'She just insisted that I work there and that she'll tell "my manager"': 10+ Times people got mistaken for employees and tried to be helpful

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 25, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

Have you ever been mistaken for an employee at a random store? These people have, and they've remembered every awkward detail about the encounter.

The color of your shirt can make your fellow shoppers think you're an employee, and it's mutually embarrassing when this happens. You obviously don't want to dress like an employee on purpose. And the other person certainly doesn't want to accost a random person and accuse them of being an employee. It can result in some cringy moments that'll haunt people for ages (at least one person admitted that the moment still lives on in their head). 

It's admittedly very satisfying to see a crabby customer confront a non-employee. They'll rant and rave, only to realize they're not talking to an employee, they've just hurled their frustrations at a random person! I always hope that moments of reflection like this make them realize how unhinged they're acting… and make them realize that their methods of yelling at employees just aren't that effective. 

After that, these fast food workers shared what happened to them on their worst days of work, like one person who laughed aloud at a customer who was incensed that her hot coffee was one degree too cold. 

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  • 01
    00 London Travel Information MERCHANT Breghou
    via Anna Dziubinska on Unsplash
  • 02
    What's your most akward "Sorry, but I don't work here" experience?
    via u/michaloace123
  • 03
    FalstaffsMind Made the mistake of wearing an orange t-shirt to Home Depot. I was approached 4 or 5 times walking back to the lumber section. The funny thing is the expression of confusion and denial on people's faces. I would say 'Oh, I don't work here, just wore the wrong shirt today', and they would stare at me perplexed wondering if I was with them.
    via u/FalstaffsMind
  • 04
    [deleted] I was at a local thrift store. Looking at old typewriters with my sister. They were very very cheap and shes a writer so I was buying her one. There was a fellow there who heard me ask out loud a question about how it works. He was a nice old guy who came over and showed me the inner workings of the unit for a solid 50 60 min. He was
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05
    very passionate about typewriters and had expert level knowledge. After an hour of him showing me everything you could imagine with a typewriter and how they work I asked a question about price. He responds with well I don't know that because I don't work here. I just like typewriters.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 06
    Albatenius I was in the grand bazar in Istanbul.. A very busy store. I asked the shop owner something, and he just said "give me a plastic bag" which i did (i understand turkish). Then i helped him for a couple of minutes, putting things in bags. I was
    via u/Albatenius
  • 07
    just trying to help since he was really stressful. He apologized so many times. when he realized i wasn't one of his employees.. and gave me a discount
    via u/Albatenius
  • 08
    moathismail I was at a local computer & game store and this elderly gentleman asked me where they put the controllers for PS3. I told him sorry I don't work here so I don't really know.
    via u/moathismail
  • 09
    He goes "Seriously why do you even work here if you don't know where anything is, dumbass." 10/10 would go to that store again.
    via u/moathismail
  • 10
    bowtiesandfezzes I was browsing movies at HMV when a lady came up to me and asked if I had Star Wars on Blu-ray. I was like "yeah, of course, they're my favorites" then she asks where they are... "umm, at my house". That's when I realized she thought I worked there and wasn't just wanting to talk about Star Wars.
    via u/bowtiesandfezzes
  • 11
    X... Worked at a PetCo that was right next to a Best Buy, so same blue shirt and khakis, only different logos. I went over to pick up a game right after work and got sucked into a chat with a guy about picking out a laptop.
    via u/XVermillion
  • 12
    After 10 minutes of going through the pros/cons of various brands, he decides. he'd like to get one. I was just like, "Cool, well good luck with that." Edit -For everyone asking, this was in Moline, IL in 2003-2004 or so.
    via u/XVermillion
  • 13
    TinyDonkey4 I used to work in a bar that was about a five minute walk from Tesco (a grocery store). Every Saturday afternoon the bar would hit a lull between 4 and 5, so I'd get sent to Tesco to pick up fruit, mint and juice for the night. And seemingly every Saturday, some customer in Tesco would come up to me as mistake me for staff there (my work uniform didn't
    via u/TinyDonkey4
  • 14
    even look similar to the Tesco uniform, I never understood it). The best case of mistaking me for somebody who worked in Tesco was this: a woman came up to me, while I had my hands full of cartons of juice. She started complaining about service and unhelpful staff. I tried telling her that I didn't work there but she kept cutting me off. Eventually
    via u/TinyDonkey4
  • 15
    she demanded to speak to my manager. I responded with "Oh you'll have to go to the bar around the corner to speak to the manager, that's where she is." The woman looked shocked for a second but then said "Oh well that explains why this place is run like a poor excuse for a circus. Your manager is off in a bar, drinking on the job! I should have guessed it." To which I
    via u/TinyDonkey4
  • 16
    responded "No, I work in that bar and was sent here for stock. If you want to speak to my manager, you can go to my workplace and talk to her." She realised immediately the mistake she had made and became much nicer and very apologetic to me.
