I felt the need to post this.

[Frostblooded]

A little background: My husband works for Miller-Coors, Monday - Saturday. Sometimes on Sundays he will take extra pay for a couple of hours out to stock some shelves with product. He isn't required to wear his uniform while doing this, and wasn't today.

He was in a store with a load of beer stock inside a shopping cart, stocking the shelves. A woman walks by and says to him, "I bet you make your parents so proud by drinking that much in college."

1) He is not in college.

2) We pay our own bills, and have for six years now.

3) He never drinks. Perhaps a Mike's Hard Lemonade once every month.

The gall of this woman, wow! What "interesting assumptions" have been made about you?

[MsMarjorie]

I would have laughed, that woman was just carrying her own issues front & centre and projecting them onto your husband.  What did he do?

[gramma dishes]

LOL!  He should have said, "Yeah, Lady.  That's why I'm putting the stuff ON the shelves not taking it off!  Big party tonight in Aisle 6!"

[Frostblooded]

Honestly, he was a good boy and wants to keep his job. He applied the title line of this forum section and then ignored her. It wasn't the first time someone has said something like that to him in his profession, and it probably wont be the last. He did tell me he desperately wanted to correct her about the points I mentioned above, and tell her that her obviously pre-teen daughters buttcheeks are very visible on her really, really short-shorts and that he can see side-breast poking out of her top as well.

He gets this kind of thing way, way too often. I feel sorry for him. A busload of kids from a religious school were making comments when he was in uniform and driving the truck with logos on the side, talking about him as an agent of sin. Then at least once a week he is set back thirty minutes or so cleaning at least over a hundred pamphlets out of the beer stock at the store where someone stuffed them full of them - even inside the cardboard!

He also has trouble with several store patrons from churches that stand in front of the beer stock and preach/accost him and people who want to buy from the section. The people are scaring some potential buyers off, which is upsetting because that's our livelihood. The more he sells, the better his paycheck.

He gets harassed and talked about behind his back far more than he ever anticipated taking the job several years ago. (I even posted about it here all worried, but it's been GREAT!) These people don't even know him personally, he's such a honest and nice man. A case of killing the messenger, I suppose.

[Raintree]

He gets this kind of thing way, way too often. I feel sorry for him. A busload of kids from a religious school were making comments when he was in uniform and driving the truck with logos on the side, talking about him as an agent of sin. 

Hoo boy. Tempting: "Maybe when you're a little older you'll find a way to think for yourselves. In the meantime, mind your own business."

[NotTheNarcissist]

Years ago I dated a Coors guy who was hit on consistently while he stocked beer in grocery stores; he always wore his uniform though. I don't remember any guilt trip stories like this one. It would be hard for me to bite my tongue if I were in your DH's position. Sad to hear he has to go through that.

[Frostblooded]

Oh yes! He gets flirted with/hit on quite a lot too, much more. I think the uniform looks good on him too.  I don't blame them!

[BeagleMommy]

There's no way to change the opinions of those who are convinced their beliefs are the only ones that are right.  Maybe your DH should keep a running total of how man"promoting sin" comments he gets.  When he reaches 100 the two of you go out for a romantic dinner.

[iridaceae]

He also has trouble with several store patrons from churches that stand in front of the beer stock and preach/accost him and people who want to buy from the section. The people are scaring some potential buyers off, which is upsetting because that's our livelihood. The more he sells, the better his paycheck.

I hate this. If you think drinking's evil don't drink. Seriously. I've known a few fundamentalist Christians who don't drink and they go to parties at the houses of people who do, including their relatives, because they understand that not everyone feels as they do.

And then, of course, there was my fundamentalist Christian room-mate in college who lectured everyone on our floor about the evils of drinking and then went out to bars and drank like a fish because it was okay for her to. 

[Kasia_Kiwi]

Honestly, he was a good boy and wants to keep his job. He applied the title line of this forum section and then ignored her. It wasn't the first time someone has said something like that to him in his profession, and it probably wont be the last. He did tell me he desperately wanted to correct her about the points I mentioned above, and tell her that her obviously pre-teen daughters buttcheeks are very visible on her really, really short-shorts and that he can see side-breast poking out of her top as well.

He gets this kind of thing way, way too often. I feel sorry for him. A busload of kids from a religious school were making comments when he was in uniform and driving the truck with logos on the side, talking about him as an agent of sin. Then at least once a week he is set back thirty minutes or so cleaning at least over a hundred pamphlets out of the beer stock at the store where someone stuffed them full of them - even inside the cardboard!

