Customers think I WORK at the store, WTF?!?!?

ITDEFX

ITDEFX

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I was thinking about posting this in the employee's post your stupid customer stories thread, but since I don't work retail, I guess I will post here.

Anyways, this has been happening to me a lot lately. I work in the educational field (teaching Computer Graphics and Photography) so I don't have a name badge/tag above my shirt pocket like the usual retail employee does.

Anywhere I go, BB, TRU, Kmart, Walmart I get the usual "Do you work here?!?!?" from a customer. Because of my job, I have to wear dress shirts and pants, belt...but tie optional :) (thank god).

My clothing colors do not include red, blue, or kakkie tan (sp?) pants.

Here are my examples...

-Yesterday when walking into a Kmart to check for clearance games, this one old black guy turned around and within 1 second of entering the department he said "YOU WORK HERE?!?!?!"..I didn't even stop..just moved on to the clearance area. Five minutes later these two old Asian women go in to the department and of course no one is there to help them, then they start staring at me while I was digging thru the titles and from across the way (about 30 feet away) they say "Can you check the price of this camera?!?!".. I just gave them a dirty look like saying to them"go the fuck away lady I am busy..." I was wearing a light blue shirt with white stripes, when store employees wear whatever the fuck they want.

-A few weeks back, while checking to see if there was any new JLU/SW/TF figures, this one asian guy and his child was looking at me and waving me down... I of course ignored them but did notice they were trying to get me to notice that some kid pee'ed in the area and wanted me to clean it up... fuck them! That same store I was looking to see what can I buy for my nephew during last months buy 2 get one free on games and another guy was trying to come up to me as if to say "can you ring me up?"... I was wearing blue when store employees of TRU wear red.

-A few months back, was checking out the deals on DVD/combo players. This black lady came out of nowhere and said "YOU WORK HERE??!?!" I gave her this "no you dumbshit!" look, and moved along. That day I was wearing all black, when BB they wear blue with kakkies(sp?). Funny thing is when I wear my short sleeve blue shirt (not the same shade as BB's employee's shirt), no one bothers me. The front area security guy thinks I work at the store and doesn't greet me, but if I wear anything other then blue when I walk in, then he greets me.

-Target, it seems to me that customers of Target are color blind as they only bug me when I wear white, black, and blue...yet store employee's wear red.


Lets see,
-I DON'T have a walkie talkie with me.
-When looking for new stuff/clearance stuff I move at a fast pace and move on to the next section, while store employee's move about like they don't give a fuck and wasting time to get paid for it.
-I DON'T have a store name badge on me.. yet I always remember to take off my county id BEFORE I enter a store.
-I DON'T have the company's LOGO anywhere on my clothing.
-I DON'T have my name/title stitched anywhere on my shirt.

Does this happen to anyone else?
 
Yeah.

I get mistaken for a male stripper all the time.

Its embarassing, A fifty year old lady put a dollar in my pants yesterday.

I kept the dollar.
 
I always have to bite my tongue, but there has been times when a customer would ask "Can you help me?" I am tempted to say "Are you going to pay me to help you?

or if a customer asks "can you check the price of this item?" my response would be "Why, your not going to be able to afford it anyways"

If I said any of that, or something worse, they could report me to LP or store management claiming I am causing the customers trouble and get me kicked out of the store and then of course the management would be apologtic and give the customer 25% off for my troubles :|
 
Wow this is really getting under your skin, huh? That used to happen to me all the time when I was younger. I don't know why that was the case.

Anyhow, what does race have to do with anything? You keep mentioning the race of the people involved, as if it contributes some sort of meaning to your story. What's the deal?
 
I get mistaken for a fifty year old lady a lot. Sometimes I go and put dollars down the pants of guys who look like they have never been laid. Maybe go get a few minutes in a peek booth or something.
 
[quote name='refusedchaos']well i guess every1 thinks you have to work at a store to wear nice clothes...[/QUOTE]

huh?

ok..

Pretty much every retail store has their version of what a "Store Employee" should look like right down to the color. It's what makes them stand out from other store's employees so the average joe can tell the difference between a TRU employee and a BB employee. I don't fit the profile.
 
[quote name='doctorfaustus']Wow this is really getting under your skin, huh? That used to happen to me all the time when I was younger. I don't know why that was the case.

Anyhow, what does race have to do with anything? You keep mentioning the race of the people involved, as if it contributes some sort of meaning to your story. What's the deal?[/QUOTE]


Seems I mostly get this from blacks and asians... But whites and hispanics don't do this at all to me. I am not trying to be racists, since I am hispanic myself but that's what I have noticed.
 
