The Day I Accidentally Became the Store Employee
I stopped at a home improvement store one afternoon because I needed a few things for my apartment. I was wearing a plain red sweatshirt and carrying a shopping basket, so I guess that was enough for one customer to decide I worked there.
I was looking at storage containers when an older man walked up and asked me where he could find a particular size of plastic bin.
I told him, “Sorry, I don’t work here.”
He looked at me for a second and said, “Well, you’re wearing red.”
I looked down at my sweatshirt and then back at him. “That’s true, but I’m also holding a shopping basket and trying to figure out what I’m buying.”
He didn’t seem convinced. He asked me to show him where the bins were.
I could have just walked away, but I actually knew roughly where they were, so I pointed him toward the next aisle and told him he should probably ask an employee to make sure.
A few minutes later, a woman stopped me and asked if I knew where the light bulbs were.
I laughed and said, “Apparently everyone thinks I work here today.”
She laughed too and apologized.
Then, while I was standing at the checkout, the first man walked past me again and said, “See, I knew you worked here.”
I told him, “Nope. I’m finally leaving.”
He looked at my basket and said, “Oh.”
I still have no idea what made me look like an employee, but apparently that red sweatshirt had more authority than I realized.