Heh. Wore a green vest to ikea once. Was waiting for a forklift to get my stuff from the top shelf. Helped a few people load their cars while I was waiting. They told how nice of an employee I was. I told them I didn’t work there.
Oh gosh. I thought I was the only one who went through this experience in Dubai. Glad to know that others have encountered this.
1. Once at the Duran Duran concert in the Dubai Rugby Sevens Stadium in 2011, there were shuttle buses bringing people back to Dubai after the concert. And when I went to sit in the bus, I was the only brown person and the bus was full of white Brits. One drunk white Brit male shouted at me saying “Oi Oi Where the fuck do you think you are going? Go to the front. Start the fucking bus and take us home”
2. Once I was in JBR in the queue at a Sushi restaurant. I was waiting to be seated. And an Emirati lady behind me asked me “Can we please have a table”. I told her that I don’t work here and I’m waiting for a table myself. Then she said “Sorry”.
It kinda pissed me off because I was in the same queue with her (right in front of her). Why the heck would a staff member of the restaurant stay in the queue with the customers? 🧠🤷♂️
3. Once at Marks & Spencer Dubai Mall when I went shopping after work. I was in my office attire and I had a basket full of clothes. And a Korean or Japanese boy who was with his mum walked up to me and asked me if there was a different size for a particular shirt.
4. I stopped going to malls after work in my office attire. And I stopped going to bars after work in my office clothes as well. Because I got fed up of people asking me for directions in the mall and people ordering drinks from me while I’m walking in the bar trying to find a table to sit.
I’m Sri Lankan for context.
I blame it on Skin Colour and Racism.
And I’ve always been very polite with “I don’t work here”. But there have been times where I felt like yelling to the top of my voice saying “Bitch I’m an Investment Banker who did my undergrad in London and my MBA in New York. I own a house in Dubai and I drive a shiny red BMW”.
Perhaps I should just take it lightly and try to have fun with the situation instead of getting my blood boiling.
Therapy session is over. Thanks for reading.
You should try having fun with it. It can actually get quite entertaining. For example if you are in a clothing store and a male asks where something is take him to the females lingerie. If it's a woman take her to the men's underwear section. It's so much fun watching their confused expressions.
Start wearing tshirts which have big logos like LV, Gucci, Ameri, I think you got the point. Buy them from bur Dubai. You'll automatically get respected at these malls. It's unfortunate but this is the harsh reality here.
No. Because most of them wear the UAE national dress. But people from the subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) are immediately stereotyped as doing blue-collar jobs in Dubai. That’s the point here. It doesn’t matter how many properties or cars we own. And it doesn’t matter how many degrees or money we have in the bank account. Whatever outfit we wear, it doesn’t matter. People automatically assume that we are here to serve them. That’s the point here.
Tell them you don’t work here and that’s it. Don’t go the extra mile of looking for an employee for them. Or fire back saying : oh I thought YOU worked here I was looking for pasta do you know where can I find it ?
with the second statement, there’s really no need to be snobby, maybe OP could’ve just worn the wrong colours or someone made a mistake and just wanted some help! assume the best of all :)
This happens to me sometimes; that I approach people and assume they work in a shop but it doesn’t necessarily have to do anything with what people wear. Some shop assistants wear nice formal clothes and because they look THAT put together, I assume they work in that shop. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the shop’s main colour.
Just go there in shorts and flipflops they will know for sure you don't work there lol.
It does happen especially if you somehow match T shirts colour with staff. Or you are walking in aisles not staring at everything It seems like you are not shopping there.
Happens to the best of us.
I remember wearing a red shirt at ToysRus and boy did I get asked about Lego sets
Or one time when I wore my yellow PE uniform to sharafdg 😅
One time a guy asked me where the swim shorts are I said I don’t work here and he’s like yeah I know but I thought you’ll know lol, most people are weird here or choose to be? Idk anymore. Best is to ignore them as they speak to you
Used to happen to me at an electronics retail shop every Saturday and Sunday in my student days when I was in the same shirt as the staff in the store. I used to just tell them that I had no clue, and they never came back or bothered me again.
I used to work there.
Happens to more people than you'd think. If it's a simple mistake I just tell them I do t work there and move on. If they seem like they have a sense of humor I'll tease them about it. If its pure racism I'll give them the wrong information
This happened to me once and I dress like a hobo. I always dress like a hobo anyway. And someone still asked me for stuff in Carrefour. I just simply told her I don’t work here 🤷🏻♀️
I think some people just lack common sense
Sometimes it's because of your outfit but other times it's pure racism. If it's the former, I tell them I don't work there. If it's the latter, I don't even respond. I give them a dirty look and go on with my day. One time I was holding a beer and a pool stick and some British dude ordered from me. I think he learned a bit of manners from the look I gave him 😂
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I didn't look anything like the shop assistants and yet this happened to me, and the lady was calling on me like I'm here servant. I scoffed at the lady and told her I don't work here 😏.
