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1000Knives
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28 Nov 2011, 3:33 pm

Ever since I was old enough, like 15-16, people always seem to think I work at stores. At least once a month, I'll be in Walmart or somewhere, and people will be like "hey do you know where ____ is?" thinking I work there, or sometimes they'll ask first if I do "Hey, do you work here? You know where I can find ______" Like it used to just happen in like, automotive or electronics sections where I'm somewhat specialized, but lately I was looking at like...peanuts, and a guy asked me where lamp fuel was. Of course I knew where it was and helped him, but was like "yeah I don't work here..." I mean, I try to be as helpful as possible and explain things to people as much as I can/need to, so maybe that's part of it, but yeah. Everywhere I go, it seems, people think I work there when I don't. I don't even get it. All the times at Walmart I was wearing red name brand tshirts, and everyone at Walmart wears blue. Ice skating rink, too, slightly understandable there, as most of the time they let me play whatever music I want, so I'm in control of the music, and again, I'll help people and explain things at length, etc.

Like seriously, I get people assuming I work at places or asking if I work at places like at least a month. It's quite ironic, as I'm unemployed, too, and most employers find me too weird or odd or whatever to hire me, but then randomass people while I'm shopping will think I work at the place. My sister said it's because I talk like I know what I'm talking about and will help anyone that asks, but like, this is a bit extreme. So does this happen to anyone else?



purchase
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28 Nov 2011, 3:50 pm

Happens to me but I'm not sure of more frequently than other people. Have to ask what's the normal frequency for this experience. :D

Two possible reasons:

I take way more time than most people standing there looking at something due to having to compare every aspect of two things before deciding, so it might look like I'm organizing merchandise.

I sometimes do just stand there cleaning up displays that are messy.



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28 Nov 2011, 4:06 pm

Yeah it happens to me a lot. I figured it was because I actually have had a lot of jobs in retail. And maybe it is something about the way I walk too.



idlewild
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28 Nov 2011, 4:16 pm

I tend to be no nonsense in stores. I walk with purpose. People assume I work at a store pretty often.



Asp-Z
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28 Nov 2011, 4:20 pm

People think I work at shops when I have to explain technology to my friends or family, and I often get crowds around me in those cases so I find it quite awesome :P

But if I'm just walking around isles, no.



OJani
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28 Nov 2011, 4:35 pm

Sometimes. I also don't know what the normal frequency is. And I'm as much a seller as anybody else.


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Sweetleaf
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28 Nov 2011, 4:37 pm

Well this picture shows how I usually tend to look......so people usually don't see me as an approachable store employee.


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League_Girl
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28 Nov 2011, 4:50 pm

It's happened to me before.



Shellfish
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28 Nov 2011, 4:54 pm

Could the clothes that you wear look like the 'uniform' worn in the shop? I don't know what they wear at Walmart but that's happened to me before when I was wearing black (which I usually do)


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MrJosh
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28 Nov 2011, 4:59 pm

This has only ever happened to me twice.

Once when I was 14 and once earlier this year.

I have absolutely no Idea why they thought I worked in the shop when I was 14, I guess it might have been because I was walking like I was on a mission lol.

As for the situation earlier this year - it was because I was standing at a counter (the customer side) waiting for the cashier to get change.

I wonder what the average frequency is of this, I'm sure it depends on your dress too :)



SeleniumTrace
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28 Nov 2011, 5:03 pm

Nope hasn't happened for me yet. The again I don't really shop much either.



OliveOilMom
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28 Nov 2011, 5:09 pm

Did you see the Big Bang Episode about Sheldon being at the computer store with his friends and some old person said "Excuse me, do you know anything about computers?" Sheldon said "I know everything about computers"

It's great.

Frances



Joe90
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28 Nov 2011, 5:09 pm

Nope, I never do. When I worked in a charity shop, nobody hardly ever went upto me to ask me anything. People just thought I was just another customer.

But where I come from, shop people wear uniforms and a badge, and most people stand in the same place for ages choosing what they need, whilst I race around quick in a shop because if I stand in one place for too long someone's bound to stand right in my space because people always seem to need to pick the item that is right in line with where I'm standing, and it makes me mad. Even when I'm in DVD shops (which are the best), I still move along instead of standing and trying to look, so I practically miss anything because I'm always too busy avoiding standing too close to other people.


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AdamDZ
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28 Nov 2011, 5:30 pm

Maybe you have lots of pens on you, an ID card or something? Or perhaps you walk around empty handed without a cart looking for something so you might look to someone like you're checking the stock?

I have an orange lanyard for my keys. I learned to hide it before entering Home Depot :D



Wobbuffet
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28 Nov 2011, 5:30 pm

I was at a bar a few weeks ago...I'd been for a meal to a classy restaurant for my friend's birthday, so I was wearing a suit (we went to some random bar afterwards). Someone asked me if I worked for the bar because they wanted directions (?)...it felt pretty awkward, but I guess he was drunk.



Princess78
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28 Nov 2011, 5:44 pm

It hasn't happened to me, but it happened to my boyfriend. We were standing in line one day at the Christmas Tree Shops (for those of you who aren't familiar with the Christmas Tree Shops, they are a chain of stores on the East Coast in the U.S., and they have all kinds of stuff -- holiday decorations, household items, greeting cards, etc. -- and they are a big deal where I come from), and this man asked him if he could help him. He said, "I don't work here." The man apologized and when he left, I asked my boyfriend if he gets that a lot. He said yes. I said it must have been the jacket he was wearing (it was orange, and people who work at the Christmas Tree Shops wear green vests, so I don't know how he was mistaken for one their employees) and he said probably. Clothes might have a lot to do with it.