# mistaken for an employee **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 11, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267 "2011-03-11T04:15:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/41 "2011-03-12T17:19:47Z")
IME khaki pants are a real risk factor. In a former workplace that made a transition to casual Friday, the unimaginative male choice of choice seemed to be tan pants and blue oxford or polo shirt. The standard workplace taunt (assuming you weren’t wearing that and spotted someone who was) quickly became “Welcome to Blockbuster, may I help you find something?” I am also (weirdly) occasionally (including last night) mistaken for an undercover cop/detective. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/42 "2011-03-12T17:40:59Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > This time of year, I look for people who aren’t wearing scarves up to their noses and boots. Other times, I look for women who aren’t carrying purses. I know a lot of women don’t carry purses at any time, but I figure I have a better shot of finding an employee who’s locked up her purse in her desk drawer or the break room. I don’t get that – people walk to a woman “Do you work here?” “Yes, I always stock shelves with my handbag over my arm.” That’s what I find weird about that. Customers are usually carrying things or looking at items. I don’t think I’ve ever been mistaken for an employee, and my guess would be it’s clear since I’m walking around with a purse and am flipping through the clothing rack for my size. I guess if you’re by yourself and kind of standing around, as opposed to walking about the way a shopper would, it might look like you work there, but not if you’re dressed casually, and especially not if you’re carrying a purse. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/43 "2011-03-12T18:16:26Z")
This has happened to my husband if he wears his navy blue Izod and khaki pants to Wal\*Mart. ---
**Author:** ![Marc\_Xenos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Marc\_Xenos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marc_Xenos)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/44 "2011-03-12T20:07:40Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > You’re lucky you weren’t outside a brothel. WOW! I coulda had a V8!!! ---
**Author:** ![Marc\_Xenos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Marc\_Xenos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marc_Xenos)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/45 "2011-03-12T20:14:52Z")
One time I worked for a company that bore the founder’s name (i.e. The John Doe Company), although the founder was long-deceased. On one particular summer day, I was sitting in the passenger seat of the company van (with the name emblazoned across the side) when some old codger shuffled up and “You be sure to do a good job, because John’s up there in Heaven keeping an eye on you.” To which, I looked the old geezer in the eye and responded, “Why would I care? This is a stolen vehicle.” The look on the old guy’s face was priceless as he tried to digest that piece of information, while my co-worker in the driver seat was nearly contorting himself to keep from laughing out loud. (Obviously, I had no worries about keeping my job.) ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/46 "2011-03-12T23:06:02Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Did she then slip you a sawbuck? You know, just for the effort? No. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/47 "2011-03-13T04:33:54Z")
Many years ago, I was admin for someone who owned a lot of Dice stores. I wore a white shirt with the Dice logo over my left booby. One day, I stopped at the grocery store on the way home. My habit is to grab a cart from the parking lot and push it in. While I was going into the store, an evil lady tried to grab it from me. I told her to go get her own, the rest of the carts were only a few feet away. She bitched me out about customer service and then called my boss. As I recall, he was very entertained with that conversation. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MareIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@MareIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MareIt)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/48 "2011-03-13T23:34:57Z")
The accounting department at my job has an employee of the month wall. The Target Employee of the Month club. They’ve been taking pictures of people who wore khakis and a red polo to work and then put up their mug shot as the Employee of the Month. September (I think it was September) the Employee of the month turned out to be our CFO… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/49 "2011-03-14T13:22:39Z")
I’ve been mistaken for working at Walmart. Any time I was with the family, and they had to go to Walmart, I would go in and hang out in the electronics section. Since I wasn’t buying anything, I had no cart or anything. I also tended to wear collared shirts. Furthermore, a lot of my friends would prefer to ask me rather than an employee. The questions were usually along the line of what they needed, rather than the location of anything. I always just thought it funny that people would come into Walmart not knowing what piece of electronics they needed. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/50 "2011-03-15T05:20:47Z")
Back in '97 I was asked by a woman looking for a Puff Daddy single in Sam Goody’s. I couldn’t find it either until I took a quick glance at the copy of the Billboard charts on the wall. “Oh that’s why it’s not there; it’s only available as a maxi-single and those are in a different section”. I even told her she might want to wait until the album came out next month, but she bought the single anyway. A few years ago I overheard a woman asking a Borders employee for help with the song “The In Crowd”. I quickly determined she wanted the Ramsey Lewis version and helped her select a CD. I wonder if it’s a coincidence both places ended up in bankruptcy. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267/51 "2011-03-15T05:31:22Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Back in '97 I was asked by a woman looking for a Puff Daddy single in Sam Goody’s. I couldn’t find it either until I took a quick glance at the copy of the Billboard charts on the wall. “Oh that’s why it’s not there; it’s only available as a maxi-single and those are in a different section”. I even told her she might want to wait until the album came out next month, but she bought the single anyway. > A few years ago I overheard a woman asking a Borders employee for help with the song “The In Crowd”. I quickly determined she wanted the Ramsey Lewis version and helped her select a CD. I wonder if it’s a coincidence both places ended up in bankruptcy. Sam Goody’s has (had?) the most incompetent employees I have ever seen. I once asked for help finding the Beatles’ White Album. Got a blank stare, like the counter girl had never heard of the Beatles before, and was asked, “So the album is white?” :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistaken-for-an-employee/574267.md?page=2)