Im a theatre kid who never grew up, which means that I'm familiar with the layouts of several of the theatres in my city. One in particular is two floors of seating and has a large downstairs area with bathrooms. The opera is usually in one of the other theatres in the city, but this theatre has special historical significance for the show, so it was a special switcheroo. The change meant that even folks who had been to previous operas weren't 100% sure where they were going.

I was waiting for a group to pass to find my seat when I heard one lady ask another in the group if the alcove labelled stairs also went up since there was a crowd on the main stairs. I told them that it was only stairs going down to the bathroom. They thanked me and continued toward the main stairs. A gentleman a bit behind those two ladies then came up to me and said "I have two quick questions."

Me: "Oh, I don't actually work here, I just come to a lot of shows. But I can try to help if you want?"

Him: "I'm sorry, I just heard you answer that lady's question. I need an actual employee, but you're very sweet. Would you like a bird?"

And then he handed me a small (like 3") raven from a bag and walked away to find an employee. Thematic for the show, but definitely caught me off guard. The raven now lives on my desk at work and his name is Sebastian, after one of the characters in the show

I was at the electronic store picking up my computer after it had been repaired. I had time to kill before my next appointment so I was browsing in the store and came upon an air fryer/convection oven that I was interested in. I had some questions so I looked around to see if there was anyone who could help me.

I saw what appeared to be another customer nearby opening and closing refrigerator doors, walking around by himself. I did not approach him because he was not wearing the deep blue polo shirt with the embroidered store logo on the front so I continue to look for an employee.

I came upon a store employee and asked her if she could answer some questions for me regarding the air fryer/convection oven. She apologized and said she’s not able to do that with the ovens, but she will find someone who can help me.

She approached the same man I had seen earlier and I questioned whether I was mistaken that this person was not an employee since she went right up to him and said “excuse me, sir could you answer some questions for this lady about the air fryer oven?”

The man turned around and said “excuse me! I don’t work here!”

My store employee said “oh, I’m sorry it’s just that you’re wearing the same shirt we do.” So she walked away to find someone who could help me. Five minutes later, I simply left the store.

The shirt he was wearing was not the same as the store employee, it was a pale light blue color and did not have a store embroidered logo on it

Edit it to add the title should read. It was the store employee who was told “I don’t work here, lady.”

This happened back in the late 90s before cell phones were commonplace and you couldn't just google a phone number and immediately dial. Everyone had a home phone, and caller ID was a separate piece of equipment that you had to pay for. We did not pay for it, so you never knew who was calling you when you answered the phone.

That being said, our phone number was one digit off from a local chicken wing restaurant. We would get the occasional call when someone read the phone number wrong. When told they had the wrong phone number, most people would apologize and you wouldn't hear from them again. Until the owner of a group of hotels printed the wrong phone number in the information booklets they handed out to hotel guests.

To put the error in perspective, the business that owned the hotels also owned this particular restaurant. Even worse, the last four digits of the phone number spelled the word "WING". Under the letter G, they printed the number "9" instead of a "4". Our house started getting a lot of wrong numbers. We tried to tell the business owner of the error, even showing up in person to try and get them to fix it, but we couldn't get anyone in the office to listen to us.

Again, most people would understand when we told them the number was printed wrong, but occasionally, there would be that ONE CUSTOMER.  You know who I'm talking about. You can tell them facts until you're blue in the face, but they just keep talking as if YOU are the dumb one. They would tell me to "stop being lazy and take my order" despite being told MULTIPLE TIMES that I was not the restaurant.

I started taking orders. I know this caused confusion and inconvenienced people, but I see this as forgivable because it only really inconvenienced the jerks.  Also, when people showed up to pick up orders that never got to the store, we figured this would get our point across.  I do feel bad for the underpaid restaurant staff that had to deal with these customers, but it was the only thing we could think to do to get our point across.

I was shopping at a store when a customer approached me and started asking about the return policy for an item.

I politely told them I didn't work there but they seemed annoyed and kept asking if I could just tell them whether the item could be returned.

I pointed them toward the customer service desk, thinking that would solve the problem. Instead of arguing further, I went back to my shopping.

I still find it strange how some people can be so convinced that you work somewhere even after you clearly tell them otherwise. At least I managed to get back to shopping without getting dragged into someone else's return dispute.

