Grocery Store Employee Name-Tags Turned Around

Have you all noticed, when doing grocery shops, that workers have their name-tags turned around (facing their chest and not visible)? I've seen this a lot, as if they don't want the secret shopper to get their name.

I sometimes get other cues too that maybe they're onto me.

Or, maybe I'm just paranoid!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2018 11:00PM by shoptastic.

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You're paranoid, lol. The tags flip around on their own as you move.

In MANY of the grocery shops I do, one of several associates that I have to evaluate is the Meat associate. He/she MOST of the time is wearing a full length, white "lab"-type coat over all their other clothes. Most of the time the nametag is UNDER the labcoat, and I can't see the name....I just give a description.

I have seen this too. I saw one of them actually flip their tag.

@Niner wrote:

I have seen this too. I saw one of them actually flip their tag.

I've seen a flipper too!

I wear a lanyard at my regular job. It seems to be flipped at least half the time. Not saying tags never get intentionally turned, but mine is randomly backwards a lot.

I've seen quite a few who wear their name tag on the side of their hat. This makes it hard to see it unless they turn away from facing you, and to the right side.

Stores should require that names be written on both sides of the name tag when on a lanyard. How hard would that be?

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2018 07:27PM by kenasch.

In the grocery shops I do, it is an infraction if the name tag is not worn, worn under an apron, lab coat or anywhere other than on the right chest.

@kryswyn916 wrote:

In the grocery shops I do, it is an infraction if the name tag is not worn, worn under an apron, lab coat or anywhere other than on the right chest.

I wish ALL grocery shops had that rule...it sure would help me when I'm on a shop!!

I think those employees who intentionally turn their name tags backwards are the ones who are paranoid. I don't encounter many of those in grocery stores; they either don't wear a name tag or cover it with a coat. The most common reason I cannot get a name in most shops is long hair covering the name tag.

What good is a visible name if the name is wrong? To this day I doubt that the apparent dude with the 'Cindy' (or Jan, or Marsha) name tag was wearing the correct name tag. We cannot compare shops or go back in time, but when next I saw the apparent dude at a different location, he was wearing 'Alan' or some such male-seeming name. He responded to that name.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

@Shop-et-al wrote:

What good is a visible name if the name is wrong? To this day I doubt that the apparent dude with the 'Cindy' (or Jan, or Marsha) name tag was wearing the correct name tag. We cannot compare shops or go back in time, but when next I saw the apparent dude at a different location, he was wearing 'Alan' or some such male-seeming name. He responded to that name.

What???

@Shop-et-al wrote:

What good is a visible name if the name is wrong? To this day I doubt that the apparent dude with the 'Cindy' (or Jan, or Marsha) name tag was wearing the correct name tag. We cannot compare shops or go back in time, but when next I saw the apparent dude at a different location, he was wearing 'Alan' or some such male-seeming name. He responded to that name.

In that situation once with a male wearing a name tag with an always female name on it, I asked an unsuspecting co-worker what the guys name was, and sure enough, I got his real name, and not the female name on the name tag.

@tcurione wrote:

@Shop-et-al wrote:

What good is a visible name if the name is wrong? To this day I doubt that the apparent dude with the 'Cindy' (or Jan, or Marsha) name tag was wearing the correct name tag. We cannot compare shops or go back in time, but when next I saw the apparent dude at a different location, he was wearing 'Alan' or some such male-seeming name. He responded to that name.

In that situation once with a male wearing a name tag with an always female name on it, I asked an unsuspecting co-worker what the guys name was, and sure enough, I got his real name, and not the female name on the name tag.

If the worker wants to trick me that's one thing (still wrong). But, if they possibly took the name of another co-worker, then that'd be really cruddy. What if I marked off points for that person and the co-worker got in trouble?

I guess with physical description requirements in the report, that could give the manager some investigative tools for discrepancies.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2018 01:06AM by shoptastic.

