Uniform VS. Customers (longish)

[Becks]

I'm telling ya, it's the "I work retail" aura we all have.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I was in Target once, not wearing anything even resembling a red shirt or khakis, and some old guy asked me 3 (THREE!) times for help! I might even have been wearing a jacket, I don't remember...

[wynjara]

I must give off "Yes, I work here" vibes. If I happen to know the store well enough (ie., my beloved craft stores) and know the answer I'll help anyway, something like "I don't work here but..."
But my favorite incident was one winter when I came into a store in my ankle length cloak. And got asked if I worked there. When did the dress code become faux-medieval?

[MrSunshineState]

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.

Yeah, it's good to be trained by people that know what they're doing. Of course Percy has over 30 years in the industry

I still remember the first bump I took. I of course didn't listen and tuck my head so the back of my head SLAMMED into the mat and bounced. And I am sure you know the pain that is Hindu Squats

[delorean623]

I was wearing my hastings shirt one night into our local wal-mart store....some girl asked me where the trash bags were!!!
I just looked at her with a "what. the. hell." look on my face. Hastings shirts first of all are GREEN! How she thought I worked there, I'll never figure out.

[crawlspace]

Once, while I was at Big Lots wearing a pair of jeans and an old Jimmy Hendrix shirt from before I was born, an old woman came up to me and asked "Do you work here, miss? Because I can't find the toilet paper."

I wasn't sure what to laugh at first.

[CancelMyService]

I went shopping after work, and while I don't have a uniform, I was wearing a white polo shirt with my company logo on it.

A few points to remember:

1. The employees of the store I shop at wear green pullover shirts.
2. The managers sometimes wear shirts like the one I had on, but this was at 11 pm when no manager would be there still.

I'm pushing my cart and I see this older couple in front of me but I'm not really paying attention because I'm scanning my list. I hear the woman ask "where are the *canned item I forget now*s at?". I thought she was asking the man when after a few seconds of silence I hear him saying "he don't even work here, why you askin' him for?".

[WorkAtBBuy]

There is a mall down the street from BBuy. On one occassion I went to a dept. store we'll call "Willard's" waiting for a friend. I had to go to work at 4 that afternoon (it was 12ish) and was already in my blue shirt with the name BBUY CLEARLY ON IT, khakis, and name tag. I was shopping for myself, and a woman came up to me and said "Do you work here?" I'm like "...?! No. I work at Best Buy." Do people not READ anymore...?

Another occassion I was at the same mall shopping at a really sucky book chain we'll call..."Walton's". I was shopping, minding my business, in FULL BBUY UNIFORM, and a woman asked if I worked there.

[April]

I've beein in 2 seperate stores, at 2 seperate times, both times either carrying, pushing in a cart, holding the hand of at least one child, if not two, wearing ratty jeans and a tank top, carrying a purse, holding the hand of my husband, and each time some random person was upset at me because I didn't work there

[Bloodsoul]

I almost feel like crying after having people ask me if I work at the store.. while I'm in the store and in uniform.

[Jester]

I had an amusing thing happen to me on my recent road trip, the full story of which will be posted shortly in Off Topic.

I'm in a town I have never been to in my life.
I'm coming out of a bar I have never been to before right then. I had stopped in for a drink, had one, and was leaving.

Now, you have to understand, it seems that I know people wherever I go. My first night in this town, where I had never been, where I had come specifically to be where no one knew my name, I had run into a band I knew. As in knew on a first name basis. So running into someone else I knew would not necessarily have shocked me.

So, as I am exiting this bar, a guy I don't know or recognize says, "Hi there! How are you doing today?" As he is not acting strange, crazy, or homeless, and seemed sincerely friendly, I asked him, "Pardon me, but do we know each other?" He laughed and said, "Yeah, I've been enjoying myself at your bar the last few nights." He indicated the bar I had just left. Apparently he thought I was the bar owner!

I told him, "That's not my bar. Until ten minutes ago I had never even been there. But I'm glad you've been having a good time there!"

We both laughed and went on our way.

Apparently my doppleganger owns a crappy divey beachside bar in SW Florida. Go figger.

[AirHostess]

I buy a lot of my work clothes from Next (UK high street chain store) as it does typical work wear clothes-lots of suits and shirts.

I was wandering round during my lunch break one day in the store and a woman started asking me questions. I guess all the employees wear Next clothes to work but they wear name tags too.

And when I was with the airline, I used to go shopping after work and get mistaken for an employee all the time. I was wearing a highly identifiable airline uniform with my crew bag on my shoulder and my name tag on which read 'Katie, Cabin Crew' and my 'wings' badge. How do you visually mistake a flight attendant with a cashier?

[Jester]

This thread reminds me of why I love the "uniforms" of the places I work at.

Shoes: Anything closed toe. I wear Nikes. Cross trainers (best thing to wait tables in, if you ask me).

Pants: At the Waterfront Bar, any pants or shorts you want, as long as they are not shredded. At The Bar RW and I work at, any black or cacky pants or shorts (or skirts for girls).

Apron: Provided by the establishment.

Shirt: At The Bar, any shirt they sell with their logo on it. At the Waterfront Bar, any of their shirts, OR any shirt of a liquor or beer they sell (if you are desperate for laundry).

Hat: At the Waterfront Bar, you can wear a ballcap if you want, as long as it does not advertise another establishment or a liquor or beer they don't sell. (I wear my Arizona State hat there.) At The Bar, you can wear a ballcap if it is one of theirs OR if it advertises a liquor or beer they sell. (I wear my Pyrat Rum hat there.)

Nice, easy, casual uniforms.

I like ties, but I have promised myself I will never work in another restaurant that requires me too. EVER.

[Pezzle]

I once met up with a co-worker in Wal-Mart. We were dressed casual, she more fashionable than I. We decided to have a chat in front of an endcap so I stowed my cart next to me within sight so I could reach it if moving it was necessary.

Four times people came up to us for help. FOUR TIMES. Neither of us had a vest or nametag or anything on. I was wearing a shirt with a huge bloody skull on it with sharp nasty teeth. One person got a little huffy about it.

I don't understand what behaviors we were exhibiting that made them think we worked there. We were having a casual conversation. Maybe people are so used to assuming employees are slackers who talk on the clock and ignore customers.

I've also been asked for things in Target when I worked at CEC and Best Buy as well. Sometimes I help customers at other stores if they seem confused, just a good samaritan/suggestion sort of thing. But then OTHER people want help. The worst part is when I slap a high five to a co-worker at my job when I'm shopping on my day off and I get asked for help.

OH.. forgot. I also get asked for help A-LOT at Michaels and AC Moore. I guess I just have "poor slob art student" written all over me. I get asked for help easily 3 times when i'm there. And I usually can, that's the problem, so I do XD

[JustADude]

Apparently my doppleganger owns a crappy divey beachside bar in SW Florida. Go figger.

You've only got one? I'm apparently a bloody CLONE TROOPER from the number of doubles I've got floating around.