From u/builtbybama_rolltide I Don't Work Here Lady:

Yesterday I was browsing a box box store while waiting for a prescription. I wandered over to the hair color aisle and was looking at the different colors debating on switching up my hair color. Noticing a woman debating between 2 colors on a brand I knew that turned out really dark I recommend she use the lighter of the 2 colors and told her they ran really dark. She was appreciative as no woman wants a home hair color disaster.

Just then an older gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and asked where he could find mousse. I smiled and asked what kind he needed. He had no clue. His wife just said mousse. Ok no worries. I grabbed him mousse that I use and told him it was a good product and I hoped she would be happy with it. Then he asked about facial wipes. Since I wasn't doing anything besides waiting I took him over to the cosmetics section and helped him find the facial wipes.

At this point my name was called over the speaker to come to pharmacy. I excused myself to go and told him I'm sorry but my prescription is ready. He had a moment of realization I didn't work there and apologized profusely and thanked me so much for my help. He had tears in his eyes y'all. I asked him why he was crying and he said his wife was just diagnosed with cancer and he was out of his element buying lady products. That my kindness to him was so unexpected and how grateful he was. I hugged him and said it's the least I could do and besides he helped me pass the time waiting for my prescription. Just a story that shows not every customer that makes a mistake is going to be a jerk. He was the sweetest and most polite gentleman and I truly enjoyed helping him even if I didn't work there.

--u/builtbybama_rolltide

From u/kkkaaasss Tales From Retail:

So I work at a retail store that specializes in men’s & boy’s clothing, and we’re very busy because school is starting soon so everyone is buying ‘back to school’ clothes.

I was helping out a mother and her two kids who were very needy, the boys’ DID NOT want to be shopping and their mom did not want to put up with their attitude. No one was happy but I was trying my best to make the experience easier so that way they could leave.

Finally after what seemed like hours I got them to the registers, they thanked me for my time and they were on their way. Thank God.

When I was off work I went to an office supply store close to the mall to buy some things that I needed for the store. When I was shopping I felt a tap on my shoulder, when I turned around I saw that it was the mother and the two boys from earlier. Crazy mother is CM, and I am M.

M: “Oh hi! Funny running into you here haha”

CM: “Where do they keep the folders?”

I try not to roll my eyes.

M: “I’m sorry I have no clue, I feel like they’d be with the bin-“

CM: “What do you mean you have no clue you should know!”

M: “I’m sorry ma’am, I’m not familiar with this stor-“

I get cut off, AGAIN.

CM: “THAT’S SO UNPROFESSIONAL HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW?!”

M: “This isn’t my store. I do not work here”

CM: “Yes I know that but aren’t these stores the same thing?!”

M: “No? I’m sorry but I can’t help you, have a good night.”

CM: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T HELP ME?! YOU’RE A RETAIL WORKER! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THESE THINGS! ALL THESE GODDAMN STORES ARE THE SAME”

At this point an employee came up to help her and she was shouting about how retail workers and stupid and rude etc.

TDLR; I helped a customer at my store, she expected my help at a different store while I was shopping.

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From u/Reset108 Tales From Retail:

Okay, time for another tale from my previous life of working in a grocery store deli.

At the time there were 3 stores of this chain in my city, now there’s 4, but that’s beside the point.

Anyway, so with their being three stores, it wasn’t unusual for someone to call the wrong store to place a catering order from the deli. We were trained to always say our store location when answering calls, to hopefully avoid that.

So one lovely afternoon, we get a gentleman at the counter, saying he’s there to pick up an order that his wife placed earlier in the week.

Problem is, we have no orders scheduled for pickup that day. So we’re scrambling around trying to see if maybe the order got misplaced or something.

Typically when this happens, we politely ask if they’re accidentally at the wrong store.

Angry customer “hell no, I know what store my wife called, this is your fault and I want it fixed now”.

Well there’s no way to prepare a big order on such short notice.
Meanwhile angry man is texting his wife.

He then says “wife tells me the order was taken by someone named Erin”.

Me “sir, theres no Erin in this department”.

There wasn’t an Erin working anywhere in the store, but there was in fact an Erin that worked at location B across town.

So I call location B, Erin answers the phone.

Me “oh hey Erin, it’s xxxxxx over at location A, do you happen to have an order for (whatever the name was).

Erin “yep, it’s ready to go”.