McLovin. Her name tag clearly said McLovin. Thing is, more than 6 months ago, same store, it was a guy whose tag said McLovin. So, I had to ask, "Is everyone in this store named McLovin?" Laughing, she said she just got promoted to McLovin. What fun bunch of kids! (mid to early 20s, kids to me).

I asked an employee one day. He said he couldn't take his name tag off while he was on break, but he was allowed to turn it around. It meant he could actually take a break without customers hounding him with questions, LOL.

I had one once where the name tag said "Minion #3". Fine by me, but the MSC didn't like it.

In my personal experience, many women do not want their names on name tag. Personal security reasons.

When I was delivering pizzas last year, it always shocked me when the customer greeted me by name at the door -- they had been following my trip on the company "app"!

It made me very, very uncomfortable.

Now, listen, I'm in my 70's -- and I had guys calling the business and asking for me.

"I want to talk with that lady who delivered my pizza. You know, the red-head -- she was just so nice. Can she deliver my pizza today?"

Definitely creeped me out.

Has anyone seen the show Super Store? America Ferrera's character always has a different name on her name tag and doesn't even want her newbie coworker to know her real name. They had an episode where the store had a mystery shopper, but they called the person a secret shopper. It was pretty funny.

I watched that episode. Yeppers, pretty funny.

Which episode and season?

When I worked in the casinos, I sometimes took my nametag off when going to break so the customers would not stop me and ask questions. Whenever I forgot my nametag and left it at home, the Pit Boss would grab a nametag from the handful of nametags (from terminated employees) that he kept in a drawer at the podium. I would wear that nametag. They want to be able to identify me in case a customer commented to management about me.

Banking is a problem with either no name tags, long hair covering the tag, sweater. No name, no pay. I usually say, "Is your name John?" Most of the time they give you their name. I say, "You look just like one of my grandson's friend ", or something like that. I hate asking.

@shopper8 wrote:

Banking is a problem with either no name tags, long hair covering the tag, sweater. No name, no pay. I usually say, "Is your name John?" Most of the time they give you their name. I say, "You look just like one of my grandson's friend ", or something like that. I hate asking.

nice one...tricky too. I like it! *added to my tools*

This is the worst part of the Blaze job for me. They do allow a description otherwise but they wear their name tags on the side of their hats and face forward to serve you. In addition they write their names in chalk and it is often rubbed off or so full of curlicues and flowers sometimes it is hard to read the name. Not to mention the many foreign names in my city that are unfamiliar to me and harder to remember. And alternate spellings of every name....

I went to a California Tortilla and every employee was wearing a name tag with with a name assigned by the manager. Names like Winner, Top Gun, Nifty and more. I reported what I saw. When I went back 2 months later (rotation), they all had real names on their name tags.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Season 1, episode 6.

@ceasesmith wrote:

I watched that episode. Yeppers, pretty funny.

Yeah; having worked in retail; with name tags; I always knew exactly why the reports ask for descriptions. It can get pretty funny.

Name Written on both sides of a lanyard!!! What a simple solution to an annoying issue. I wish companies would actually do this!!

As for flipping and covering...I’m guessing it is unintentional as I spent 13 years working in a grocery store (that I now Mystery Shop) and name tags and mystery shopping is something that never ever came up in conversation with us employees. We just didn’t know about it. Any complaints or compliments we got—we/I thought a customer told the manager directly and MS’ing never even occurred to me/us.

Here’s an honest question: is it our job to hunt down the real name when an obviously fake name is on the badge; like Sarah for a man or Minion#3?

I don’t do it. Instead I comment on it. Name badge SARAH was on a 6’2” male with short/balding grey hair.

I’ve never once had blow back because of it either. I just don’t think it’s my issue to find out if name is correct. I report what I see/read and comment where appropriate.

A guy at the customer service desk has a nick name on his tag. When checking out, there he was again, this time with a different, "real" name on his tag. Same store different shop, and the cashier's name was "T".

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