No badge = Not working!

[Jay 2K Winger]

Yeah, I run into the "asked to help someone while on my break" phenomenon quite often at the wholesale club. We have no "uniform," per se, just a vest in the store's color with our name badge (some employees are allowed to go sans vest due to medical reasons -- my friend CR has some kind of reaction to the dye in the vests or something), so the best way to tell if someone 'works here' is to look for the vest.

Mind you, I've been working at the store so long (over nine years) that a lot of our customers recognize me, and approach me even when I'm not working. If it's a simple question ("where are your <items>?" "could you get this <item> down for me?") I'll usually help. If it isn't, I apologize, explain I'm off the clock, and point them to the nearest employee who can help them.

[mattm04]

I normally a tshirt under the required work polo. That usually works, unless they see me holding said polo in a ball in one had walking out. Apparently that means I still am on the clock.

I saw a SC walk up to another customer(I saw their photo ID badge, clearly showing their employment and a company a few miles away), dressed in business casual, and demand that he, the MANAGER deal with a rude employee. I ended up paging a manager down to deal with the SC, while they followed the poor customer around repeating "You work here, you have to hlep me!!! Your a MANAGER! You need to HELP your CUSTOMERS!"

[Mytical]

Ah yes the "YOU HAVE TO HELP ME." No, see I do not. I am on my own time. Feel free to tell a manager, corporate, or anybody else you feel like. Maybe then they will put me on salary..paying me at least triple what they are now per year. Since it would take that for me to even consider being 'always on the clock'. Since we both know this is not going to happen, GO AWAY.

[Marmalady]

I saw a SC walk up to another customer(I saw their photo ID badge, clearly showing their employment and a company a few miles away), dressed in business casual, and demand that he, the MANAGER deal with a rude employee.

Actually something a bit like this happened to me years ago.

I was working for an insurance company at the time, and had gone out in my lunch break to do some shopping. That day I just happened to be wearing a white blouse and navy blue skirt - and got accosted in a department store by another customer who assumed I was wearing the store's uniform. I didn't have any kind of badge on, we didn't wear them, but the store staff did.

[ShinyGreenApple]

Gah, it happened again last night. I was walking towards the double doors by the back restrooms with a soda and sandwich in my hands. A SANDWICH. Headed towards the doors marked 'Associates ONLY'. And some twit still felt the need to call out "Ma'am, ma'am, where are the energy drinks at?" She seemed really disappointed when she realized I wasn't going to hold her hand and walk her right to where said useless items are.

[ShootMePlease]

This is exactly why I hate going to Wally World in my Big Yellow Tag clothing. I don't wear the khakis, but I wear the blue polo. Sometimes, it's unavoidable and 9 times out of 10 I will be accosted by an SC wanting something. I try not to get too pissed about it, because you all know as well as I do that SC's don't pay attention to anything. They just see a blue shirt.

I do get agitated when they threaten me because I won't help them on my time. Really ? Go ahead and report me to management. For you see, I'm not allowed to do company things without being paid for it. So, good luck with that

If I knew where some of these folks worked I would go bug them on their time. Guarantee you they wouldn't like it

[OfficeSlug]

Walking around, vest off, in my grocery store on my lunch, I apologized and told some guy, "Sorry, I'm on my lunch. There's someone right over there who can help you."

Know what he said? "I guess you're not much of a company gal, are you!?!"

Actually, sir, at the rates they pay me, I'm practically a volunteer.

Course, I didn't SAY that.



Try walking into a Target with a RED SHIRT (not even Khakis; jeans and a red shirt will do.)

[Sapphire Silk]

Try walking into a Target with a RED SHIRT (not even Khakis; jeans and a red shirt will do.)

Hmm. Sounds like fun: SC baiting Serves them right.

[TonyF]

People must be ignorant if they don't know that some companies fire employees that work off the clock. My company is one of those. And yes, they DO enforce it.

When I go on my break and lunch, I almost always pretend to be on my phone. Haven't had a problem with it yet.

I've even been walking towards or from the door with coworkers, cell phones, keys, and drinks in our hands, and we still get stopped

Oh yes, pain felt.

A while ago, I was leaving work. I had put on a black hoodie. I had headphones on, a Gatorade in one hand and a bag of food in the other. While walking to the exit, I heard some lady yell at me for not helping her with something, she said it so loud that I heard it over my music. I turned around (mistake) and saw her red-faced staring at me with that "Well, are you coming?" look and her arms crossed. Saying nothing, I walked out. Manager later told me she complained about me, I laughed.

