September 24, 2025 at 10:35 pm

Retail Employee Just Wanted To Grab Lunch After Their Shift, But A Confused Shopper Made Them Clock In Overtime At A Store They Didn’t Even Work At

by Benjamin Cottrell

fast food employees working in kitchen

Unsplash/Reddit

In an increasingly fast-paced world, many people rely on quick visual cues when they shop, but sometimes those cues lead them astray.

One retail worker discovered this firsthand when he became a stand-in staff for a store they didn’t even work at!

Keep reading for the full story.

I’ve just started answering like I do

I work at a Panda Express in the same complex as a Sprouts.

Sometimes, for lunch or after my shift, I’ll head to Sprouts and get some of their sushi or a protein bar or something.

But their work outfit always manages to trip customers up.

I’m always in uniform, of course, and that always confuses people 😭.

I get it—I’m wearing a hat and sometimes my apron will be on.

Even though the colors don’t match at all, customers don’t seem to care.

But I CONSTANTLY get mistaken for a Sprouts employee even though my uniform is black and red and theirs is green and white…? 😭😭

So lately this exasperated employee has taken a different approach to dealing with the confusion.

It happens to me so often that when they ask where something is, I just answer and move on with my day, lol.

I’ve been there enough that I do know where things are—it’s a small store—so I just point them in the direction and go, because I can’t keep saying, “I don’t work here,” anymore 😭.

It gets tiring repeating yourself all the time.

What did Reddit make of this story?

Maybe these customers were just in too big of a hurry to find a real employee.

Screenshot 2025 09 05 at 6.44.35 PM Retail Employee Just Wanted To Grab Lunch After Their Shift, But A Confused Shopper Made Them Clock In Overtime At A Store They Didnt Even Work At

Why not just ask upfront first?

Screenshot 2025 09 05 at 6.45.08 PM Retail Employee Just Wanted To Grab Lunch After Their Shift, But A Confused Shopper Made Them Clock In Overtime At A Store They Didnt Even Work At

Maybe uniform colors aren’t common knowledge for some.

Screenshot 2025 09 05 at 6.45.35 PM Retail Employee Just Wanted To Grab Lunch After Their Shift, But A Confused Shopper Made Them Clock In Overtime At A Store They Didnt Even Work At

Many people just aren’t observant.

Screenshot 2025 09 05 at 6.47.21 PM Retail Employee Just Wanted To Grab Lunch After Their Shift, But A Confused Shopper Made Them Clock In Overtime At A Store They Didnt Even Work At

After a while, correcting them became more exhausting than just obliging.

Another day, another oblivious customer.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.