Minorities think all white people look the same?
[quote name='doctorfaustus']Wow this is really getting under your skin, huh? That used to happen to me all the time when I was younger. I don't know why that was the case.

Anyhow, what does race have to do with anything? You keep mentioning the race of the people involved, as if it contributes some sort of meaning to your story. What's the deal?[/quote]
 
i get mistaken at times for an employee, always seems to be an older person that makes the mistake...not sure why though

i dont see a need to be an ass about it unless they have an attitude with you, it can be a honest mistake and when i correct them they have always been apoligetic about it and then we have a good laugh about it
 
Heh actually I have never ever been to my Local Fry's before without getting mistaken for an employee. It is because I am always wearing a blue dress shirt and some Suit pants and a tie so I look just like a Fry's Worker. I usually end up helping them because I know more then most of the employees do.
 
[quote name='Jedi1979']i get mistaken at times for an employee, always seems to be an older person that makes the mistake...not sure why though

i dont see a need to be an ass about it unless they have an attitude with you, it can be a honest mistake and when i correct them they have always been apoligetic about it and then we have a good laugh about it[/QUOTE]

I agree, if this was something that happens once every 6 months, it wouldn't bother me... but since this happens several times a week, it does get on one's nerves. Heck my gf is starting to get annoyed whenever we "shop", but then she's the one who tends to open her mouth instead of just moving along.
 
Yea, this happens to me quite a lot. I'm a cubicle jockey at a big mortgage company. I'm usually wearing a colared shirt with dress pants. I guess since i have long hair and a goatee people think 'well if a guy like that is dressed nice, he must work here'.

Annoying as shit. I try to avoid certain colors. Though in the past i've managed to be wearing a red shirt at target, light blue shirt at Best Buy, and a dark blue shirt at Blockbuster. They were not done on purpose, I just randomly grab stuff out of my closet.

If i have a bad day at work, and the attire permits, ill go and pretend im an employee just to fuck with people.
 
[quote name='darthbudge']Heh actually I have never ever been to my Local Fry's before without getting mistaken for an employee. It is because I am always wearing a blue dress shirt and some Suit pants and a tie so I look just like a Fry's Worker. I usually end up helping them because I know more then most of the employees do.[/QUOTE]

and that will be 13.50 an hour for you :)
 
I used to get this a lot. I still do, but not quite so much.

Honestly, I think that as long as you're wearing something in between totally business formal and totally casual, there's a whole set of people that think you work at the store. Or want you to. Some people are just stupid.

There was this one guy in Wal-Mart on the Labor Day weekend. I was holding a Transformer, fish tank cartridges, and a package of Handi-Wipes and he comes on strong "Do...you...WORK HERE??????" all bulgy-eyed and weird. Most of the time, I just say "No, sorry." and move on. Him I just glared at and shook my head. I think that even if I did work there and had a company shirt and nametag, I would have denied it. Whatever he wanted, it wasn't good.

The one time I wore a reddish-orange shirt to Target, I at least claimed partial responsibility for getting the question. But the rest of the time, I either want to ask people "So, was it the total lack of a nametag and store uniform that made you ask, or are you as incompetent at people skills as you are with shopping?"

That, or I want to pretend to be a store worker and make shit up.

"Yeah. You see that sign waaay on the other side of the store? It's there. I promise."

"Give this to the cashier and say that Guido sent you. And wink. Twice."
 
Happens to me from time to time , I just say I don't work here. Though that can lead to a " Well do you know anything about XXX stuff" which I will share some knowledge on if I know what the hell they are talking about and have the time
 
I have the opposite happen. I am at work wearing a t-shirt with the store name on it. At least a few times a week I get asked if I work there. Today I was carrying a shelf and someone asked me if I worked there.
 
[quote name='YoshiFan1']I have the opposite happen. I am at work wearing a t-shirt with the store name on it. At least a few times a week I get asked if I work there. Today I was carrying a shelf and someone asked me if I worked there.[/QUOTE]

That happened to me when I use to work in retail. Can't say "Duh, what do you think?" cause I know they can report me and I can get written up. However since I don't work for that store, I can get away with it to some degree.
 
You don't even work at the job you actually work at, so the joke is doubly good on these random people at the store.
 
I made the mistake of stopping at a Wal Mart while wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants once. At least 10 people asked me to help them, one asked me to ring them up while I was in the electronics department looking at DVDs.