He also has trouble with several store patrons from churches that stand in front of the beer stock and preach/accost him and people who want to buy from the section. The people are scaring some potential buyers off, which is upsetting because that's our livelihood. The more he sells, the better his paycheck.

He gets harassed and talked about behind his back far more than he ever anticipated taking the job several years ago. (I even posted about it here all worried, but it's been GREAT!) These people don't even know him personally, he's such a honest and nice man. A case of killing the messenger, I suppose.

Mind. Officially. Blown.

Call me sheltered but I would never think that the grocery store is an appropriate place to voice your social views. A job is a job and don't people know it's hard enough to get one? OP, your husband gets many points for handling these scenarios with grace and calm.

[Ginya]

I worked for RadioShack for a couple of years, I experienced a LOT of discrimination from patrons but one took the cake. When I went to see if I could help him he pointedly told me that No, I could not and that the only reason the company would hire me is because they have to hire "a few girls to look pretty and keep the lawyers off their back, because everyone knows girls don't know anything about electronics."....

I feel for your husband, being in any proximity to the public while working is often rife with people passing judgement on you based on appearance or their own misconceptions. It's unfortunately something your really just have to learn to brush off, you're never going to change their opinion because for some reason people like that want to put you down to feel better about themselves. Although it is well with in his rights to say "that's an interesting assumption" when he is subjected to people like that.

[Mental Magpie]

I worked at Hot Topic.  I got assumptions from all over the place.

1) "You're corrupting my kids!"
2) "Oh, so that's why you're dressed like that, you work at Hot Topic."  No, I always dress like this, thank you; we do not have a "uniform."  I realize I'm nice and polite, so I don't exactly fit your mold of what nice people dress like, but we come in all kinds.
3) "I didn't have enough tattoos for them to hire me." I (at the time) only had 1, and it is tiny.

My favorite was always the first.  I had absolutely nothing to do with how you raised your kid.  If I was your husband, I would say, "Adults get to make their own decisions," and be done with it.

Then there were all of the assumptions about me when I worked in fast food...

Ooooo, my favorite "Whaaaa?" moment was when a woman told me that I was too pretty to not believe in deity.  That absolutely blew my mind.

[Ms_Cellany]

Ooooo, my favorite "Whaaaa?" moment was when a woman told me that I was too pretty to not believe in deity.  That absolutely blew my mind.

Random mental association:

"We’re not gonna die. We can’t die, Bendis. And you know why? Because we are so… very… pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die. Huh? Look at that chiseled jaw, huh? Come on!"

[Piratelvr1121]

I worked at Hot Topic.  I got assumptions from all over the place.

1) "You're corrupting my kids!"
2) "Oh, so that's why you're dressed like that, you work at Hot Topic."  No, I always dress like this, thank you; we do not have a "uniform."  I realize I'm nice and polite, so I don't exactly fit your mold of what nice people dress like, but we come in all kinds.
3) "I didn't have enough tattoos for them to hire me." I (at the time) only had 1, and it is tiny.

My favorite was always the first.  I had absolutely nothing to do with how you raised your kid.  If I was your husband, I would say, "Adults get to make their own decisions," and be done with it.

Then there were all of the assumptions about me when I worked in fast food...

Ooooo, my favorite "Whaaaa?" moment was when a woman told me that I was too pretty to not believe in deity.  That absolutely blew my mind.

I always heard "I don't have enough piercings to work there."  Now granted many of the HT's I've been to had employees who did have a lot of piercings but I've seen a few who don't.

[Mental Magpie]

I worked at Hot Topic.  I got assumptions from all over the place.

1) "You're corrupting my kids!"
2) "Oh, so that's why you're dressed like that, you work at Hot Topic."  No, I always dress like this, thank you; we do not have a "uniform."  I realize I'm nice and polite, so I don't exactly fit your mold of what nice people dress like, but we come in all kinds.
3) "I didn't have enough tattoos for them to hire me." I (at the time) only had 1, and it is tiny.

My favorite was always the first.  I had absolutely nothing to do with how you raised your kid.  If I was your husband, I would say, "Adults get to make their own decisions," and be done with it.

Then there were all of the assumptions about me when I worked in fast food...

Ooooo, my favorite "Whaaaa?" moment was when a woman told me that I was too pretty to not believe in deity.  That absolutely blew my mind.

I always heard "I don't have enough piercings to work there."  Now granted many of the HT's I've been to had employees who did have a lot of piercings but I've seen a few who don't.

I had three in each ear, that was it, and they weren't even gauged when I was hired.  I was hired by my merit, not how I looked.