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Do you wear any kind of badge for your job? I wear a security badge to get in my building. If I wear it into any store, I get approached with questions. The employees of a store could have uniforms shaped like a kangaroo, but if I wear regular clothes plus the badge, I get approached. If I remove the badge, no more questions.
When I used to be in sales, I would wear a suit and tie. I would have this happen a lot, as people would assume I was a manager or something.
Agree with this, if you are dressed nicer than most customers, and you walk around with confidence, than some people will mistake you for a manager.
I dress nicely for work look approachable I guess, and will get stopped by customers wanting help occasionally. It does not happen enough that it really bugs me, but maybe 4 or 5 times a year. Not really a big deal.
I accidentally did that to someone in Walmart the other day. I thought she was an employee because:
A. It was very cold out and she wasn't wearing a coat
B. she had no shopping cart but was carrying a half-dozen shirts on hangers
C. No purse
But she wasn't an employee despite the "evidence." I apologized.
But many times, when I am at a store, other shoppers will assume I do and start asking questions or ask if I work there.
Any ideas why?
This happens even if there tends to be a dress code for the employees (or aprons or name badges).
Yesterday it happened at Petco, and I was wearing scrubs!
People often ask me where something is located in a store. Not because they think I work there, but because they just assume I know, or for whatever reason I look like I know. Usually I don't know because I rarely shop. I give them my best guess.
What is really weird is when they ask my opinion about something they want to buy. It could be anything from hardware to electronics to fashion.
Years ago before cells and gps, people often asked me for directions. More often than not this would happen when I was in a strange city and knew nothing about it myself.
Maybe these things above happen to many people but I've never heard anyone talk about it happening with the frequency it has happened to me.
So maybe you are the same and those people don't assume you work there. Maybe you just look confident and like you know stuff.
I remember reading a story a few years ago about a man who was traveling. He was wearing a business jacket, and his plane was delayed and the hold space was crowded and he couldn't find a seat, so he went to the empty desk near the gate and opened up his laptop and started to do some work.
Immediately, a line formed and people started asking him questions about the flight delays. He said, "No, no...I'm just a passenger, no one was here, I'm just using the desk to get some work done" but people didn't believe him and started shouting at him and threatening to call his supervisor. He just shut his laptop and walked away with everyone still yelling after him.
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