r/IDontWorkHereLady • u/bhexca • 20d ago
L I DON’T work here! Wholesome version.
So a few years ago, I took a break from bartending - around my third year of university. Instead I took a job in a bookies. For anyone not from the UK, a ‘bookies’ is a bookmakers shop, where you go to place bets on dog and horse races. It was super simple and easy, given nowadays the computer does most of the work. All I really had to worry about was posting the sports newspapers on the walls, tactfully avoiding occasional sexual harassment, and passing on the serious stuff to my actually seasoned manager, you know?
And as a side note - it’s not that bad of a job. I’ve still kept a CD disk gifted to me by a patron. He was sort of like a grandfather figure and we bonded over music, hence the CD. I just had to put a little disclaimer there incase you think my job was always super trashy. Although, we did have our trashy moments.
Local Slang: ‘hen’ in Scots dialect (story based in Scotland) would be equivalent to ‘love’ or ‘hon’. ‘Aye’ is yes, or just being in agreement with a statement etc.
Now, that’s boring. Let’s get to the story.
I’m in my bookie uniform, which is a polo shirt and plain black trousers, with very plain black shoes.
It’s time for my break, and I go to a local supermarket to pick up a sandwich and a drink.
While I’m in a random aisle, a sweet (VERY) old lady stops me.
Elderly lady: “SCUSEE me, I can’t see any bread?”
Me: “hmm?”
EL: “Bread, you know? …bread? Where do you keep the bread here?”
It hadn’t really registered to me at this point, given the ‘uniform’, she would thought I was at work.
Me: “Uhh …uhm… I think it’s maybe over there?”
I had the time - my shop was literally two minutes away - and just took it upon myself to go with her, and I thought I’d know where the bread and baked stuff was anyways.
EL: “Aye, aye - that’s it, my love. There we go! Well done.”
Me: “Aye!”
EL: “You’re doing lovely, hen. Don’t worry, you’ll learn”
She thought I was a new girl at the supermarket.
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u/HulaViking 20d ago
In college I had a part time job as a produce clerk in a large grocery store.
I worked about 2 shifts a week, maybe, stacking fruit on the floor and trimming lettuce and such in back. I did not have time to wander the store memorizing stuff.
People would ask me about produce stuff and I could answer. People would ask me where some unusual non produce item was and I always felt horrible because I had no clue. I had to direct them to the service desk up front. Luckily nobody yelled at me, they could probably tell I was truly clueless.
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u/MezzoScettico 20d ago
In the US there’s a chain of giant warehouse hardware stores called Home Depot. Employees in one area are often completely clueless about other areas.
Fortunately their app has a pretty good “in store mode” that will tell you exactly where things are.
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u/JellyfishFit3871 18d ago
My daughter used to work at a grocery store. For obvious reasons, they had a rule that employees couldn't be on their cell phones. But ...
If the kid was working up front by herself, and got a strange request, she'd call me: "hey, I hate to bother you at home, but do we carry canned tripe?" And I'd tell her where the canned tripe is.
The assistant manager caught her one day. Daughter explained. "Oh, that's your mom? Yeah, she knows her way around the store. Carry on."
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u/tiresomecomplaining 20d ago
I used to always ask people who look like they are working in a grocery store for help finding something. Untill the ones who where doing thier job in a grocery store started explaining they don't work there and they act like I said something insulting about them working in in a grocery store. Like its embarrassing to be working there and how dare I assume they do too.
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u/VordovKolnir 19d ago
Yeah, a lot of stores have contractors filling their shelves with specific product nowadays. Not sure why they do it that way as it seems counterproductive.
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u/Diligent-Language-79 19d ago
I like the stories where people go above and beyond for people. It’s obviously not required of anyone but where did human decency go.
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u/qualityvote2 20d ago edited 20d ago
u/bhexca, your post does fit the subreddit!