@Nonfiction wrote:
I had Kohl's associate follow me around the store for 2 hours straight while I was doing this Haggar job at a location. The clothes I had on for this job cost more than anything Haggar sold in that store. I was dress professionally. I was angry when I left but I did a good job. You have to watch the stores you go in if you are Black doing these Haggar jobs.
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Seriously?
So sorry you had to deal with that.
I've also had management (or an assigned associate) follow me around to be sure I'm legit.
As a former retail manager, I can say I was responsible for anyone I allowed access to merchandise, especially the back room/stock area.
I've asked for a Letter of Authorization/name/tag/ID card to build trust. It's also customary for the company to provide that and/or contact the store manager to let them know someone will be coming and who. Not having that impacts our credibility, and that of Customer Impact, and the client.
I guess they figure we're not employees so it's just an extra expense for an ID, but an LOA costs nothing: It's just a simple introduction on letterhead in PDF format that can be attached to an email we can print along with the guidelines.
Until then I show them the guidelines...and they still follow me around for a while on the first visit. When they see the results of the work, they relax, but the discomfort could be avoided proactively with that letter.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2025 07:19PM by SBP.