Some people are just so clueless!

[Christine]

And what's really sad is that there really are people who do this! I've heard it a lot stuff like this on my many visits to Disneyland. Guests will ask a Cast Member what time the 3:00 parade is or a Cast Member will be standing at the register, be wearing their name tag and they'll be asked if they work there. My mom had that happen to her when she worked at JC Penny's years ago. She had her name tag on, was counting out the register when this lady asked if she worked there. My mom looked at her and with a straight face said, "No, I'm robbing the place." The lady said okay and then walked away. *shakes head* Geez! lol!

[Rumba Rue]

And I get the 'do you work here' bit all the time, and no I don't work there!

I've had it happen so many times, (even places like Home Depot), I've lost track. Boats is just amazed at how many people have come up to me and asked.

[Rogue Mermaid]

I'm sure all of us who frequent Renn Faires in costume have got the, "Do you work here?".

I used to all the time but it seems like these days more people come in costume so it happens less often.

[Red-Handed Jill]

I was at Costco looking for someone when a woman walked up to me and asked if I worked there. I said no and asked why she thought so and she replied, "You look so efficient!"

[CaptainCiaran]

We all encounter these people wherever we go. I like to call them "The Living Dead", because they seem lost in a daze. You wonder how they ever get along in life.

[Biker]

I used to work in a grocery store many many years ago, the only questions I hated where the obviopus ones. I had a lady ask where aisle #4 was. Not a certain item, but where was the aisle itself. told her it was between 5 and 7.

[Captain Booty]

I used to be a manager in Eckerd Drug Stores, and I encountered the dumbest and strangest of people. People who would walk toward me and stop right in front of the 6 foot high, 4 foot wide battery display rack and say in an angry tone that the store was laid out in too complicated of a manner because he couldn't find the damn batteries.

Another customer, another day, looking for the batteries. I tell him, "right behind you."

So he walks right past the rack and then comes back and looks at me, bewildered. So I tell him again, "Behind you>'

He turns around but looks to the right.

I tell him, "no, right there to your left."

So he turns to his left and walks past the battery rack.

"No sir, you just passed it. It is behind you again, to your right."

He turns around and walks past the rack and looks to his right, away from the rack.

I tell him, "Sir, it's right there to your left now!"

He then looks to his left down the aisle completely past the batteries. By this time I wonder if I'm on hidden camera and this is all a joke, because how can anyone be that oblivious?

Finally I have to come out from behind the counter and physically direct him to the 6 foot high, 4 foot wide rack right beside him. And he shrugs it off and says, "Ah, if it was a snake it would have bitten me."

So I tell him, "First aid is on aisle 8, for that snake bite."

Woman comes in to return the camera that she bought. She doesn't like it because it doesn't work. So I ask her, "Have you made sure the batteries are new and fresh?

She says, "It's supposed to use batteries?"

Another woman comes in and is angry that the calculator she bought does not work right. She wants a refund, because no matter how many times she pressed the clear button, or the off button, the same set of numbers remain on the LCD screen and she can't clear them off. I apologize and use my fingernail to peel off the thin plastic sheet of pre-printed numbers that came attached to the LCD screen face, the same sort of plastic numbers that usually come on all calculators, some digital clocks, or most anything with an LCD screen display. She walked out with her calculator quickly, pretty embarrassed.

I used to get all all types like that. Someday I should write a book.

[Red-Handed Jill]

Back in the Dark Ages, I briefly worked at Round Table Pizza. I can't tell you how often folks would walk up to the drink display and ask, with no trace of irony, what sizes of drinks we had. Now, we had the drink display with the sizes and prices at eye level, so that when a person came up to the first place in line, they were a foot away, looking square at it. Yet, more often than not, I would get asked, "What size drinks do you have?" I usually brought my hand over and pointed to the drinks - "This is small... this is medium... this is large..." At that point, most of them had the good grace to look sheepish. They certainly couldn't accuse me of hiding that information.

I've found that most people, if they are anywhere where someone can serve them, leave their brains elsewhere.

[CaptainCiaran]

I've found that most people, if they are anywhere where someone can serve them, leave their brains elsewhere

And the scary part be that most of these people are driving on the highways!

[Red Dog]

'lo folks, I work in facilities maintenance for the Irvine Company at the Irvine Spectrum Center, an open air mall. My scope of responsibility is to maintain the buildings and attractions, I work for the mall, not at the mall.

I had a lady chew me out tonight because the payphone wasn't where she thought it should be. I assured her I'd have a word with SBC about it.

