Uniform VS. Customers (longish)

[solidmetalgear19]

Everyone who wears a uniform or some derivitive thereof at their place of employmetn probably has their own stories about their uniforms and being seen with or without them in various places and the "joy" it can bring. Two come to mind.

1. To start, my uniform consists of black slacks, shoes, belt, a white dress shirt and a vest and bow tie, which may sound lame but it really isn't.

Anyway before my shift starts I had to go into Meijer for something (what that something was I don' t recall). Granted I had my vest on at the time but it wasn't buttoned or anything.

And as I'm walking around this person comes up to me.

SC: Can you tell me where (insert some porduct that I forgot what it was)

Me: *in my head* What the christ?

Me: Uh, I don't work here.

SC: OH!, I'm sorry.

And she just walked away. Seriously, do I even look like a Meijer employee?

2. This one happend not to long ago. I had gone on break to get some Taco bell (that new Grande quessadia, *man my spelling sucks*, is the shit) and I was bringing it back to work to eat it.

So I'm going behind the concession stand, without my vest on, to get some frozen coke and here's the exchange that happens.

SC1: Some dude
SC2: Some woman
Me: You're hero

SC1: Excuse me, you're all out of jalapeno's on both sides.

Like this is really my problem, but i'm too much of a pushover to say so.

Me: Uh, I'm on break, but one of the concessionists can help you.

SC2: Hi, can I get a refill?

Funfact: We don't have refill lines. To get a refill you have to stand in a line to order food. This doesn't get accross to many people so they end up getting pissed and call for a manager.

Me: (ever the pushover, with Frozen coke in my hand) Uh, I think you have to wait in a line and uh, one of the concessionists can help you.

I say this as I look over to one of the consessionists, praying that she'll help me out. She does and the lady goes into a line, as I retreat into the break room to get my eat on in peace.

But come on, I know I'm behind the counter, but do I even resemble an employee at the moment? Use your brain people. Leave me to my food. This is why I started listening to an MP3 player on break. People are less likely to bother you if they know you can't hear them.

[Imogene]

(that new Grande quessadia, *man my spelling sucks*, is the shit)

*doesn't bother checking the rest of the thread first*
Grande Quesadilla. (which of course, my spell check does NOT recognize. It's first suggestion? Cadillacs.)
Hmmm... I have stories from both sides of this particular exchange.
The 'I Don't Work here' side:
I'm in my usual get up for work (Khakis, black polo shirt with company name on it, dark shoes) and wander into Spencer's while on my break (obviously an old story, as Spencer's had moved out long before our store closed in that mall) I wander a bit, and am on my way out the door, intent in my eyes, and get stopped by a random customer.
"Excuse me, you sold me a lava lamp a few days ago and it doesn't work."
RJ: *trade in intent look for befuddled, plus a couple bucks* "That's rather impressive, seeing as I sell movies."
"You don't work here?"
RJ: "Nope. I'm on my break currently." *slip out while woman is Confunded*

The "You don't work here" side:
Family's out for a dinner of fun at Dave & Buster's, playing pool. Someone spills their drink, we turn to a guy standing at a nearby pool table and tell him we spilled our drink. Guy gets really serious suddenly. "Whose drink was it?" "His." "Oh man, what a shame I don't work here, but I'm sorry for your loss."

[IT Grunt]

I had this happen to me years ago when I worked for a bank. The bank had a shuttle bus that ran between the operations center, the corporate tower downtown, and the mall. Sometimes for lunch, I'd catch the bus and grab a bite to eat at the mall, and then do a bit of shopping. Our dress code was typically a button down shirt (pattern/color didn't matter), dress pants or Dockers, a tie, and dress shoes. All the bank employees had a brass nametag in a plastic case, that attached to your shirt by means of a magnet you put on the other side of the fabric. I'd always wear mine at the top of my shirt pocket. (Always remembering not to put diskettes in there. ) This tag had your name in large letters, and the bank's logo, very noticable.

On one of my trips downtown to the mall, I finished lunch and decided to visit the pet store. We'd adopted our first cat around then so I was on the lookout for cat toys that looked like foam golf balls. (They don't make them now... probably because they shredded to easy. My cat /loved/ them. First cat I've seen that loved to play fetch. ). While I'm browsing the cat toys, I get a woman who's standing near the rabbits who taps me quite noticeably on the shoulder. "Excuse me, how much are these rabbits?" <Let's point out that the price was written in that window pen stuff on the glass.> "Uh, I don't work here." She then leans in REAL close, looks at my name tag, and walks off in a huff.

