Cops at work

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Been working at home Depot for three and a half years as a Lot Attendant. Pushing carts and loading merchandise in the parking lot

Home Depot (at least, that one) has at least two standby cops at all times.

The other cops never bothered me. And there were plenty of other cops.

Officer DEH asked my name a couple of weeks ago and I told him. He then had the nerve to ask which Asian I was (how politically incorrect) and I told him. He said he thought I was Vietnamese instead of Chinese

A couple of times later he said hi.

Today he bothered me three times(!).

(1) On the loudspeaker he had the nerve to say "sup (my first name).". I didn't want to seem too curt, so I approached and waved. "Drink plenty of water". "They have water in the break room". "Really?". Then I left

(2) He told me that plenty of customers ask him where the carts are. (Lot Attendants are only supposed to push carts to the "main" entrance and Garden, not the Lumber entrance. He asked a "favor" that I push four carts to the Lumber entrance and I told him that I have to push carts to the main entrance and Garden, and there is no way to keep four carts at the Lumber entrance at all times. He said, not "at all times", just at that time. Which didn't make sense because there was nothing special about that particular time, but "pick your battles". (Some people pick all the battles). And later I put four carts where he wanted them and he gave me a "thumbs up ".

(3) After that he told me that he likes cold water and asked if I do too and I said "no"

__________________

Does it sound like he wanted to be my "friend", like he was autistic, or whatever?

I didn't want to be harsh, but he was bothering me while I was trying to work. The only thing I saw him doing was sitting in his car and it didn't look (to me ) like he was working

He was bothering me and he acted like he was doing me a favor or something

Plenty of my coworkers and his coworkers, waste large amounts of time standing around flapping their traps, but I am not one of them

Hi SFBUM.

I don't think he means any harm. Yes, it sounds like he wants to be friends, but he isn't necessarily good at knowing how. He may be autistic or not. He probably can't work out that you are autistic. Neurotypicals can be irritating too.

He might be a good person to have on your side. If he is irritating you too much any time, maybe try saying something like 'Thanks for looking out for me. But I'd better do some work right now. People are watching.'

based on previous interactions, it did not appear to me that he meant any "harm". however, things are not always the way they appear. home depot hires convicted felons. plenty of home depot customers have no manners. some police officers have literally gotten away with murder. the requirements for becoming a police officer are much higher than for lot attendant (my job). police officers need to pass background investigations, medical exams, physical fitness tests, and oral interviews. due to autism or any other reasons, there is no way i could pass any of them. (the written test is just grammar school reading and writing.) besides, there is no way that i could work a rotating schedule, work on call, physically fight with suspects, or drive a police car, or anything like that.

plenty of precious lil "people" are not good at knowing how to be friends. that includes me. that doesn't give him an excuse to bother me. there is no way for me to "know" if he is autistic or has any diagnosis like that, b/c i do not have a legal "right" to access his medical record, nor do i have the moral "right" to assign diagnoses. plenty of neurotypicals are irritating. he is just being "true" to himself. the vast majority of extroverts know *nothing* about autism, but they act like they know everything.

yes, he might be good to have on my side.

yesterday, i was trying to push three shopping carts from the Contractor doors to the main entrance (what i am supposed to do, according to the head cashier), and that annoying lil dipshit, Officer DEH, had the nerve to bark @ me "what are you doing? go push the other carts." he only bothered me once. but whatever. cops get away with all sorts of s**t, such as murder. he was just verbally rude to me. there is nobody to tattle to.

On a later date, Officer DEH then had the nerve to tell me that 24 hour fitness' parking lot (next door) had a stray shopping cart and "would you mind getting it?". (But Home Depot technically does not allow employees to leave the property while staying "on the clock"). But I did it anyways, and nobody made me redundant, wrote me up, or interrogated me or anything like that.

Last week, one day after work, I was walking to the bus stop, when Officer DEH, who was driving toward Home Depot, had the nerve to pull over and "do you wanna ride?". "No, thank you," I answered. "Just checking," he said. Officer DEH has bad vibes and makes me uncomfortable. Granted, I have not, thus far, seen him doing anything illegal or extreme or anything like that, but sometimes you have to follow your gutt instinct.

On Sunday, Officer DEH made eye contact with me a couple of times and did not bother me. (Thank Buddha). For some reason, I thought cops were required to be *really really* great @ nonverbal communication.

Officer DEH doesn't seem to get the message.

He has bothered me numerous times. Not once did I bother him

I have never seen him doing anything I could not also do. The vast majority of the time he is sitting in the car or flapping his trap at other employees

One time after work he pulled over and offered me a ride. "No thank you". (Are cops even allowed to give rides? How do I know if I got in the car he would not physically or sexually injure me?)(rolls eyes)

One time he had the nerve to ask me "do you mind getting a shopping cart from the middle of next doors parking lot?". Why does he care about shopping carts? That's not his job

Then he had the nerve to bark "hey!" @ me when I was pushing carts and I told him the head cashier told me not to give him any carts and he had the nerve to bark "what does she know?". And then he talked to her and he said that the head cashier said it is ok. But that was a different head cashier. Besides even if I give him carts, that's a personal favor, not a job requirement, s**t. (I also hate how he called the head cashier "the black girl", even though I don't like the head cashier either. It just seems objectifying and condescending and s**t. He bothered her and didn't even get her name.). I don't know why a cop would want shopping carts. None of the other cops want shopping carts.