Worse yet is I build furniture at Office Max among other places for my job. Our work shirts are identical in color to Office Maxs, except I wear jeans instead of the office max khaki pants the actual employees sport. We build the furniture on the floor, so people are constantly asking me for help, and when I tell them I don't work for the store, they think I'm lying or insane, because I'm clearly building furniture on the salesfloor, which isn't something that someone who doesn't work for the store normally does. I have to then apologize and explain the whole outside contracter concept to them.
 
I get mistaken for a wandering mexican day laborer...Im puerto Rican, many times i got random mexicans coming up to me and starting conversations with me...(I failed Spanish 4 years in a row) I just nod my head and pretend i have something to do. and many old white guys give me dirty looks.
 
THis happens to me all the time. I work for a bank and wear a suit (or at least a shirt and tie) every day. whenever i go into target or CVS i always get the "where is so and so" from old ladies. I usually just make up some existing aisle or section and direct them there.
 
Happened to me only once when I made the mistake of wearing black polo and khakis into Sears. This topic reminds me of this:

best_buy.jpg


Improv Everywhere is a group of pranksters based out of New York City who have been “causing scenes” in public since 2001. Their lastest mission took place last month when 80 of their agents showed up at the Best Buy store in Union Square wearing blue polo shirts and khakis, which of course caused mass confusion, along with the occasional electronics sale. Here’s their full mission write-up complete with photos, video (from hidden cameras) and first-hand accounts.

We met at Union Square North at 3:30 PM. Around 80 agents showed up, most them looking like wonderful Best Buy employees. More than a few came dressed in navy or teal, but with the belt and the khakis they still looked employee-like. After everyone arrived I explained the mission. The first step was for everyone to throw their newspapers away. The instruction to bring a newspaper was a red herring meant to throw people off the scent of the mission’s true nature. I then revealed the plan, “We’re heading up to the Best Buy on 23rd Street. We’ll enter the store one by one. Once inside, spread out and stand near the end of an aisle, facing away from the merchandise. Don’t shop, but don’t work either. If a customer comes up to you and asks you a question, be polite and help them if you know the answer. If anyone asks you if you work there, say no. If an employee asks you what you’re doing, respond ‘I’m waiting for my girlfriend/boyfriend who is shopping elsewhere in the store.’ If they question you about your clothing, just explain that it’s what you put on when you woke up this morning and you don’t know any of the other people dressed like you.”
 
[quote name='chakan']Happened to me only once when I made the mistake of wearing black polo and khakis into Sears. This topic reminds me of this:

best_buy.jpg

[/QUOTE]

now that's just retarded and a waste of time.
 
Kinda like most of your posts. :hot:

[quote name='ITDEFX']now that's just retarded and a waste of time.[/quote]
 
This happens to me occasionally but really not more than every 6 months, but still I tell the people off rudely because most of the time its clear they are the stupid customer that takes 20 min at the checkout because they cannot figure out how to swipe that credit card through the machine...
 
It's happened to me quite a bit, I think it has to do with us browsing through many games often at a quick pace. If someone asks me for help thinking I am an employee, I treat them with respect, and smile and say no. I don't ignore them or be rude to them. How would you feel if you made that mistake and the person just ignored you or was rude to you? Sometimes people ask me for my opinion on games, whether or not they think I work there, and I give them my best knowledge about games and which are the best. It pleases me to be able to give advice to the more casual crowd on what is good.
 
[quote name='J7.']It's happened to me quite a bit, I think it has to do with us browsing through many games often at a quick pace. If someone asks me for help thinking I am an employee, I treat them with respect, and smile and say no. I don't ignore them or be rude to them. How would you feel if you made that mistake and the person just ignored you or was rude to you? Sometimes people ask me for my opinion on games, whether or not they think I work there, and I give them my best knowledge about games and which are the best. It pleases me to be able to give advice to the more casual crowd on what is good.[/QUOTE]


I do that sometimes, give advice on what games to get or what system to get. Heck about 2-3 weeks after i got my 360, I was at CC looking at some of the clearance games and this one guy was wondering which 360 to get, (the core, premium or the elite) and I told him my experiences with the premium and what he *really* needed (Xbox live gold, another controller for when friends come over) and that was it. I told him the MS points were optional but not really needed unless he plans on watching shows/movies and buying stuff in MP. The CC employee earlier was telling an Indian family that their kids NEEDED the elite (even though they didn't have a hdtv), 3 wireless controllers, a memory card to back up their saves, a wireless adapter so they can put the 360 anywhere in the house, 8000 MP points, because in his words, "you can't have too little because everything is so expensive on MP". I was to tempted to say " you don't need all that shit to get started, but I didn't so meh.

A few signs to look out for to determin if a person actually works in that store.