Now, the kicker was, this was Petland, so their employees wore khaki pants, khaki shirts, with the bright orange Petland logo on them. I'm wearing a red and blue striped button down shirt, a blue tie, and blue Dockers. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Another classic example that people just don't think these days.

[MystyGlyttyr]

Without going into the whole long detailed story, I was once mistaken for a McDonalds employee while I (and the half-dozen other guys in the lobby) was in wrestling gear. For me, as a female, that meant I had glitter make-up all over my face, bright red hair pulled up in pigtails and decorated with rainbow gift wrap ribbon, a hot pink shirt that had the back cut out and was tied into place with some leftover strips, metallic silver jeans, and heeled platform boots. And it was for the better part of two minutes. During which time, the non-blind person did indeed LOOK at me.

Though at least the person didn't approach one of the guys who was just wearing trunks, boots, and an unbuttoned dress shirt...

[tendomentis]

Here's the worst part.....this suck-i-tude on the part of customers doesn't stop in life after retail. I sit behind a desk now, can pretty much wear whatever I want to work, and the most I have that identifies me as an employee of my company is a badge/keycard on a lanyard (which I don't wear in public ANYWAY).

Yet SOMEHOW I'm still mistaken for an employee when I visit Best Buy, Blockbuster, Bed Bath and Beyond.....actually now just realizing that the stores I'm mistaken for an employee in all start with the letter B....weird.

I think maybe those of us who have worked for a living must just hold ourselves a certain way that makes the SC's think we live and breathe to hold their hands through the buying process.

[freaktard]

Here's my "I don't work here" story.

A few months ago, I got a gig filling in for a player in a symphony orchestra in another town. This was for their annual children's concert, which took place at 9:30 in the morning. That meant I had to wear a tuxedo, standard concert wear, in the early morning. Wrong on so many levels, but what can you do?

So after the gig was over, it was almost lunch time. I decided to stop at this restaurant I know about that was on the way home. Since I wasn't working any more, I left my jacket and tie in the car, and walked in wearing a dress shirt and black pants.

The restaurant in question has a really good wine list so I decided to indulge in a glass of wine with my lunch. While I was eating, I noticed this couple giving me nasty looks, but I tried to ignore them. After a little while, I saw them talking to a manager and pointing in my direction. I had no idea what was going on.

So after talking to them, the manager started walking over with this stern expression. When he almost got to me, though, his expression changed, and when he got to my table, he asked, "You don't work here, do you?"

Here's what was going on. The uniform for waitstaff at that place was white dress shirt and black pants, which is what I had on. The couple saw me drinking wine and thought I was getting drunk while I was on the clock. The manager, while he was talking to them, couldn't see me very clearly, and didn't know that I wasn't an employee until he got to where he could see me.

The happy ending is: he comped my wine.

[MadRocketScientist]

Without going into the whole long detailed story, I was once mistaken for a McDonalds employee while I (and the half-dozen other guys in the lobby) was in wrestling gear. For me, as a female, that meant I had glitter make-up all over my face, bright red hair pulled up in pigtails and decorated with rainbow gift wrap ribbon, a hot pink shirt that had the back cut out and was tied into place with some leftover strips, metallic silver jeans, and heeled platform boots.

And you have pictures of this, right?

That you'll share with the rest of the class, right?

Because you can't put that out there and then hope out imaginations are up to the task.

[MarcRocks]

Here's a slight variation on the I don't work here topic.

I hit McDonalds after work one day. I have an office job now, so I can wear pretty much any colors, all that's required is basic business casual attire. So I'm wearing black slacks and a red button-up shirt at this point. Apparently, that's what McD's management wears. So the floor supervisor person thinks I'm the new manager that's supposed to start there that day, and takes me around, gives me the tour, introduces me to everybody on staff, talks about how they operate and everything. Never had so many people kiss my butt in my life. I just went with it to see what would happen. Finally, the person asked if I had any questions, and I said yes, I do have one. I don't work here, I'm just a customer, can I order my food now? The girl thought it was hilarious and gave me my meal free.