    via u/TinyDonkey4
  • 17
    [deleted] I was at dinner in a decent restaurant in LA - I was wearing a suit but had taken my jacket off and wasn't wearing a tie so it was black shoes/pants and a white shirt. I went to the bathroom and was passing this table and this guy grabbed my arm as I was walking past and said "Sorry, could you find out where our wine is - - we asked you ages ago". At
    via u/[deleted]
  • 18
    this point I hadn't realized I resembled the staff in this place and was a bit shell shocked, so I said "Sure" and went for a • On my way back I thought I'd be a dutiful human being and go tell the barman, as it was on my way, that this guy hadn't had his wine. The barman slapped his forehead and said "hang on" and gave me glass of white to take to him, which I did and apologized
    via u/[deleted]
  • 19
    for the delay and the guy appreciated it too. Then I sat down and went on with my dinner.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 20
    HighFiveYourFace I was at Target right after work. I had on a red polo and khakis and it had my company name embroidered on it that starts with a T. I was doing some networking stuff so I wasn't wearing my normal dress clothes. I forget what I was buying but I had my cart full and my purse over my shoulder.
    via u/HighFiveYourFace
  • 21
    A woman asked me where the laundry detergent was. I am used to this so I just told her that I think it is down a few aisles. This woman lost her ever loving mind on me saying that I was a horrible employee, I should know where everything is in my store, I will never be paid above minimum wage because I am so dumb. She wanted my name, my supervisors name and the number to corporate.
    via u/HighFiveYourFace
  • 22
    It was after her rant that I politely informed her "Ma'am, I don't work here. I was just telling you where I saw it while shopping for my own stuff" She didn't believe me and went to find a manager. I went to the checkout. I guess she found a manager and brought him to where I was checking out. Started demanding that he reprimand me.
    via u/HighFiveYourFace
  • 23
    He then informed her that I didn't in fact work there. She was flabbergasted and just walked away. No apology no nothing. The manager however did apologize to me. I told him no problem, not his fault. "You can't fix stupid" TL;DR I no longer wear red polos to Target.
    via u/HighFiveYourFace
  • 24
    reluctantleaders Once I was at Walmart pretty late at night, around 11. I think I was looking for cold medicine or something like that. Anyway, a woman who looks to be in her late 30s (I'm 20) comes up to me and shows me her child's school supply list, asking if I can help her find. some portfolio folder or something. I was about to tell her that I didn't work
    via u/reluctantleaders
  • 25
    there when I saw her daughter, who looked to be around 7 or 8, in one of the aisles peeking out and looking tired and a little nervous. I know how Walmart can be in terms of finding an employee to help you, so I decided to just stick around and helped. them find everything on the list. I realized that neither of them spoke very much English, which made some
    via u/reluctantleaders
  • 26
    of the items on the lists confusing. It took a good 20 minutes but they were both really grateful and nice. I guess it's not really an awkward story like you asked for, but still a story! TL;DR helped a non-English speaking woman and her daughter find school supplies at Walmart even though I don't work there
    via u/reluctantleaders
  • 27
    Susansays When I was a teenager I worked in Virgin Records (renamed to Virgin Megastores in the UK now). I had finished my shift and I'd had a pretty day, I was browsing to buy a couple of CDs to cheer myself up. A customer walked up to me and started asking questions. I'd dealt with customers all day, so I breezily replied "Sorry, I
    via u/Susansays
  • 28
    don't work here." Customer responds "But you're wearing a Virgin uniform." There was a super awkward pause during which I could easily have said I'm off duty and about to leave and recovered, but in panic said "I just like to wear it" and walked out of the store.
    via u/Susansays
  • 29
    You know those moments when years later you recall an awkward encounter and just shudder? That's my scumbag brains goto moment.
    via u/Susansays
  • 30
    Say HelloToMyAfro Around christmastime, I was on my lunch hour (in my uniform) picking up some christmas stuff. I was in a cardshop and this man in his 60s hit me over the head with a wrapping paper roll 'as a joke' before apologising profusely on realising I was a customer there.
    via u/Say HelloToMyAfro
  • 31
    Having said that, I don't know why that would ever be considered a thing to do to someone who you don't know, whether they work there or not. I never resolved it, I was 16 and awkward.
    via u/Say HelloToMyAfro
  • 32
    mumpls Finally! A place to share my stories. When I was younger, around 14, I used to go shopping with my mother, as I'm sure lots of people do. She told me to wait outside a store while she quickly went in and I coincidentally was wearing a similar outfit to the store clerks (blue top, grey pants/jeans). An... Older... Woman walked toward me and practically
    via u/mumpls
  • 33
    yelled out that she had gone online, and found a product she wanted, and demanded that I take her to it. I politely said that I didn't work there, and that was the end of it right? Wrong. She claimed that I "had to work there!" |
    via u/mumpls
  • 34
    tried to argue otherwise but she just insisted that I work there and that she'll tell "my manager". Eventually my mum returned and we both left, but I still fill with rage at the thought of this woman.
    via u/mumpls

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mistaken identity mistaken funny stories shopping work working funny store shoppers
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