It is always a cross between funny and annoying when someone asks you for help at a place where you don’t work.

When the woman in this story went to thrift shops, she almost always got asked questions, even though she didn’t work there.

With that in mind, she thought she should apply for a job, and now she works for a thrift store, helping everyone who comes her way.

If Everyone Is Gonna Think I Work Here Anyway, I Might As Well Start Getting Paid

About 2 and half years ago I got really into thrifting.

Thrifting can be a very fun activity.

I love the thrill of the hunt and occasionally finding cute little treasures to put on my trinket shelves.

Even better if I find something I needed to buy anyway for a better price.

You have to check on the best stores regularly.

I started visiting thrift stores so often I got very familiar with all of my local thrift’s layouts.

I’m not much interested in clothes, I just want to look at household stuff and thrifts are usually set up so that all of the household things are in the back of the store.

No reason to waste time.

As a result, I usually walk quickly through the front of the store straight to the decor aisle.

I guess walking quickly and confidently through a thrift store is enough to make it look like you work there, because all of the sudden I started getting “Do you work here?” At every single thrift I went to.

She is enjoying her time off.

The first time it happend, it was my day off and I was “thrift hopping” as a fun activity on my day off.

Just going from store to store looking for frog figurines and brass decor.

What do you need?

The first store of the day I squeezed by a woman in an aisle and heard her say “Um, hello?” I continued walking because I didn’t realize she was talking to me.

That’s when I heard her say, louder “Wait, excuse me!”

An innocent mistake.

I stopped and turned around to look at her, very confused, when she asks “You work here, don’t you?”

I kinda laugh and go “Oh, no, I’m sorry, I don’t.” She was embarrassed. She apologized. I thought ‘that was a silly little thing’ and moved on with my life, thinking that was the end of it.

What is she wearing?

Then I went to the next store and the same thing happened! I passed by a man who asked me if I worked there and I told him no and moved on.

At the next store I came and browsed and shopped without incident.

She couldn’t quite escape.

Then as I was leaving, like, I literally had one foot out the door, a young teenage boy and girl came up to me and asked me when the store closed.

I said “I’m pretty sure they close at 9.”

No, she shouldn’t just know that.

The boy sort of looked at me like I was being silly and asked “isn’t that something you should know?”

If it weren’t for the previous two interactions I honestly would’ve been confused by this, but at this point my brain was already in “I don’t work here mode” so I assumed he thought I was an employee too and said “sorry, I don’t work here”

At least everyone is good-natured about it.

The boy looked like he wanted to die while the girl just laughed at him and I exited the store.

For the next several weeks everytime I visited a thrift, no matter if it was a Goodwill, Salvation Army, a local place or anywhere else, someone would inevitably ask me if I worked there.

She wants to be helpful.

At first I stuck to my “I don’t work here” answer, but it started happening so much from so many different people I finally just started rolling with it.

“What’s the sales color?” “It’s green today.”

“Where would I find silverware?” “Same place as the pots and pans. Back of the store, third aisle from the left.”

“Did you guys test this computer?” “So many electronics get donated, there’s no way every single one can get tested. But there’s a power strip right over there if you’d like to test it yourself.”

This is getting really weird.

It happened at every thrift store and only at thrift stores. I didn’t get it at the grocery store or at restaurants or anywhere else. Only thrifts.

Finally I figured “what the heck, apparently I’m good at this, let’s give it a shot” and applied to the closest local thrift store to where I was living.

Now she is getting paid to do what she was doing for free.

I was interviewed and hired on the spot, starting out as a cashier and within 2 weeks I was in the back of the store pricing household items.

After just a couple days of pricing my manager told me “you are good at your job. Like. REALLY good.” I got a raise the next week.

This is really her calling.

Within a few months I was promoted to a team lead and had been given several raises.

I will have been working as a team lead at this store for two years in January and I am loving it.

This is the biggest benefit.

I get to see every single item that comes through and I never miss seeing a fun treasure and love uniting these beautiful preloved pieces with someone who will cherish it.

I have a job I love that I hope to be working for many more years to come and it all started with the silly question most people dread: “Do you work here?”

This all really worked out for her. It is almost like it was meant to be.

Read on to see what the people in the comments had to say about this fun story.

Hey, that worked out perfectly.

It really was a great story.

Yup, it worked out well.

I’m wondering this as well.

If people think you work there already, maybe you should.

Well, that’s one way to find your dream job.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.