[MrSunshineState]

When I worked at the movie theatre, I got mistaken for an employee of practically every other mall store during my 3 1/2 years there. I usually shurgged it off because most people were polite and apologized when they realized I wasn't an employee of *store* I was an employee of *theatre.*

The ones that would make me FURIOUS though were the ones that would see me enjoying my food in the food court, and walk up to my table and say "Excuse me, what movies are playing" or "what time does *movie* play?"

When I tell them that A)I am on my meal break and B)our showtimes are displayed outside the box office, they would usually get huffy and act like I was being incredibly rude for not telling them and that if I couldn't remember showtimes I shouldn't be working there.

[MrSunshineState]

Without going into the whole long detailed story, I was once mistaken for a McDonalds employee while I (and the half-dozen other guys in the lobby) was in wrestling gear. For me, as a female, that meant I had glitter make-up all over my face, bright red hair pulled up in pigtails and decorated with rainbow gift wrap ribbon, a hot pink shirt that had the back cut out and was tied into place with some leftover strips, metallic silver jeans, and heeled platform boots. And it was for the better part of two minutes. During which time, the non-blind person did indeed LOOK at me.

How long have you been working in the business? I did a brief stint when I was 17, and am about to start again when Percy Pringle opens his new school.

[XXDarrienX]

That happened to me when it really made no sense. I was at a wholeseller for computer parts to replace my motherboard, I was infront of the counter in shorts and a regular tshirt nothing work related. As I am waiting for them to give me a new motherboard some random person asks me if I work here. Quite odd really.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

When I waited tables, I used to sometimes stop at Books a Million coming or going, and I wish I had a dime for every moron that thought I worked there. Simple black pants, a white shirt. Not only did the books store folks not even HAVE uniforms, but technically, I wasn't wearing one, either. I mean, I WAS but it was my own black pants, and my own white blouse. It's not like I had on a nametag, or a shirt with a business name on it, or an apron or anything.



As for the cretins giving freaktard grief I have a few observations:

1. That manager must've been into the booze long before you were. He has to ASK who his employees are?
2. Did these idiot customers honestly, truly think that you were on the clock getting hammered in front of God and everyone?

I mean, for frig's sake!

[MystyGlyttyr]

And you have pictures of this, right?

That you'll share with the rest of the class, right?

Because you can't put that out there and then hope out imaginations are up to the task.

No, unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of those days...we are all poor as dirt and couldn't afford cameras, basically, it was just one guy who kept a ring in an old building and every week or so, we'd get together and put on a show for the same 10 or 12 people who'd wander in and watch.

I suppose I COULD dig out my old velvet leopard print outfit and model...

How long have you been working in the business? I did a brief stint when I was 17, and am about to start again when Percy Pringle opens his new school.

I worked my first show as ring crew and bell girl in mid-2001, was actually in the ring for about, oh, six or seven months back in 2002-2003, then blew out a few different body parts and decided to stay out until I save up my money to go to school proper rather than get trained on the fly.

[powerboy]

Long story short. I made the mistake of wearing a blue shirt to Walmart, when I was shopping once. This old lady asked me for something. I told her I didn't work there, and she copped a tude with me

[Jadedcarguy]

A couple of short stories from me:

I was at a Lowe's in a town I didn't live in when I was doing satellite install. I usually shopped for cable supplies at Home Depot, but this town didn't have one. My work shirt looked similar to Lowe's shirt, but anyone who looked at it for about two seconds would realize it wasn't. So....I'm in the elecrical dept grabbing cable and connectors and whatallelse, when this guy says, "Hey! What are you doing over here? This isn't your dept!" I look up and he's a manager. I said that my dept wasn't even in this town, and pointed to my company logo on my shirt. His response? "With your attitude, it's a good thing you don't work for me." I had to agree.

Problem 1) I hope I looked like one of his employees, because he was a dick to me. Not that that makes it OK.

Problem 2) He didn't apologize after I pointed out his mistake. Way to treat a customer, jackass.

Next story: When I worked at my last parts job, I was at a car show on my day off. A customer that recognized me from the store comes up and starts bitching at me about how much of an asshole our General Manager is(he was an asshole, but I don't care on my day off) I told him this and he says,"This is horrible customer service. I'm going to tell your boss." Seriously dude, it's my day off. Get bent.

He did tell my boss! On Monday he called and said that I was rude and uncaring to him at this car show. My boss's (not the GM) response? "Why in the fuck were you bothering him on his day off? It's a good thing you didn't say that to me or I'd have told you off worse."

I miss that guy.....