-Behind the counter/register
-Tagging something on the floor
-Putting merchandise on the shelves
-Having an item scanner.
-Having a walkie talkie.
-Having a name tag with name and title (varies by store)
-Wearing store colors or a company logo on their shirt somewhere.

If a person doesn't see that, then they don't work at the store and you should leave them alone.
 
[quote name='coolsteel']Happens to me from time to time , I just say I don't work here. Though that can lead to a " Well do you know anything about XXX stuff" which I will share some knowledge on if I know what the hell they are talking about and have the time[/quote]
They ask you about porn? Jeez. Do you really share your knowledge of that subject with them?
 
[quote name='Killer Rabbit']They ask you about porn? Jeez. Do you really share your knowledge of that subject with them?[/QUOTE]

if she's really hot, then this would be the exception :)

Girl: "excuse me, do you work here?"

You: turn's around and sees a very cute, but hot chick "I do now...how can I help you?"
 
I used to work for Hill's Dept Stores and WalMart at one time or another and my one co-worker would disappear(@ WM) for 45-60 mins at a clip easily. I went looking for him a couple nights, but it was like he was like Houdini.

As for me, I've found that people think I work for Kmart or WalMart, as I've been asked questions at both stores. I usually just say 'I don't work here', but if it's some bumbling fuckin idiot about to buy their 10 year old a copy of Debbie Does Dallas The Game, I tell them about the ESRB system and all of that shit.

I only do this because I don't see anyone else trying to educate stupid consumers and also so that the games I may wanna play don't get censored because 10 year old stupid lil Johnnys' mom got him Manhunt and he went off and killed his lil sister while imitating the game.

Stupid fuckin consumers/parents should be sterilized imo, so they can't breed more fuckin idiots.
 
What ever happened to politely saying "no, sorry, I don't work here"?

Who cares if the question is stupid, you don't have to be a dick, and letting it piss you off as much as it apparently does isn't good for you.
 
KHAKIS... is how you spell it... a tough one I guess if you are not familiar with the word

And although it hasnt happened to me in a while, it pisses me off too when I get mistaken for some teenager working in a store, I just tell them no though
 
Whats the point of being a dick about it when someone mistakes you for an employee? Would it be too much to ask for you to politely say "Sorry i don't work here"?

Numerous times i've been mistaken for an employee somewhere and if its an older person needing help finding something i am more than happy to help them. It's unbelievable how people are so fucking self centered.
 
This happened to me a couple times at Best Buy and Shoopers Drug Mart. I still didn't understand who could have mistaken me for a BB employee though. I had did have blue shirts that day, but they were either Threadless shirts or very different from what employees wear, and no khakis.

The time I was asked if I worked at SDM was an oddball. I was dressed in all black (shoes, pants, shirt, jacket), had my messenger bag on, and was listening to music, when this guy just turns around, looks at me, and pops the question. Took me a few seconds to say "No".
 
This happens to me frequently, but you know what it doesn't bother me at all. I just tell them "No I don't, sorry." And then I ask if I can help them anyway. It only usually takes 30 seconds.

I don't understand why people have to give them nasty looks, or tell them to go F off, or be rude to them. Whats wrong with just taking a few seconds to help out if you can?
 
[quote name='onetrackmind']Whats the point of being a dick about it when someone mistakes you for an employee? Would it be too much to ask for you to politely say "Sorry i don't work here"?

Numerous times i've been mistaken for an employee somewhere and if its an older person needing help finding something i am more than happy to help them. It's unbelievable how people are so fucking self centered.[/QUOTE]

Seriously, one day the OP will be old and senile and ask random people if they work at a store. You have to look at the whole picture, that's the circle of life.
 
ive gotten mistaken for a target and best buy employee a few times, worst thing was, i was wearing NOTHING remotely close to the uniform, on both occasions, and i was with my ex at the time too playing around, and people just walk up to me, usually a dvd in hand and go "YOU WORK HERE?!"
or if im near computer stuff , they ask me for help with stuff, asking if i can look for stuff in the back..
also when i used to work in american eagle, i would walk in and just make a bee-line to the back to get my check, not wearing any AE clothing, and not greting any customers, no huge headset or big nametag, ive been stopped by customers, like getting in front of me and asking me for help..im like.damn how do they know!.. i usually helped them too even when i was off duty lol :p
 
[quote name='onetrackmind']Whats the point of being a dick about it when someone mistakes you for an employee? Would it be too much to ask for you to politely say "Sorry i don't work here"?