You also get stopped by people when you look like you know what you're doing, either at your work or a place where you're shopping. I was shopping around in an electronics store that's almost as big as a mall. I was about to head to the checkout stands. I had a sheet of binder paper with my computer specs written on it in one hand. I had a new power supply and graphics card under my other arm. I stopped to look at their selection of RAM/CPUs/Hard drives when someone walks up to me and asks where something was. I told her that I didn't know and that I didn't work here. She stared at me for about four seconds before walking off with a pissed-off look. She must have thought that I was joking and would eventually lead her to where she needed to go. Didn't happen.

[Kristev]

People still bother me about helping when I'm on my lunch. In point of fact, people have complained to management that I'm in the in-house restaurant instead of working a couple of times.

Thing is, though, they don't want to pay anyone overtime anymore, so I have to take a lunch. Besides, I'm a diabetic. I can't go 8 hours straight without food.

By the way, I also despise our 'dress code' at work. I don't have the money to throw away on clothes.

[Food Lady]

Hmm. Sounds like fun: SC baiting Serves them right.

Do it! Do it! Walk around asking customers, "Can I help you find something?" And to the "you must not be a company gal" guy: "I'm following company policy by following the labor laws."

[Magpie]

Hmm. Sounds like fun: SC baiting Serves them right.

Ahem:

Like this?

Basic idea of above link (there are videos, but the text is more than sufficient): they got several people to show up in the uniform of a store, recorded reactions of shoppers.


And I thought that the idea of "if they aren't allowed to ask you to do it they'll forbid you from doing it" wasn't actually that uncommon. It's how companies demonstrate that really, they aren't pressuring you to do something they can't make you do.

[RxBoy]

When I was working for Barnes and Noble cafe a few years ago, our uniform was black shirt over black pants. I went in with a friend on a day off to shop for books wearing my normal street clothes (colorful top over jeans). One of the managers walks up to me while I was browsing the racks and says "They need help in the cafe. Why are you on break?".

I thought he was joking at first, but he wasn't. I said "This is my day off".

He looked at me confused for a second and then said "Then why the hell are you here?" and walked off.

If my manager ever treated me like that while shopping on my day off, I would be shopping at our competitor from that point forward.

The last time this happened to me and the SC wanted to complain, this was the situation: I was done for the day. I had a cart with my purse and drink in it. I was still wearing my work pants, but had a huge black sweatshirt on. I was looking at stuff in ladies' clothing, refolding a shirt I looked at. Some lady I didn't recognize asked me if I knew about something at the store across town. I've never even worked at that store, only mine. I replied that I didn't know; I don't shop for clothes at that store. She wanted my name so she could report me.

I would have refused. Simply say in a polite voice, "Ma'am, I have clocked out for the day and I am now shopping. I am a paying customer just like you now." The just ignore her if she persisted.

Ah yes the "YOU HAVE TO HELP ME." No, see I do not. I am on my own time. Feel free to tell a manager, corporate, or anybody else you feel like. Maybe then they will put me on salary..paying me at least triple what they are now per year. Since it would take that for me to even consider being 'always on the clock'. Since we both know this is not going to happen, GO AWAY.

If I'm on lunch break or just clocked out for the day, I don't get upset if someone asks me a question. If they need help with something, I will explain that I am not on the clock and point them to someone who can help. I've not yet had anyone get mad at me for that, but if they do that's their problem. Our time-clock policy states very clearly that employees are not to work off-the-clock. Trouble is there are always going to be some customers who feel like we should view it as our duty to give up our breaks or work for free to help them just because we are part of the company.

[Kitten in the box]

I get catbutt faced all the time where I work if I say I am off or on break. I usually ignore catbutt faces and "pretend" I do not see them. I have been "turned in" but the manager simply replies "if kitty is off the clock then I cannot make her help you." although I admit it us funny to see someone throw a catbutt face my way. The way they scrunch up their faces us damned funny.

[ShinyGreenApple]

Sigh, it happened yet again tonight, I was standing in the checkout line with my sliced fruit and soda in hand, badge hidden, and someone asked me where the candy aisle was. Not a biggie, since she was happy to just be pointed in the right direction, but still. She couldn't have asked the person actually standing behind the counter. Damn my soft spot for the candy aisle question; I set a lot of the mods on that one during remodel, it was a fun day.

Was discussing this annoyance with a coworker today, and he says we should just start using the default phrase "Aisle four, now fuck off" when we get bothered off the clock. If only