Me “thank you Erin, have a lovely day”.

Turns back to angry customer. “Sir your order is at location B where your wife called and talked to the lovely Erin over there”.

Angry customer goes off on a mini temper tantrum as he’s walking away, but at this point I’m over it and not paying attention.

Best part was, he lodged a complaint to corporate and myself and the others working that day got scolded for “how we handled the situation”.

So glad I don’t work there anymore.

--u/Reset108

From  u/SlytherinAhri Tales From Retail

I work at a gas station that is part of a grocery store chain. Twice a day we go to the main store and use a handheld gun to electronically send inventory from the main store to the gas station then stock it ourselves.

Well, we wear the same uniform as the employees who work in the store, so all the customers see is an employee holding a "price gun", usually behind the customer service desk because that's where the cigarettes are and we usually sell those the most. Unless you're a transfer, we aren't trained to do anything in the main store. I have just as good of an idea of where things are in the store as a regular customer. I don't know how to do a Western Union, and even if I did, I'm not allowed to and I'm not allowed to hand cigarettes to customers.

I'll be in the middle of scanning inventory to send to the gas station and someone will come up with something and ask me to price check it. Then I have to explain that I don't know how, that I also can't back out of the process I'm doing on the gun without messing everything up and I direct them to customer service and boy do they not like that.

One lady actually went and complained about me because I was "lazy and rude" because I "refused to help her" with her Western Union, I called for someone else to come do it. Even though I explained to her that I'm not allowed to nor do I know how to assist her.

I overheard two guys talking about me one night as I was getting cigarettes, they had been waiting for the customer service person to arrive (I'd already told them I'm unqualified to help and paged him in front of them) and they were extremely angry that I was scanning things instead of assisting them. "She's literally right there, what a bitch". "I know man, wtf?" It was so liberating when they complained to the customer service clerk about me while I was still right there and he goes "yeh, she's from the gas station and they aren't allowed to do anything back here".

I really wish we'd get different uniforms, our name tags say "fuel" in tiny letters under our names but probably nobody knows what that means if they even notice it.

--u/SlytherinAhri

From u/Flailed I Don't Work Here Lady:

So, for the second time, the other day, I went to Target after work. I rarely go to Target as it's farther away than the other stores. I recently moved and realized that I don't have a toothbrush holder. I was wearing my red and black teacher clothes but was not wearing anything directly Target related.

Of course, for the kids, I stopped to check the clearance clothes section. Y'know, just in case.

"Excuse me, do you know where I would find a step stool?"

Oh. It happened again. I was standing in the same exact spot as about six months ago. I was wearing the same shirt. Apparently if you accidentally knock something off of the rack and put it back, you're a Target worker.

"Well, I don't work here, I can help you." I explained where the step stool was. She found it. Hell yeah. +1 for team parenting.

I go around the store and find what I need. I am walking and pushing a cart with a few things in it. A different lady walks past me.

In the snarkiest voice, she says: "Uh, you really shouldn't be wearing that here."

Me: ".........."

You see, it's not like she was looking for help. I totally would have helped her.

I kept my cool, though, guys. No one was injured that day.

--u/Flailed

From u/Tech_Assassin I Don't Work Here Lady:

Little backstory - I work for a very popular ferry company in the UK that travels Dover - Calais and on my journey to work I have to wear a hi-vis that has my company logo on it, and a lanyard with my picture and company name on. I heavily rely on trains to get me to and from work (I know I live on public transport!)

So I’m at the train station chatting to ex colleagues from my previous job when this stuck-up man approaches me (we will call him SUM, for short)

SUM - “Where are the toilets?”

Me - “I don’t know I don’t work for the trains”

SUM looks me up and down

SUM - “I can see, that now where are the toilets?”

ME - “I still don’t work here I don’t know”

SUM - “Yes you do work here! You work on the platform!”

ME - “I really don’t, I work for (insert ferry company name)”

SUM - “Then why are you wearing the stations uniform?”

ME - “Huh? My uniform has (ferry company name) printed all over it”

SUM looks me up and down again in disgust

SUM - “Whatever lie to me if you must!”

He then walks off and proceeds to ask actual train staff in completely different uniform.

tl;dr - Man assumes because I’m wearing a hi-vis vest that I work for the trains even after inspecting my uniform and refuses to believe me.

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