Numerous times i've been mistaken for an employee somewhere and if its an older person needing help finding something i am more than happy to help them. It's unbelievable how people are so fucking self centered.[/QUOTE]

I take it as an insult personally, thinking I work WalMart or something, but I am never mean in telling them I dont work there. And I am always more than happy to open doors or help others in need so the self centered bullshit makes no sense.. if people would take the time to ask workers with actual nametags on, this would not happen

Example of my helping out customer: I was walking into Target and saw an older woman struggling getting out of her car. I go over to her and ask her if she needs some help. Seems she had a couple returns to make, I offer to take them in for her and she can wait out here. It was something that would be hard for her to manage, cans of dog food or something. I do so and return her money, refusing any payment, telling her to have a nice evening
 
[quote name='zman73']I take it as an insult personally, thinking I work WalMart or something, but I am never mean in telling them I dont work there. And I am always more than happy to open doors or help others in need so the self centered bullshit makes no sense.. if people would take the time to ask workers with actual nametags on, this would not happen

Example of my helping out customer: I was walking into Target and saw an older woman struggling getting out of her car. I go over to her and ask her if she needs some help. Seems she had a couple returns to make, I offer to take them in for her and she can wait out here. It was something that would be hard for her to manage, cans of dog food or something. I do so and return her money, refusing any payment, telling her to have a nice evening[/QUOTE]

My comment was a response to the OP not you. As for being offended for someone thinking you work at Walmart... grow up, there are worse things people probably assume about you.
 
Yeah. I get this all the time. This one time I went to staples because I had to get a TI-89 calculator from them. I went into the calculator aisle and a lot of people were waiting there. This one woman screamed "FINALLY" when I went to the aisle. She started ranting about how she was waiting a long time for them to find her daughter a particular calculator. I told her I don't work there and went to get my calculator and right behind it was the calculator she needed, so I gave that to her.
 
I get it many times when I'm shopping too, but that's because my clothes are usually nice and I stick out like a sore thumb when the majority of other shoppers wear ugly, ubiquitous, or sports-themed clothing. Of course I'd look like management if I shop somewhere after work, in my dress shirt, pants, and shoes. I don't usually carry a dumb look across my face that many shoppers have as well.

I tell them I don't work at XYZ store and move on, thinking little about it soon afterwards. It's sad though, when I can give a customer more information about any particular item, especially at a Gamestop/EB.
 
[quote name='onetrackmind']Whats the point of being a dick about it when someone mistakes you for an employee? Would it be too much to ask for you to politely say "Sorry i don't work here"?

Numerous times I've been mistaken for an employee somewhere and if its an older person needing help finding something i am more than happy to help them. It's unbelievable how people are so fucking self centered.[/QUOTE]

It's one thing for a person to politely ask "Excuse me, do you work here?". It's another thing entirely to get "You work here?!?!?" barked at you by some self-important jerk- if they're rude in their mistake, why be nice? You don't work there. :lol:

And to the OP, this is why you get stopped-
1) You're dressed semi-nice.
2) You look like you know what you're doing.

that 'move at a fast pace and move on to the next section' thing is what's doing it. People don't notice uniforms, name tags, big lights directing them to open cashiers... That would require a small effort and thought on their part. They just stop the first person who seems competent.

Start slugging around stores like a shoplifting teenager. Not only will you get left alone, but employees will start following you to make sure you're not stealing, giving the customers someone proper to annoy. :D
 
[quote name='DuelLadyS']And to the OP, this is why you get stopped-
1) You're dressed semi-nice.
2) You look like you know what you're doing.[/quote]

Agreed.

I too get mistaken for working retail ALL the time. I was polite at first, and still am with those who ask if I work there, but I am getting annoyed with those who assume it.

Just recently, I had to tell somone, "No, I don't work here." He replied, "Oh, your shirt made me think you did."... I was wearing an MBA shirt. Glad people think MBAs work retail at Kmart :lol: .
 
I have that happen rather frequently, but I don't get all belligerent about it.

just a shrug and say "nope, I don't work here" and a small chuckle. Depending on my mood I might go out of my way to help them, but most of the time it's the "line" and I point them towards an actual employee
 
[quote name='onetrackmind']My comment was a response to the OP not you. As for being offended for someone thinking you work at Walmart... grow up, there are worse things people probably assume about you.[/QUOTE]

I said nothing in my post to deserve that. Its a pet peeve with me, forgotten in about 15 seconds

And I dont act hateful towards anyone who asks me such things, I simply tell them no I dont work there.
 
you should say you do work there, and when they ask you to help them find something you should wander around the store with them following you for like 15 minutes and then tell them, you dont really work there.
 
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