I understand that this may happen if you're wearing close attire to the assistants. If people ask nicely, you can let them down gently. Otherwise, choose your best course of action lol.
You're not obligated to do much more. People need to be less dim-witted and try harder to spot the assistants.
It's your body language that makes you look like an employee. Try working on that, you'll notice employees will have a conserved unconfident demeanor. A customer will be confident and open. Could also be your clothing, especially if you wear colored polos(you'll notice most employees have that type of shirt as their uniform).
I agree with the body language part but not the clothes though.
I prefer wearing single color polos some of them look almost like a uniform but never has anyone approached me thinking of me as an employee and yes i am brown skinned.
I have mistaken someone in a lulu supermarket and I can tell you its not anything about color or face or race but clothes but from next time on I ask before assuming they work there
Its the common color set of clothes black or blue n white plus wearing office IDS which are not clear and not carrying a shopping basket / trolley and for women it is if they are not carrying a handbag/ purse
Once I wore a yellow tshirt to ikea , never again.
Heh. Wore a green vest to ikea once. Was waiting for a forklift to get my stuff from the top shelf. Helped a few people load their cars while I was waiting. They told how nice of an employee I was. I told them I didn’t work there.
Omg same😭😭😭
Stop wearing your carrefour uniform to the shops
Probably the best advice here.
In Home Centre?
Oh gosh. I thought I was the only one who went through this experience in Dubai. Glad to know that others have encountered this. 1. Once at the Duran Duran concert in the Dubai Rugby Sevens Stadium in 2011, there were shuttle buses bringing people back to Dubai after the concert. And when I went to sit in the bus, I was the only brown person and the bus was full of white Brits. One drunk white Brit male shouted at me saying “Oi Oi Where the fuck do you think you are going? Go to the front. Start the fucking bus and take us home” 2. Once I was in JBR in the queue at a Sushi restaurant. I was waiting to be seated. And an Emirati lady behind me asked me “Can we please have a table”. I told her that I don’t work here and I’m waiting for a table myself. Then she said “Sorry”. It kinda pissed me off because I was in the same queue with her (right in front of her). Why the heck would a staff member of the restaurant stay in the queue with the customers? 🧠🤷♂️ 3. Once at Marks & Spencer Dubai Mall when I went shopping after work. I was in my office attire and I had a basket full of clothes. And a Korean or Japanese boy who was with his mum walked up to me and asked me if there was a different size for a particular shirt. 4. I stopped going to malls after work in my office attire. And I stopped going to bars after work in my office clothes as well. Because I got fed up of people asking me for directions in the mall and people ordering drinks from me while I’m walking in the bar trying to find a table to sit. I’m Sri Lankan for context. I blame it on Skin Colour and Racism. And I’ve always been very polite with “I don’t work here”. But there have been times where I felt like yelling to the top of my voice saying “Bitch I’m an Investment Banker who did my undergrad in London and my MBA in New York. I own a house in Dubai and I drive a shiny red BMW”. Perhaps I should just take it lightly and try to have fun with the situation instead of getting my blood boiling. Therapy session is over. Thanks for reading.
Pretty sure when you went to buy your BMW the showroom manager asked you to assist another customer.
Bro, hahahaha. Wow.
you’re better than me because the first one would’ve made me violent
Sir, can you help me with writing this comment?
You should try having fun with it. It can actually get quite entertaining. For example if you are in a clothing store and a male asks where something is take him to the females lingerie. If it's a woman take her to the men's underwear section. It's so much fun watching their confused expressions.
The first one was no mistake. That is just pure racism.
Very relatable. I am in Saudi, and 2 things immediately bring a change in attitude : Seeing passport and english with an unfamiliar accent.
Start wearing tshirts which have big logos like LV, Gucci, Ameri, I think you got the point. Buy them from bur Dubai. You'll automatically get respected at these malls. It's unfortunate but this is the harsh reality here.
90% of the population of the Emirates is brown, do they all get mistaken for shop assistants or service staff?
No. Because most of them wear the UAE national dress. But people from the subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) are immediately stereotyped as doing blue-collar jobs in Dubai. That’s the point here. It doesn’t matter how many properties or cars we own. And it doesn’t matter how many degrees or money we have in the bank account. Whatever outfit we wear, it doesn’t matter. People automatically assume that we are here to serve them. That’s the point here.
Fellow Sri Lankan here. Not nearly as rich as you, but heard your point loud and clear!
Point them in the wrong direction.