Had another lady become totally irate about the fact that the pants she just purchased at Jeany were 30% less at the store 1 door down. I work for neither of these stores.

A manager of Old Navy called my manager and complained that I wasn't being very helpful. My manager called me to ask what I was asked to do. The Old Navy manager had asked me to unload a truck container and store it in back of his store, my manager chewed this guy a new one.

A lady dropped her Platinum wedding ring down a storm drain and I climbed down into it, retrived her ring and returned it to her and all she said was, "it's dirty" and walked away.

I was clearing an empty store and preparing to black out the windows when a man walked in and asked " are you open" I stood there slack-jawed at this.

I was broad-sided in my bright yellow electric utility cart while carrying 30, orange, 4 foot tall, traffic cones in the back and the lady threatened to sue because she didn't see me, in the middle of the street, with the strobes flashing right next to the stop sign she ran. Never heard back from her?

Strange thing is, I kinda look forward to these folks, they make me feel like a genius.

[PyratePhil]

I think it's for people like this that the expression "Here's yer sign!" was invented...

I like when I'm in a public park doing t'ai chi...I'm dressed in a black t'ai chi outfit (the kind with the frog buttons and white collar)...I'm wearing black Chinese slippers...usually I'll have some students with me...we're all moving as slow as syrup in December...

Someone ALWAYS comes up and says, "Is that karate?"

"No, it's t'ai chi"

"Oh...is that a martial art?"

"Yes, it is"

"How can you win a fight if you're moving that slow?"

...here's yer sign...

[Gigi]

A lady dropped her Platinum wedding ring down a storm drain and I climbed down into it, retrived her ring and returned it to her and all she said was, "it's dirty" and walked away.

I had a lady come storming into the theater where I worked screaming that we'd stolen her sunglasses and she wanted to talk to the person who cleaned the theater because that person had stolen her sunglasses. I explained that she was "talking" to the person who had cleaned the theater, and I would be glad to help her find them. I found out she'd placed them in her cardboard carry tray from the snackbar that she'd dropped on the floor with the rest of her trash, and I explained that we don't look at the trash, we just sweep. Then I climbed through two trash cans to find her carry tray. When I found it and her sunglasses, she said nothing...no "sorry I accused you of stealing" or even "thanks for going through the garbage for me". Grrr.

Another lady threw a screaming hissy fit in the theater while the movie was going because I asked her to give up the handicap seat to a man with a broken leg. She explained, not so quietly, that she wanted the handicap seat so she wouldn't have to sit by anyone. Why leave your friggin house???

But that one about the platinum ring...that takes the cake.

[Merrydeath]

When I worked at the store with the big Bullseye on the shirt... (that alone made me wonder about the place) I had one guy call me on the phone and ask about what to use for leakage.. urine leakage. I said it Depends. (he didn't get the joke) I then went on to tell him about femine pads. I was never sure if it was someone from Corporate hasseling me, a loony tunes, or someone serious...

and we won't go into how many times I had someone hand me a cup or plate with some eaten food on it, asking for me to toss it into the garbage.. The store has 25 scanner/phone/garbage cans in it.. FIND ONE!

I think the prize for the dumbest one was the woman who berated a clerk about the price of a shirt she bought. The chick had to be on something. She ended up being charged $1 more for it by returning it for the 'sale' price.

caaarazzzy.

[hitman]

Tech support nightmares

The idiots who typed out the phonetic alphabet. First clue that this was happening caller say's "You are going to fast"

I'm trying to keep up with the hurricane that came ashore about an hour ago but my tv isn't working. Oh I'm sorry mam do you have power for the tv. WELL OF COURSE I DO IT"S PLUGGED INTO MY GENERATOR.

My monitior/printer/camera/video game/ isn't working and there tech support is closed so I called you. Mam I can't help you with that I'm internet tech support. "IF YOU DON'T HELP ME I WILL CANCEL MY SERVICE"or "The last person I spoke with there said they couldn't help me with my Printer/etc. problem so I'm hoping you can"

There is of course more but I'm already aveing flash backs so I'll end it there.

[Lady Seahawke]

the best one I had, is when I was at a yard sell and saw this beautiful full body sized mirror still in the box with a stand. It stated it was solid brass frame. It was lovely and only $5.00

I asked the couple if I was seeing the price right...(thought a kid might have changed tags on it) Was told yes, bought it, then took it out of the box, and proceeded to take the blue film off of it. The look on their face was beautiful. They had gotten it as a present and when they saw the blue they thought something was wrong with it.

