Have you ever been mistaken for an employee?

[steph72276]

Date: 1/12/2009 10:02:59 AM
Author: Girlrocks
I was in a Hallmark store at Christmas buying some ornaments and while I was waiting in line, some guy comes up to me, attempts to hand me his empty Starbucks cup and asks me to throw it in the trash. I think I must have given him a death glare because he said ''Don''t you work here?''. Um, yeah, I always go to work with my coat/purse/4 and 2 year old and stand in line with a handful of ornaments with all of the other customers!

How weird! Some people have no common sense!

 

[LuckyTexan]

This actually JUST happened to me (again)... I was at the fine watches section in Macy''s, and I was talking to the sales person about my new obsession... tahitian mother of pearl... and I guess the man shopping next to me thought I sounded like someone who knew what they were talking about... cuz he was like... "do you guys sell Toy Watches" and looked RIGHT AT ME... NOT the sales person! LOL!

I was like... "um... THEY don''t... and I don''t either" and then we all laughed!

I wouldn''t take it as an insult!

 

[Elmorton]

This happens to me more often than I''d like to admit. Since I don''t work 9-5 but do dress in business casual attire for work, I''ll often run errands between classes during the day. Places like Gordman''s and Kohl''s are awful - both places are set up like a zoo, employees wear whatever, and they''re incredibly hard to find. So, shopping alone, wearing the same dress as employees, carrying a wristlet rather than a purse...oh yeah, I''m sending signals off like crazy.

I think the situation is embarrassing no matter what though - no matter how nicely you say you''re not an employee, it''s embarrassing to embarrass a stranger.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 1/11/2009 10:50:47 PM
Author: Harriet
Yes. I don''t mind unless the ''mistaker'' is rude (a tool came up to me in DKNY and asked me to retrieve something without any niceties). Then, he or she gets my death glare.

LOL - ditto Harriet, as long as its an honest, and reasonably polite mistake, I just laugh it off. In fact, when it happened in Nordstrom and in Sephora, I was kind of flattered

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I was once mistaken for an employee in an old proper Philadelphia jewelry store. I was wearing my oval solitaire and a few other jewelry pieces. A man approached me and said that his fiancee wanted to try on my oval. When I said no, he reported me to the store manager. He seemed even more annoyed when the manager told him I wasn''t an employee.

 

[geckodani]

Date: 1/12/2009 12:14:24 AM
Author: diane5006
Yup happens to me all the time...I used to work in retail...albeit ages ago...I must give off some kind of signal...it doesn''t bother me...after explaining i don''t work there...I either answer their question (if I know it) help them (depending on the store/# of sales people) or direct them to a salesperson...

What''s scary is that sometimes I know more about the product that the sales people

Ditto!!! LOL!

This happens to me ALL the time - I think because I actually make eye contact and smile at people, LOL. I''ll chuckle, tell them I''m not an employee, and like diane, help them if I know the answer or direct them to an employee.

 

[Porridge]

Date: 1/12/2009 10:02:59 AM
Author: Girlrocks
I was in a Hallmark store at Christmas buying some ornaments and while I was waiting in line, some guy comes up to me, attempts to hand me his empty Starbucks cup and asks me to throw it in the trash. I think I must have given him a death glare because he said ''Don''t you work here?''. Um, yeah, I always go to work with my coat/purse/4 and 2 year old and stand in line with a handful of ornaments with all of the other customers!

ROFL ... what was he thinking??

 

[Bia]

Happened to me for the first time recently. It was a day before Christmas Eve and I was at a department store looking for black tights. An older woman, who was also browsing the display, asked me a question about knee-highs (something like that). I told her I wasn''t sure, but that she might want to ask one of the employees (there was one standing nearby). She goes, "Oh, I thought you worked here!" Which I thought was funny since I was wearing sweats and boots! LOL

 

[emeraldlover1]

It happens to me a lot when I am shopping for clothes. Without fail if i am shopping with my fiance and trying to help him pick out clothes it happens every time. Seriously, i guess I seem helpfull or something. Really it only bothers me when people or rude.

 

[Steel]

I was just last month and I was terribly offended. I can''t remember why (getting old) I took such offence, but I did!

 

[bee*]

That''s happened me before too-I think it''s hilarious! I''ve actually gone up to someone too asking them to help me with something only to realise that they didn''t work there-whoops!

 

[Elegant]

Date: 1/12/2009 10:02:59 AM
Author: Girlrocks
I was in a Hallmark store at Christmas buying some ornaments and while I was waiting in line, some guy comes up to me, attempts to hand me his empty Starbucks cup and asks me to throw it in the trash. I think I must have given him a death glare because he said ''Don''t you work here?''. Um, yeah, I always go to work with my coat/purse/4 and 2 year old and stand in line with a handful of ornaments with all of the other customers!

Unbelievable! Some people...

 

[pjean]

Date: 1/12/2009 6:10:13 AM
Author: babysteps
This happens to me ALL the time! I worked in retail years and years ago and am now physically incapable of not folding a shirt so that it looks like it should be stacked on display. So whenever I am browsing & picking stuff up off a display table, I always automatically fold it perfectly back . . . and 2 seconds later will be asked by someone to help them find a size

On the up side, I have very neat closet shelves at home!

I have a related problem in bookstores. Once people see you tidying shelves, it''s all over.

And in the other direction, I made exactly this mistake in Menard''s, about 2 months ago. It''s pretty common, I would say.

 

[that_someone_special]

Sure I have.

I mean, wearing a blue polo to Best Buy, a red shirt to Target... ect .. well it happens!! I don''t see why anyone would care. It''s an honest mistake.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Multiple times..and I''m not sure why.

It used to happen most often when I was a teenager, guess that''s because I was a teenager?

It kind of makes me giggle a bit, but doesn''t offend me or anything.