When I was shopping at a certain US based big box store that has red as their main color, I was briefly approached by a woman who asked if I worked there. I said no, I was a shopper and she apologized and moved on.

Later on, during the same trip, someone else approached me as I was absent-mindedly looking in the electronics section. I immediately thought "Oh no, did I make the classic mistake of wearing a red shirt to this store?" And quickly looked down at my shirt. No, a completely different color. Because it was the second time someone had made this mistake in less than an hour, I was confused enough to ask the person "No, what about me makes it seem like I work here?" In hindsight, it probably sounded more accusatory than I meant it. I was just genuinely curious.

The person was flustered and said something vague like "Oh, i didn't know. It was just... The way you were standing..." And quickly hurried off.

Maybe I was just giving off too much "I don't want to be here" energy that day...

This happened many, many decades ago, long before the Web was a thing... people still had to do the barbaric thing of using a paper phonebook to find phone numbers. This was also when people had one phone number for the whole house. Cellphones weren't really a thing.

One evening my mom, dad, and I were sitting at home and the phone rang. My dad answered it and the woman asked: "Is this [insert name of local grocery store]?" My dad said: "No, you have the wrong number" and quickly ended the call. In fairness to the caller, our last name was somewhat similar to the local grocery store and we lived on the same street, just a handful of blocks away, so it's not impossible to see why the caller got confused.

Not more than a minute later our phone rang again. This time mom answered and essentially had the same conversation with the same caller.

After ending the call, the phone almost immediately rang again. This time I answered it and the caller again asked: "Is this [insert name of local grocery store]?" I said: "No, sorry... you are calling a house, not a business. We're on the same street, but this is NOT the store. You have the wrong number." The caller thanked me and hung up.

Again, almost immediately the phone rang again. My dad answered this time giving the name of the grocery store. The caller responded: "Oh good! What time do you close?"

My dad answered: "10:00 o'clock." The caller thanked him and hung up. We later discovered that the stored closed at 9:00pm, and it was already 9:15 when the final call happened.

I was shopping at a grocery store when a woman asked me where the bread was.

I told her I didn't work there, but she asked me to show her anyway.

I pointed toward an employee nearby but she ignored me and said, "It's not that hard to help someone!"

I replied, "I'm trying to buy groceries just like you."

She looked at my shopping basket and finally realized I was a customer.

She quietly said, "Oh, sorry," and walked away.

The whole thing lasted less than a minute, but it was still pretty funny.

I guess buying groceries makes you look suspiciously qualified to work at a grocery store.

I was shopping at a grocery store when a woman came up to me and asked where she could find the milk.

I told her I didn't work there, but she looked annoyed and said, "You could at least help me."

I pointed toward an employee nearby, but she ignored me and walked away.

A few minutes later, I saw her arguing with an actual employee about something in another aisle.

When I passed by, she looked at me and said"You people are useless!"

The employee looked confused and asked, "Ma'am, do you know him?"

She paused for a moment, looked at me and finally realized I was just another customer.

She didn't apologize. She simply turned around and walked away.

I finished my shopping and left, wondering how someone could be so confident and still be so wrong.

Last weekend I went to see a one-bedroom apartment I was thinking of renting. The listing said viewings were from 11 to 1 so I showed up a few minutes early. The front door was already open, so I walked in and nobody was inside. I figured the agent was running late, so I stood in the living room and started checking the windows and the kitchen cabinets.

A couple walked in about five minutes later. The guy looked at me nodded like we have already met and said, Hi we're here for the 11:00 viewing. Is the rent negotiable?

I said, Oh, I m also here to see it. I'm not the agent.

He smiled politely and said, Right, right, in the tone of someone who thinks you're being coy. His wife was already opening the bedroom closet. Is the water bill included? she asked me from inside.

I said I honestly didn't know, but they didn't seem to hear. They asked about parking, how old the building was, whether the landlord allowed pets, and whether the washing machine worked. I kept saying I don't know and I m just a tenant who's looking, and they kept nodding and asking the next question. At one point the husband said, It's okay, you can tell us the real price, and I had no idea how to answer that.

Then the actual agent walked in, slightly out of breath, and said, Sorry I m late, traffic was awful. Have you all been waiting long?

The couple looked at her then at me then at her again. The wife slowly closed the closet door. The husband said, Wait, so you re not... and I said, Nope.

Nobody said anything for a few seconds. Then the husband laughed, a bit awkwardly, and said, You were very calm for someone who doesn't work here. I told him I was just as confused as he was.

