r/IDontWorkHereLady

This happened last Saturday and I'm still laughing about it.

I was at a big hardware store picking up a few things for a fence repair. I was wearing a plain orange t-shirt (not a store apron, not a vest, just an orange shirt I've owned for years and never thought twice about). I had my phone in one hand and a box of screws in the other.

I'd barely walked into the lumber aisle when a guy in his fifties marched up to me.

"Excuse me, where do you keep the 2x4s?"

I told him I didn't work there, but that I'd seen lumber at the back of the store near the big doors. He nodded, said "Right, thanks," and walked off. Fine. Normal. Happens to everyone.

Ten minutes later, in the paint aisle, a woman stopped me. "Hi, do you have this in a quarter-gallon?" She held up a can of paint.

"I'm so sorry, I don't work here," I said.

She looked me up and down, looked at my shirt, and said, very calmly, "Then why are you dressed like that?"

I honestly didn't have an answer. I said, "It's just a shirt," and she said "Mm-hmm" like I'd been caught in a lie.

I assumed that was the end of it. It was not.

By the time I got to the checkout area, I'd been asked about drill bits, where the bathrooms were, and whether the store price-matches. I'd answered the bathroom question, because I'd actually seen the sign.

Then came the finale. A man pushed his flatbed cart right up to me, let go of the handle, and said, "Can you take this to the front? I'm done with it."

I stood there holding my box of screws, completely stunned. "Sir, I really don't work here."

He squinted at me. "Are you sure?"

I almost said "Pretty sure." What I actually said was, "I'm in line to pay for these screws."

He looked at the screws, looked at me, and said, "Huh. Weird." Then he took his cart back and wandered off.

The cashier had watched the whole thing. When I got to the register, she smiled and said, "You know, we could use someone like you. You're doing better than half my team."

I laughed, paid for my screws, and left. I wore a gray shirt the next time I went in, and nobody asked me anything. I almost miss it.

For context, I’m from Brazil and most schools here have an official uniform you must wear. My school’s t-shirt was white and had the name of the school stamped on the front and back of the shirt.

I was around fifteen, shopping at a grocery store (where the employees’ uniform is orange) with my mom across from my school. I was checking something out alone in one aisle when one woman approaches me and immediately asks something about a product. I told her that I didn’t know, a bit awkward because I was an extremely introvertes teen and there was a strange lady talking to me. The lady huffs and asks if I don’t work there. I answer that no, I don’t. And with all this information this crazy woman looked at me and said “well, you are wearing an uniform, I thought you worked here”. I guess I just told her no again and she stared at me extremely pissed before walking off. Very strange interaction with someone who seems to assume that if you wear an uniform, any kind, you work there.

My "uniform" of choice used to be jeans and flannel shirt, and red was my favorite. I wore red flannel to Target twice and both times I got approached by people while I was shopping because red = employee, apparently.

One guy walked by while I was browsing stationary, stopped and said "Do you work here?"

I said, "No, sorry."

He went "Oh." Then stood there with a nasty look on his face, looking me up and down. I really thought he was about to accuse me of lying! Thankfully he didn't give me a longer story to post here. Anyway, don't wear red to Target.

I was out for my daily walk today, dressed in workout pants, a tank top and sneakers wearing sunglasses, large headphones and a visor, briskly walking through a local beach park. This beach has 5 benches set up looking towards the water. All were empty.

As I walked past the second bench (briskly! I was exercising!), a woman standing near the bench motioned in a way that looked like she was trying to get someone's attention. I didn't think she was trying to get my attention because Why? But there was nobody else around so I thought maybe. Then she motioned for me to take off my headphones. So I did, slowing down slightly.

"Is this bench taken?"

I said "I don't know!" put my headphones back on and kept walking briskly down the path!

First of all, I did not look like a park employee! I was clearly a random person out for a walk.

Second, there were 4 other benches that were empty and no other people nearby. Even if someone had been using that bench, they could have easily moved to one of the other benches.

And third and most importantly, THAT'S NOT HOW BENCHES WORK! If the bench is empty, it's available! You don't need to ask anyone, particularly not a random woman walking by in workout gear with giant headphones on!

I was at a grocery store after work picking up a few things when a woman stopped me near the pasta aisle.

She asked me if I knew where the gluten free pasta was.

I told her I didn't work there and honestly had no idea.

She looked at my jacket and asked if I was sure.

I said yes and went back to looking at the shelves.

A few minutes later she came back and asked me where the bathrooms were.

I told her again that I didn't work there.

She just said okay and walked off.

I thought that was the end of it.

Then I saw her talking to an actual employee near the front. She pointed at me and said something to him.

The employee came over and asked me if I worked there.

I said no.

He looked at her and told her I was just a customer.

She apologized and said she thought I was an employee because I had been walking around the store for so long.

I told her I was shopping.

The employee laughed a little and said, honestly, that's probably why.

I finished paying for my stuff and left.

I still have no idea what about me made her think I worked there. I wasn't wearing anything with the store logo, and I definitely wasn't acting like I knew where anything was.