I explained that the blue sticky film was a protective element and all nearly all brass purchased had it on it. I felt bad seeing that they didn't realize it, even offered to not take it, but, the man just shook his head with his jaw clenched and said no. I had bought it fair and square. I wonder what type of arguement they had later.

[Monterey Jack]

Here are my favorites from the leather shop I work at:

Standing outside staring at the closed sign and mouthing the words, "are you open?" at me thru the glass.

"oh, there's no price tag, it must be free." That stopped being funny ten years ago. Now I say, "no, if it has no tag, I get to ask whatever I want; $400.00, please."

Standing outside after closer pointing angrily to their watch that says it 4:57.....while mine inside says 5:15. How am I supposed to operate my shop by their watch?

Calling at 5: 50

"what time do you close?"

"5 o'clock"

"Oh good! I'll be there by 5"

It never ends; I have a whole list of these gems, including some I see aren't mine alone, that I intend to create a blog for one of these days.

[Red Dog]

I forgot my best one!!!!

Back in the days when Western PC was top of the computer world, 1985 or 86 I think, I worked for a company called Albright Computers in Huntington Beach. I did installs and connections at peoples offices.

I rec'd a call from a gentleman who apparently didn't speak English very well and had a heavy Asian accent. After a bit I learned he worked for a company where an install had just been completed and the cleaning crew had just left. All he said was "Computer gone"

I asked if the computer, monitor, et al was plugged in and he said yes.

I asked him to turn on the computer, he did and said, "computer gone"

I asked if he could see the monitor, he said yes

I asked what it said, he said "computer gone"

The business was about 10 minutes away in costa mesa so I hopped in my 1973 Ford Pinto and went to see what was up.

I arrived to find the cleaning truck abandoned in the middle of the parking lot with a string of computers behind it all connected together with coaxial cable.

When the crew finished dressing the cables and were repacking their truck the didn't cut the last run of cable, tossed the box into the truck and drove away, pulling all 5 PC's out the door. We never located the cleaners or the truck keys.

[oderlesseye]

THe next person who ask me if I work at home depot I will help them to the point that maybe they'll seek a manager to get me fired! Entertainment live! :angry:

[William Brand]

People will walk up to me while I'm painting, brush in hand, and ask me...

"Did you paint that?"

And I will say, "No. I'm touching it up."

[PyratePhil]

LOL!

Remember MAD's "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions"?

[Ransom]

Years ago when I worked at B. Dalton Bookstore, a woman returned a hardback book. When asked why, she informed us that the book was boring.

Another woman had just seen the movie Excaliber, and asked what book it was based on. I told her La Mort d'Arthur by Mallory, and showed her the book. She wanted to know what he had written recently. I politely told her that he too busy being dead to write more books.

When I was in the SCA, my boyfriend and I were in a liquor store, in costume, and a guy came in and asked us if we worked there. Ony thing I could figure, was he thought we were doing some kind of promo for the store.

[lady snow]

I'm sure all of us who frequent Renn Faires in costume have got the, "Do you work here?".

I used to all the time but it seems like these days more people come in costume so it happens less often.

i have people assume i'm inthe cast all the time, but just a playtron as of yet at parf. in cast at emmf and fort tryon, though.

[Rogue Mermaid]

I worked at a party store during college and I handled alot of orders for balloons.

You would be amazed at the number of people who didn't know that balloons don't float without helium. I actually had someone return a handful of uninflated balloons and very irately tell me that they didn't float when he blew them up with his mouth.

I also had the people who would buy the mylar balloons (the shiney metalic ones) in the winter, take them out to the car and then return them a minute later irate because, "This balloon has a hole in it!". Then they were amazed when I pointed out that the balloon was fully inflated. The balloons were shrinking in the cold air since cold makes the helium compress and reinflating in the heat of the store when the air reexpanded.

[The Doctor]

I could rack it up as them being clueless, becasue my garb is decidedly 17th century as opposed the 16th centiry theme of the faire... but I take it as a compliment that the women in the mead and beer booths at the MN Renaissance Festival refused to serve me because they thought I was a performer instead of a patron. My garb can't be too off the mark if the booze nazis get confused!

[Red Dog]

Another thing that always bothered me at Faire was Scotsmen carrying katanas like the movie "Highlander" gave some historic fact to this? I've been to Scotland, I've seen Claymores, basket hilted claymores, norman swords, french falcatas, even saw a scramsax, all authentic, but never encountered a katana.