The agent answered all their questions properly. The water bill is included, by the way. I applied for the apartment that evening, and I'm told the couple did too.

I went to Dollarama on my way home from work. I’m in the trades, so I was wearing dirty/dusty pants and work boots.

I hear from the end of the aisle

“Excuse me”

I look over at this fella and he asks

“Do you work here?”

I reply “No” in a confused tone.

I’m thinking to myself, “how or why could that guy possibly think I work here?” A few minutes later I realize I’m wearing one of the t-shirts I got at the thrift store (cheap shirts I will wreck at work) and it’s for a summer camp with a huge “STAFF” on the back.

🤦‍♂️

This happened just 3 days ago, when I was visiting my final port of call on a cruise. I was outside the shop, sifting through souvenirs that were on clearance. I saw a man casually walk outside and just stand there and after some time had passed, I asked him if debit cards are accepted. At first, he simply said no, so I was getting ready to say something else, but then he said he was just waiting for his wife.

I wasn't super embarrassed, but I immediately apologized. I thought he was simply coming out to check on customers outside. What made me think he was an employee was an ID of some sort hanging around his neck, but it was backwards so I couldn't actually see what it looked like or what it said. When I did see the employee, she was dressed extremely casually (which, of course, is usually expected at a souvenir shop), so it would have been really easy to mistake someone for an employee, depending on what they were doing.

I was shopping at a grocery store wearing a hoodie and jeans when a lady came up to me and asked where she could find something.

I told her, “Sorry, I don’t work here.”

She looked annoyed and said, “Then why are you standing here?”

I ignored it and continued shopping.

A few minutes later, she asked me for help again. When I told her I wasn't an employee, she got angry and walked away.

The funny thing was that a real employee walked past her, but she didn't ask them anything.

Some people really can't accept that not everyone in a store works there!

This happened last Saturday. I was at a big bookstore that has a small coffee shop inside. I was waiting for my friend. It was raining outside so I was wearing my own dark green apron-style rain jacket and my tote bag was full of books.

A lady came up with her empty cup and said, Excuse me, can I get a refill? And extra foam this time. I said, "I'm so sorry, I don't work here. I m just waiting for someone. She smiled and said, Oh come on, you are literally wearing the apron and standing right next to the coffee machine. You must be new.

I laughed a little and showed her my hands full of books and said, "I wish I knew how to make that, but I really don't work here. The real barista is right behind the counter, she can help you.

She looked a little embarrassed, then laughed too and said, Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I really thought you worked here. Then she went to the counter. The actual barista looked at me and we both smiled.

It was a cute awkward moment, not rude at all.

At the start of aisle 4 in the grocery store, a lady asked me if I worked there. I said no, and moved on. I went up the aisle and came down aisle 5. I get to the end and the same lady asks me if I work there. I can’t imagine too many employees wear regular clothes and push a cart while walking with their wives, but what do I know?

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 used to GM at an Italian restaurant and the managers wore blue polo shirts and tan khakis. I would go to the walmart nearby for groceries and people would always ask me things thinking I worked there. One woman was insistent that I worked there even after I told her multiple times I didn’t and finally told her in a very angry tone to leave me alone. She went to the front and got the store GM, and as I was checking out she was loudly and angrily telling him how rude I was to her and demanding that I be fired. He looked at me, I went 🤷‍♂️, he laughed out loud and said loud enough for me to hear ‘He doesn’t work here ma’am’. The look on her face as I walked by and said ‘hi’ to the GM was priceless.

I was browsing in a store when someone came up to me and asked where they could find a particular item. I told them I wasn't an employee but they seemed convinced I worked there. It took a moment to clear up the confusion. I was just another customer doing my shopping.

So this happens to me every single place I go. Doesn’t matter what I’m dressed like, how I act, or what the business is. It’s so bad that one time a lady argued with me about whether I worked at JoAnn’s fabrics while I was wearing my dental scrubs. Anyway, it bothers me so much that I started asking people why they thought I worked there. Here are all the answers I’ve been given:
- You look friendly
- You look miserable/pissed so you must be at your job
- You’re walking fast
- You look like you should work here
- You’re examining the specifications of that item you’re holding
-You’re squinting/look like you’re thinking
- Your keys are on a lanyard
Hope this helps!