Then another time he said "nice glasses" but they are company goggles

Every time he bothered me I answered briefly but tried to indicate with nonverbal communication I don't want him to bother me anymore

I thought cops had to be really great at interpreting nonverbal communication but I was wrong as usual

Quite frankly I suspect he is on the autism spectrum

Also (not to be fatphobic), but I looked up the fitness standards for cops and I could not imagine him passing a single test, much less all of them. He's about five feet tall, 180 pounds and sixty years old. I'm 41, 5'3, 110# and I could not come anywhere close to passing any of the fitness tests

Maybe I should have been a cop

They earn a lot more than minimum wage

What is the most polite way to ask someone to please stop bothering you? I am afraid of I make the wrong action or statement he might tell my boss to make me redundant, he might take out revenge on me in ways that are subject to imagination

He's being friendly. That's all. I'm not sure why you don't like it. That's your right. But he's doing nothing wrong, he's being nice.

Today Officer DEH had the nerve to bark @ me "(my first name)! Don't you go ignoring me. I'll take them. Can I have them? Thank you sir." ("them" meant shopping carts.) The lil f****r was screaming @ me like I did something wrong, but I was just pushing carts. He was the one not doing his job, not me. and he earns a lot more than minimum wage, s**t.

Officer DEH is so f*****g annoying. I do not understand how/why he gets so many precious lil "people" to stand around having long conversations with him. (just b/c he's a cop?). He seems so socially awkward, i would not be surprised if he was on the spectrum.

Don't cops have to be really good @ nonverbal communication?

None of the other cops had the nerve to bother me about shopping carts or anything else.

Some ass holes are just WAY too f*****g full of themselves and truly believe they are a lot more important than they really are.

Petty dictators ..? btw , dear friend tells me they will not hire hi IQ on most all PD , and security.....
Need followers not leaders .....hence petty dictators?

It sounds to me like he's just being friendly and nice and trying to joke with you. I think you're misunderstanding him.

bee

yes i do think he is trying to be "friendly". however, i was trying to work (pushing carts) and he was just standing there flapping his trap. the parking lot is already loud enough, and i do not think it is justified for him to be screaming my name just so that he could demand shopping carts. also, nobody else (besides customers, and just one cart each customer), has ever asked me for a cart. "i'll take them" sounds like he has a "right" to the shopping carts. the head cashier said that i "can" give him shopping carts. the head cashier did *not* say that every time i see him, i have to give him all the carts that i was pushing at that time. "don't you be ignoring me" sounds kind of rude for him to say. plenty of customers, employees, and et cetera standing and loitering around the parking lot. i have to be working, and working does *not* involve standing around trying to have conversations (usually, for lot attendants).

every single interaction with Officer DEH, thus far, has been negative, to my standards. and he still doesn't understand. not everyone loves to stand around talking, at all times, to anyone, about anything. and asking if i was chinese or vietnamese, while not "racist" per se, really sounds to me like he doesn't know enough chinese or vietnamese people, or that he's not "woke" enough. also, when, at first, i (correctly) told him that the head cashier told me not to give him any carts, he then had the nerve to go talk to a different head cashier. he then told me that "the black girl" said that i could give him carts. i do not think that he should've been bothering the head cashier in the first place. also, while saying "the black girl" is neither racist nor sexist, i think it is really unskillful, b/c the description is not specific enough, and it shows that he thinks of people as only their race and sex.

Officer DEH is so "high maintainence." only a couple customers have been worse than him, and i have been working there three years ten months, s**t.

seriously i wonder if he's autistic. and i do not understand how/why so many precious lil "people" keep having long conversations with him. yes, i know not everyone likes the same thing. but every time officer DEH interacted with me, he was interrupting me while i was trying to work. meanwhile, he earns a lot more $$$ than me and he was just standing their flapping his trap.

as a side note, not to be fatphobic (i have nothing against fat people. plenty of diseases and prescriptions cause weight gain), but officer DEH looks, to me, five feet tall, one hundred eighty pounds, and sixty years old. i find it hard to imagine that he could pass the physical fitness test for cops.)

update:

last week, a head cashier (she's only been there a couple months), Angela D, talked to me about my job duties. and i told her about Officer DEH. angela d told me that if he bothers me again, tell him to talk to angela. she said that the cops are not supposed to be telling me anything.

then yesterday, i was pushing two carts, when a cashier told me to load two pieces of lumber into a customer's car. so i dumped the carts and waited next to the merchandise. while the customer went to get her car and the cashier went to get another loader. officer deh had the nerve to take the carts (i wasn't touching the carts @ that time, i didn't say or do anything in response. "pick your battles" is a good slogan, but some ass holes pick ALL the battles, s**t!). (rolls eyes). that ass hole had the nerve to grunt some s**t under his breath. it sounded like "i don't know what's wrong with you."

some idiots REALLY think they are the latest greatest thing since sliced bread.

things he did wrong:

ask me if i was chinese or vietnamese
say "what's up (my name)?" on the intercom (that's not the correct way to use the intercom)
demand that i give him shopping carts, multiple times
order me to get a stray cart from outside the parking lot
stood behind me while i was doing a training video (in the employee only area)

Today a Kona ice truck came to work

Watching officer DEH eat reminded me of chief Wiggum from "the Simpsons"

Expand comfort zone

Get something off my chest, literally

Misunderstanding

Miscommunication

It's so hard to communicate sometimes with some ass holes that have unreasonable expectations and s**t. Self righteous lil dipshits