Do I LOOK like I work here?

[Tolly]

A couple of years back I worked as a part-time electrician, and there was a huge thunderstorm which, amongst other things, involved a city block getting hit by lightning. End result, a lot of fried buildings in need of repair.

The city council was actually pretty cool, they hired everyone who wasn't booked up to the eyeballs already to get everything up and running again. I got assigned to my local EB Games, and almost died from joy. I love my work, I love my games, and most of the guys working there at the time knew me, so I was set for what looked like a decent week.

Except that there were customers. Most of them were fine, but one in particular remains on my death list to this day. He seemed incapable of differentiating between the red, white and black worn by the staff, and my blue.

Customer: Do you have any copies of (whatever the game was)?
Me: *blink* I have no idea.
Customer: Well, how about the X-Box consoles, where are they?
Me: *climbing up a ladder* Not a clue.
Customer: Where are the (obscenity) Gameboys, then?
Me: *now working on the light* Don't know, and frankly I don't care.
Customer: I'll report you to your manager if you don't help me!
Me: Let me ask you one little question. *down the ladder again* What does it say on my shirt?
Customer: Rimmer Electrics... (Not the real name)
Me: And where are we?
Customer: EB Games...
Me: Therefore...
Customer: Seriously, though, where are the X-Boxes?
Me: DAVE! I'm going to murder one of your customers!

How is it possible to be that stupid?

[edible_hat]

You were in the store, and doing some kind of work, therefore you worked there!

I once had the opposite problem: "I know you don't work here, but can you please..." "Actually I do work here, I'm not just wearing the uniform for fun"

[Blade_Raver]

One of my favorite pasttimes was walking into a CompUSA in a plain red collared shirt or Best Buy with a plain blue collared shirt and just laugh at the dumbasses who actually approach me and think I'm an employee.

I'll be polite to them first and say I don't know and go about my business.. when they get snippy with me I get snippy right back... then they demand to speak to a manager.. pwnage and hilarity ensues.

[BaristaGirl]

I'll be polite to them first and say I don't know and go about my business.. when they get snippy with me I get snippy right back... then they demand to speak to a manager.. pwnage and hilarity ensues.

I LOVE it when hilarity ensues!

[Crazeyal]

I don't even have to wear a uniform. I guess I just have "SLAVE" etched into my soul. I've had people ask me technical questions, directions AND start a rant. In some electronics store, I had some woman start ranting about the price of an HDTV and WTF was I gonna do about it?? I *ALMOST* told her I'd give it to her for $20... but you guys'd KILL me...

[Dave0523]

Best employee impersonation ever http://www.improveverywhere.com/2006/04/23/best-buy/

[poofy_puff]

I can't seem to remember where I was at, but I was shopping and had all my personal effects hanging off of my body ( fanny pack, jacket, sunglasses, etc.), and this couple comes up to me, "Maybe YOU can help us." I'm like, "May-BE." And I let them ask their question, thought about it, and replied, "I don't know. I don't work here, you know." They were cool about it... OOPS!

Seriously. I know I'm really getting INTO my shopping (I think the above was at BLDG. #19), but we are INDOORS and I have all my GEAR with me...

[Anakah]

I was wearing a bright red shirt that said SLOTS on it and I was in this grocery store... Well my boyfriend and I were looking at ice cream when a woman asked me where the pringles were. (It was cold so I was wearing the boyfriends shirt).

Me: Uh, I don't work here...

She must have realized that my shirt said SLOTS not Grocery store.

Woman: Oh.. sorry. But do you know where they are?

I chuckled and told her which isle to go down. Sadly, I knew the answer hehe. At least she was nice about it.

[Sylvia727]

When I was 12, I went with my mom to a maternity store. I was at that point around 5' 7", near my full height of 5' 9", and I was wearing my mom's hand-me-downs, so I proabably looked a lot older than 12, but... Mom was browsing the racks, comparing, trying on clothes, and I was getting fidgety. So I started organizing the clothes. I'd refold them if they were messy, move items that had been misplaced back to their home, and just generally tidy up. Yes, I know, I was a weird kid. I only did it because I forgot my book

A customer came up to me and started asking questions. I froze and looked up at her. She started getting frustrated and demanding answers. I couldn't figure out why she was yelling at me, and I just stared at her, terrified. Finally (probably about two minutes, but it felt much longer) a real employee asked if she help anyone. The SC started chewing her out about how unhelpful I was.

Employee: "She doesn't work here. Can I help you?"
SC: "But...but she was folding clothes!"
Employee: "Uh..."
Me: "I'm sorry!"

My mom came and rescued me about that point. That woman was scary. The employee apologized, which she didn't need to do, and thanked me for helping out. The SC never said another word to me. Still, what kind of moron thinks a 12-year-old would know anything about maternity clothes?

[ArcticChicken]

I get that every time I go into a bookstore, which doesn't surprise me (except when I'm sitting on the floor reading) because bookstores are practically my second home. What did surprise me is that when I went to an I-Goldberg with some friends the other day, one man asked each and every one of us about the shoes in the surplus basement, before finally hunting down a real employee. I should add that none of us was wearing anything that could possibly be mistaken for a work uniform, and we were all quite obviously browsing the merch.
Something quite similar to my apparent bookstore employment, every time my cousin goes below South Street, someone tries to score off him. One time someone told him (my cousin) that a friend of his (the guy) had told him (the guy) that he could purchase a pipe off him (my cousin). The only conclusion that we've been able to reach is that my cousin must look like a well known dealer.

[Slow-Jo]

Still, what kind of moron thinks a 12-year-old would know anything about maternity clothes?

maybe that little pea in her head started to move very fast and made up this theory:

shes little, which means shes been out of the womb in less time then me. so she must know SOMETHING about maternity and babies. being that this person is still young and can remember is more clearly.

no it doesn't make sense. but then again, when have stupid customers ever made sense?

[Ill_Used_Heroine]

So I started organizing the clothes. I'd refold them if they were messy, move items that had been misplaced back to their home, and just generally tidy up. Yes, I know, I was a weird kid. I only did it because I forgot my book

I used to do that when I was a kid, no matter where were were shopping. Supermarkets (especially the meat section), clothing stores ... I even used to organize the curlers in the bin when my grandmother took me to the beauty parlor with her!

Too bad I'm not that neat/organized at home.

[Rine]

Sometimes I go into wal-mart wearing my work uniform which is khaki pants and black collared shirts. I guess I look more professional because people will walk straight passed the guy in jeans and a wal-mart vest and ask me questions about the place. "Do you know this...?" "Where's this...?" "I need a manager..." etc. I've gotten them all.

[myswtghst]

Too bad I'm not that neat/organized at home.

I have the same problem!! I'm terrible about rearranging cosmetics that are misplaced at the store, or refolding clothing, but I never am that crazy about it at home.

[FenigDurak]

So I started organizing the clothes. I'd refold them if they were messy, move items that had been misplaced back to their home, and just generally tidy up. Yes, I know, I was a weird kid. I only did it because I forgot my book

You aren't the only one. To this day, I will move obviously out o place items. I've always done it. When in department stores with my mom, I used to go to a rack and put all the sizes back in order or straighten displays of shoes. I got very bored when we were shopping for stuff for her since there was nothing else for me to do.