seriously, some of those shelves made me want to scream!)