THE INVISIBILITY CLOAK
The other day when I finished a cart of freight I tried to make my way to the time-clock and punch out for lunch. It was then that I was kidnapped. A customer flagged me down and requested help finding a product.
Ok, fair enough. I helped the customer find what he needed, but when I saw the oddball glint in his eyes I knew I was in trouble. I had been snared by a "attention-vampire," those annoying people so desperate for human contact that they hold you hostage for hours on end bending your ear prattling on about nothing.
The guy went on and on about why he needed the product, his life story, how it had to do with his work, how much he loved his job, asking zillions of questions, always interrupting my answers, and refusing to see my obvious desperation to take a long overdue and desperately needed lunch.
It is for situations like those that my co-workers came up with the technique of the "invisibility cloak." When they head out to lunch or to go home, they throw a coat or a shirt on and thouroughly cover their store uniform. It's amazing just how invisible you become once the company colors are obscured -- people who won't give you a minute's peace all of a sudden don't even know you're there. The difference is hysterical.
If you don't have a shirt or coat, often you can reduce the risk of being snared by staring down at the floor as you walk. Eye contact increases your profile in the customer's minds, lack of it helps you blend into the background.
Of course, nobody would ever admit to using such tactics, but more than once I have watched a manager or two slip out a back way to avoid a troublesome employee or irritating customer.
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