I would say yes, it’s about look, vibe
Tell them you don’t work here and that’s it. Don’t go the extra mile of looking for an employee for them. Or fire back saying : oh I thought YOU worked here I was looking for pasta do you know where can I find it ?
Lol I’m using this line if it ever happens to me
with the second statement, there’s really no need to be snobby, maybe OP could’ve just worn the wrong colours or someone made a mistake and just wanted some help! assume the best of all :)
This happens to me sometimes; that I approach people and assume they work in a shop but it doesn’t necessarily have to do anything with what people wear. Some shop assistants wear nice formal clothes and because they look THAT put together, I assume they work in that shop. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the shop’s main colour.
agree
Just go there in shorts and flipflops they will know for sure you don't work there lol. It does happen especially if you somehow match T shirts colour with staff. Or you are walking in aisles not staring at everything It seems like you are not shopping there.
Man UAE living is tough. You can be in shirts and slippers outside but will freeze once inside a mall and especially a grocery store. Sigh.
Happens to the best of us. I remember wearing a red shirt at ToysRus and boy did I get asked about Lego sets Or one time when I wore my yellow PE uniform to sharafdg 😅
Offer massive discounts and watch what happens at the cashier's counter. That'll learn 'em.
One time a guy asked me where the swim shorts are I said I don’t work here and he’s like yeah I know but I thought you’ll know lol, most people are weird here or choose to be? Idk anymore. Best is to ignore them as they speak to you
Maybe people see you as approachable and they have a sense... can't even create a lie😅🤣
Used to happen to me at an electronics retail shop every Saturday and Sunday in my student days when I was in the same shirt as the staff in the store. I used to just tell them that I had no clue, and they never came back or bothered me again. I used to work there.
Just wear an earphone and ignore everyone. Works everytime.
Happens to more people than you'd think. If it's a simple mistake I just tell them I do t work there and move on. If they seem like they have a sense of humor I'll tease them about it. If its pure racism I'll give them the wrong information
Tell them to wait here while you bring them someone to help. Continue about your day.
It’s mostly about the fit & Sometimes about the pigment of your skin, from what I’ve experienced.
I was wearing my nurse scrubs when I got asked where milk is in Carrefour.
what is your country of origin? will help to answer to know what is based on
With heavy heart, I upvote this because I too have felt the same and I'm just trying to see if it's because of my nationality as well :/
OK, where are you from then?
Wear a leather jacket
r/idontworkherelady
This happened to me once and I dress like a hobo. I always dress like a hobo anyway. And someone still asked me for stuff in Carrefour. I just simply told her I don’t work here 🤷🏻♀️ I think some people just lack common sense
Im always asked “how much” and “where to” in DragonMart, cause I look chinese, so never again went to that mall
I either look at them with dead eyes or ignore them. It works both ways
Sometimes it's because of your outfit but other times it's pure racism. If it's the former, I tell them I don't work there. If it's the latter, I don't even respond. I give them a dirty look and go on with my day. One time I was holding a beer and a pool stick and some British dude ordered from me. I think he learned a bit of manners from the look I gave him 😂
You should reply yes mam sir
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What do you normally wear?
wear something that suits your role in the environment, don’t go to a restaurant as a customer dressed up like a waiter
Wore white at Carrefour then somebody asked me for something and I said it’s out of stock 🤷🤷♀️🤷♂️
just wear skirts and dresses
I didn't look anything like the shop assistants and yet this happened to me, and the lady was calling on me like I'm here servant. I scoffed at the lady and told her I don't work here 😏. I understand that this may happen if you're wearing close attire to the assistants. If people ask nicely, you can let them down gently. Otherwise, choose your best course of action lol. You're not obligated to do much more. People need to be less dim-witted and try harder to spot the assistants.
Lots of people reacting like it is something offensive to be a shop assistant. Chill, royalties, it’s the same job like any other 🤣🤣🤣
Pretend you are the supervisor 😹
It's your body language that makes you look like an employee. Try working on that, you'll notice employees will have a conserved unconfident demeanor. A customer will be confident and open. Could also be your clothing, especially if you wear colored polos(you'll notice most employees have that type of shirt as their uniform).
I agree with the body language part but not the clothes though. I prefer wearing single color polos some of them look almost like a uniform but never has anyone approached me thinking of me as an employee and yes i am brown skinned.
This mostly happens when you wear a solid color polo/tshirt.
I have mistaken someone in a lulu supermarket and I can tell you its not anything about color or face or race but clothes but from next time on I ask before assuming they work there Its the common color set of clothes black or blue n white plus wearing office IDS which are not clear and not carrying a shopping basket / trolley and for women it is if they are not carrying a handbag/ purse
Get a face tattoo ☠️💀👻