The SC Smile Police

[Despina83]

I, like my dad, have a face that always looks grouchy. I always get people asking me if something's wrong, even when I'm in a perfectly fine mood. Seriously, just relaxing my face looks like a scowl. It really annoys me that people just glance at me and assume that there's something wrong, or that I'm a bitch. In all actuality, I'm a very nice person, if incredibly shy. I'm always curteous and helpful, I'm very patient with people, and always considerate of everyone's feelings. I try to make up for my face by speaking in a very friendly tone and asking how they are, have a great day, etc. But I sometimes get customers that look like they're grouchy, and they turn out to be the nicest people. Try not to make assumptions about people. Just because we're not grinning doesn't mean we're not nice. I have social anxiety and I'm very self conscience about my smile, so it's not easy for me to smile constantly like the other cashiers.

[Anriana]

I've read several theories suggesting that smiling can be a sign of submission or lower social status; that seems to fit with SCs acting as if they have rights to dictate your facial expression.


I don't deal with customers face-to-face so I don't get told to smile, but I do occasionally get told that I don't sound cheery enough. (and then have other customers who like my voice far too much.) You just can't win...

[Kiwi]

When Im thinking about a serious problem, my face looks serious.

I can not count the amount of times one co-worker leans over with a SMILE KIWI SMILE

totally unprovoked and out of the blue.... Im thinking damn it woman!!!! I usually respond with a laugh and a "I will smile when you shut up"

[pyxee]

When I am at work I have pretty much mastered the fake smile. I like to describe it as syrup, not just the smile but the chipper voice and super pleasant attitude SCs seem to expect, you know like throwing so super sugary sweet syrup on something. Unfortunately I don't always use it when I don't actually have a customer in front of me. If I have someone wondering around the store looking at things, and I am busy filling out paper work I am probably not smiling. If someone notices this, and comes up to me I will always turn on the fake smile and apologize, regardless of how I really feel about it.
Now when I am not at work, and am just out and about doing whatever, I absolutely despise being told to smile. Two reasons, I have a very bad overbite. The second is that I have one very bad lazy eye, my glasses broke a while back and I have been saving for a new exam and pair. So if I am shopping and trying to read labels, I am going to be squinting pretty hard, let me tell you it looks pretty creepy to try and smile and squint at the same time.

[retaildrone]

Fun fact: some study found that people with high IQs tend to look unhappy or menacing as a default facial expression and it becomes more pronounced when they concentrate.

I must be a genius!

[evilhomer]

I get this a lot, particularly when it's a large time restricted project. Although I'm the nicest guy going, I get a psycho look on my face like I'm ready to murder the whole room. (Sometimes that's not far from the truth ) I get crap for it sometimes and I just want to tell them were to shove it; you want me working or smiling. I take what I do seriously, I do what I do well, and I look like a maniac while doing it. Take one of those factors out and you lose the others.

[going gaga]

I'm sorta like that to Dorath, my default face setting is a manic grin .
It gets on well with most customers who aren't paying much attention, only problem is if I'm facing them for a fair while and not talking it's apparently slightly unnerving. I don't blink enough or something either way it's fun.

The only time I've run into a smile police is on the till I got the

"It's good to see at least one employee is finally smiling"

(I grin like a manic and was happy anyway, but really didn't like her tone)

"I go home in 3 minutes and 20 seconds"

That shut her up.