Ma'am, I don't work here.
I was reading comments to an article which reminded me of something, so I will share it.
The commenter was talking about how they don't think it much matters what corporate employee's wear and after reading their explanation, I had to agree with them. They have been taken for an emloyee in numerous stores, though they weren't wearing anything remotely akin the the employee official wear.
I've had this happen a lot. My most recent incident was in Target. I'm sure anyone reading knows what Target employees wear, but for those of you who do not, they wear khaki slacks and red button down short sleeved shirts. Some days I might wear dark wash jeans and a tank top. Mainly I look like an overweight yoga instructor in my black loungy yoga type pants, with a grey tank top that has some holes from the cats in them. Actually I probably look like I'm on the verge of being a homeless person. I'm not sure why anyone would approach me.
But, on this day I'm wearing my black and grey almost homeless yoga teacher ensemble. I'm wheeling around a shopping buggy with my purse in the top rack. I'm parusing items. When out of nowhere, a frustrated lady comes up to me demanding to speak to a manager. I'm slow to respond because my mind was on my mental shopping list and now it's trying to readjust to this barrage of upset emotions being pelted at me. She probably thinks I'm a slow employee, so she states again that she wants to see a mananger because of problem blahblahblah, which is really what my brain heard because I was drowning her out.
"Ma'am. I don't work here." She takes a step back and her eyes become large. The face of upset has been replaced by confusion and slight horror. It takes her a minute to register just exactly what this situation has turned into; who she is actually speaking with. Then she stammers out an embarassed half apology and turns to go and berate a real employee on getting her a manager ASAP.
Now, I have this habit when I'm shopping. There are a lot of products on the shelf and that's a lot of information to take in all at once. If I'm undecided about which item I want and need to read labels of things that are on low shelves, I most certainly will stop what I am doing to kneel down on the floor and check things out better. This is odd behavour of a shopper, I'm aware, as I've never seen anyone else do this. But, it is what it is. Actually now that I think about the way I look and this behavour, I'm surprised employees haven't come up to me asking me to leave. But that is neither here nor there because employees and manangers are either too busy or simply do not care.
This behavouir however, at first glance, could be construde as stocking the shelves. If a customer came up to me asking questions and assuming that I was a worker, I would completely understand. But that has never happened. I am always asked random questions of where the bathrooms are to if this item is going to be marked down soon, while I am positioned next to my buggy in the active process of shopping. It baffles the mind.
I probably look like the last sort of person these people would want to approach. I am wearing the exact opposit of employee wear, besides the fact that I look like I'm shopping. But it is also mysterious to see their reactions once I tell them that I don't work there. They act like, suddenly, I'm no longer wearing employee clothing and they can clearly see me now, for the first time. I could be reading their faces wrong, but it's totally that look. So, now I'm wondering if I'm magically blending myself into surroundings. Is this possible? I suppose it could be.
Which leads me to another thought; one that might lead credence to no one noticing that I'm sitting on their floors or look like a bag lady or that they think I'm wearing employee clothing.
I have noticed that I seem to be unremarkable; unmemorable. I mainly notice it outside of shopping, where someone I've met five times has no idea who I am or that we've even met. Most with the interparty saying, "John, man come on! You've met her like 17 times!" But, I have noticed this in stores as well. On one single trip to Target (I swear I shop & have incidences at other places!), I was followed and sale harassed no less than four times by the same cell phone guy. I didn't realize what was happening at first, but then realized his job is to stalk people on the floor, basically, to get them to sign with some name brand carrier. When I met back up with my sister, I was informed that he approached her once, when she said no, it was over; he didn't approach her again.
He kept approaching me, giving his speil, with me interjecting, "You just asked me this five minutes ago." while he looked at me quizzically, which then turned to horrified. He never apologized for harassing me, he just seemed to be more infuriated every time he would realize his mistake. The last time he started to approach me in is 'I'm super happy to be selling to you' vibe, and angrily stopped himself, before turning onto the isle, and stormed away.
I think it really drives the point home when you are driving down the freeway and a man in a white van pulls up even with you and proceeds to ask you out while your both doing 45 down the interstate. Only to not remember you the following week and pull the same stunt again. I had to stop him from talking to tell him he did this last week. He didn't remember. He was in a fog-haze of confusion while registering that information before he became embarassed by the fact. If you are willing to risk life and limb like that to pursue a woman at top speeds between moving vehicles and you can not remember what she looks like in such a short span of time, something is wrong. There is nothing to NOT remember about that incident. Except apparently the girl.
While none of that lends any real answers to the questions, it certainly does wend it's way back again to the source, leading me to think it's all connected somehow. My sister reads a lot of esoteric books. From her readings she would say it's all my fault. I'm starting to understand what that means, but I still have to think on this particular matter to see what I was causing to happen exactly. To be noticed?
