People can be quick to assume you work somewhere just because of what you’re wearing.

What would you do if someone stormed up to you in a crowded restaurant, demanded to know where the trash can was, and then acted furious when you admitted you didn’t know?

Would you try to help her? Or would you make it clear that you don’t work there?

In today’s story, one man encounters this exact situation at a National Park.

Here’s how it all went down.

You don’t KNOW?!

Many years ago, I was at Grand Teton National Park. I was in one of the restaurants there, waiting in a crowd with many other people. It was really busy.

This middle-aged woman rushes up to me with garbage in her hands, like food wrappers of some kind, I think, and says, “Excuse me! Where is the trash can?!”

She wasn’t using a very polite tone, and I probably looked pretty startled. I just looked around and said, “I don’t know.”

The lady seemed very angry.

She got very shocked and angry and said, “You don’t know?! ” like I was the biggest idiot in the world.

I just said, “Maybe there’s one in the bathroom?”

She kept staring at me, looking more and more angry.

I was wearing brown pants, a green T-shirt that said “Jekyll Island, GA,” a baseball cap, and hiking boots.

If I’m being generous, my color scheme could maybe be interpreted as similar to that of a park employee… but no. It really wasn’t.

Other people were just as confused as he was.

I realized what was happening and said very loudly and slowly, “I don’t. woooork. here.”

She just walked away and didn’t apologize or anything. I shook my head, baffled, and made eye contact with some other people who had confused expressions that mirrored my own.

It all happened very fast. The woman was like a Karen tornado, and I feel bad for whatever employee she eventually did find.

Oh my! She’s the exact kind of person you don’t want to run into.

Let’s check out what the folks over at Reddit have to say about this whole thing.

For this reader, it was pretty obvious he didn’t work there.

This would’ve been a fantastic solution.

Here’s what this person would’ve told her.

At least this person was nice.

She asked for it.

Finding a trash can is not that serious.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.