I adopted a snake off facebook marketplace a while back, so after I picked her up I went to a local reptile store that offered general health checks (not really a vet checkup more like an experienced pet owner doing a quick check for the big things like mites or respiratory infections) and to pick up a couple supplies.

It was pretty slammed that day, and the store’s owner and another employee were checking out a pretty long line of people, so I stood off to the side and put my snake in her transport box on a table nearby to wait for the line to die down. There was another guy standing off to the side holding a snake of his own, so I started chatting with him. A couple other customers came up to him and asked about his snake, and asked where they could get one so he pointed toward the snake section of the store. I said “wait do you work here, or are you just hanging out?” The guy laughed and said “no I don’t work here.” The owner, who I hadn’t realized was listening in, just shouted “he should work here!”

This was a while back, but I went with my partner to a TJ Maxx to run a quick errand (aka, we needed something relatively cheap) so we were both pretty dressed down. I myself was wearing House of 1,000 Corpses lounge pants (the ones with pentagrams and Captain Spaulding and the title on them) and a Texas Chainsaw Massacre tshirt (it’s a shirt with Choptop on it, it says “Wanted by the FBI for murder and cannibalism” or something with a pic of him on it). All this to say, CLEARLY not any kind of work uniform and DEFINITELY not for TJ Maxx.

Anyway, we were walking through the store and this older woman was blocking the aisle, so I literally just said “pardon me” and scooted past her. She then followed me and asked if I was an employee and seemed pretty agitated. I said “no ma’am I’m not” and kept walking, and I swear I heard her muttering about “how rude the workers are” or whatever but atp I just wanted to grab what we came for and leave and also Not argue with an old lady.

My partner thought it was the funniest thing in the world at least, I’m just not sure what part of me came off as “currently working a shift at TJ Maxx”

I was in Hobby Lobby with a friend of mine, they had a very specific item she needed so we went in, grabbed it and headed to the check out. As she was paying for her item another worker approached me and said “oh hey when do you start?” I was very confused I didn’t think she was talking to me. I am so wildly not aesthetically Hobby Lobby’s type. I have orange hair, gauged ears, a nose ring, and a fair amount of tattoos. I truly did not think she was asking me when I was going to be beginning my employment there at the Hobby Lobby. I think I managed to say, “I’m sorry?” To which she doubled down, “When’s your first shift?” I still thought this was the lead up to a joke or something but I was like, “I’m not…” And she said “you’re Laura, right?” I am not Laura. I told her as much and she at first looked like I was messing around with her and then I think she finally realized I was truly and genuinely not Laura and told me I have a doppelgänger. I considered telling her my actual name but it’s one of those painfully Irish names that makes you rethink everything you’ve ever known about letters and the sounds they make so I figured it could only get worse. A part of me thinks she really did still think I was Laura at the end of it all though. I wonder what her first day was like...

granted ill admit i was at lowes wearing a blue T-shirt. but if you have eyes and use them you can tell that lowes employees wear vests, gloves, a radio etc. I wasn't. just a blue t shirt with an unrelated logo in a non-lowes color scheme, and cargo pants. this happens to me every other time I go there. maybe its my aura.

this lady asks me to help with the price of an item. I say oh sorry I don't work here. were in the garden center and its completely empty, just me and her + her adult son. I literally go over ONE aisle. not even 5 minutes later she finds me "oh can you help me with the..." no, sorry I dont work here. this time she apologized and recognized shed already tried talking to me a few minutes prior. 3rd time. another 5 minutes. were both in landscaping stones. she had a stone in hand and asks me "do you know where any more of these are?" i start the same reply, but then I give up. instead I say "looks like they might be out of those." she goes "Yeah it looked around, I dont see more" I say sorry, i do not know. I leave with my stuff. I glance at her grown adult son who has said 0 words this entire time. he looks at me and looks away. says nothing. I got the feeling maybe she has some memory issues or wasnt all there.

this has also happened to me at home depot, michaels, Ace hardware, Walmart, Ollie's, and CVS, and most of those place have uniforms. is pattern recognition that hard?

I’ve often been going out to shop after work (in my work uniform) such as places like Goodwill, Walmart, Target and Michaels but no places where the uniform of the store employees is bright green (No, I dont work at publix) but I get constant “excuse me’s” and other questions about the store like my bright green polo matches the store’s brand identity at all. Wtf???? Are ppl colourblind???