The commenter was talking about how they don't think it much matters what corporate employee's wear and after reading their explanation, I had to agree with them. They have been taken for an emloyee in numerous stores, though they weren't wearing anything remotely akin the the employee official wear.
I've had this happen a lot. My most recent incident was in Target. I'm sure anyone reading knows what Target employees wear, but for those of you who do not, they wear khaki slacks and red button down short sleeved shirts. Some days I might wear dark wash jeans and a tank top. Mainly I look like an overweight yoga instructor in my black loungy yoga type pants, with a grey tank top that has some holes from the cats in them. Actually I probably look like I'm on the verge of being a homeless person. I'm not sure why anyone would approach me.
But, on this day I'm wearing my black and grey almost homeless yoga teacher ensemble. I'm wheeling around a shopping buggy with my purse in the top rack. I'm parusing items. When out of nowhere, a frustrated lady comes up to me demanding to speak to a manager. I'm slow to respond because my mind was on my mental shopping list and now it's trying to readjust to this barrage of upset emotions being pelted at me. She probably thinks I'm a slow employee, so she states again that she wants to see a mananger because of problem blahblahblah, which is really what my brain heard because I was drowning her out.
"Ma'am. I don't work here." She takes a step back and her eyes become large. The face of upset has been replaced by confusion and slight horror. It takes her a minute to register just exactly what this situation has turned into; who she is actually speaking with. Then she stammers out an embarassed half apology and turns to go and berate a real employee on getting her a manager ASAP.
Now, I have this habit when I'm shopping. There are a lot of products on the shelf and that's a lot of information to take in all at once. If I'm undecided about which item I want and need to read labels of things that are on low shelves, I most certainly will stop what I am doing to kneel down on the floor and check things out better. This is odd behavour of a shopper, I'm aware, as I've never seen anyone else do this. But, it is what it is. Actually now that I think about the way I look and this behavour, I'm surprised employees haven't come up to me asking me to leave. But that is neither here nor there because employees and manangers are either too busy or simply do not care.
This behavouir however, at first glance, could be construde as stocking the shelves. If a customer came up to me asking questions and assuming that I was a worker, I would completely understand. But that has never happened. I am always asked random questions of where the bathrooms are to if this item is going to be marked down soon, while I am positioned next to my buggy in the active process of shopping. It baffles the mind.
I probably look like the last sort of person these people would want to approach. I am wearing the exact opposit of employee wear, besides the fact that I look like I'm shopping. But it is also mysterious to see their reactions once I tell them that I don't work there. They act like, suddenly, I'm no longer wearing employee clothing and they can clearly see me now, for the first time. I could be reading their faces wrong, but it's totally that look. So, now I'm wondering if I'm magically blending myself into surroundings. Is this possible? I suppose it could be.
Which leads me to another thought; one that might lead credence to no one noticing that I'm sitting on their floors or look like a bag lady or that they think I'm wearing employee clothing.
I have noticed that I seem to be unremarkable; unmemorable. I mainly notice it outside of shopping, where someone I've met five times has no idea who I am or that we've even met. Most with the interparty saying, "John, man come on! You've met her like 17 times!" But, I have noticed this in stores as well. On one single trip to Target (I swear I shop & have incidences at other places!), I was followed and sale harassed no less than four times by the same cell phone guy. I didn't realize what was happening at first, but then realized his job is to stalk people on the floor, basically, to get them to sign with some name brand carrier. When I met back up with my sister, I was informed that he approached her once, when she said no, it was over; he didn't approach her again.
He kept approaching me, giving his speil, with me interjecting, "You just asked me this five minutes ago." while he looked at me quizzically, which then turned to horrified. He never apologized for harassing me, he just seemed to be more infuriated every time he would realize his mistake. The last time he started to approach me in is 'I'm super happy to be selling to you' vibe, and angrily stopped himself, before turning onto the isle, and stormed away.
I think it really drives the point home when you are driving down the freeway and a man in a white van pulls up even with you and proceeds to ask you out while your both doing 45 down the interstate. Only to not remember you the following week and pull the same stunt again. I had to stop him from talking to tell him he did this last week. He didn't remember. He was in a fog-haze of confusion while registering that information before he became embarassed by the fact. If you are willing to risk life and limb like that to pursue a woman at top speeds between moving vehicles and you can not remember what she looks like in such a short span of time, something is wrong. There is nothing to NOT remember about that incident. Except apparently the girl.
While none of that lends any real answers to the questions, it certainly does wend it's way back again to the source, leading me to think it's all connected somehow. My sister reads a lot of esoteric books. From her readings she would say it's all my fault. I'm starting to understand what that means, but I still have to think on this particular matter to see what I was causing to happen exactly. To be noticed?
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