Journal

Dressing Down

26 Comments

I wore a t-shirt in public today, and threw a "Halo ODST" cap on my dome to complete the grungy ensemble. My usual crisp, professional look stayed in the closet.

I think this is the first time I’ve been this grubby while shopping in around two years.

It’s also the first time a checker has asked not just to compare the signature on my card, but also checked TWO photo IDs (one on my Sam’s Club card, one on my Driver’s License) to confirm my right to pay with Howard V. Tayler’s Discover card.

The moral of the story?

Dress nicely if you want to get away with stealing other people’s credit cards.  

26 thoughts on “Dressing Down”

  3. Funny,I’ve never had anyone do any of that to me regardless of what I wore. I haven’t worn a tie in… six years? Maybe five? I don’t wear them even to military presentations; they just make me feel like I’m strangling.

      1. I’ve had a pretty significant difference to the response I get from servers at restaurants between “t-shirt, pants, and sandals” and “collared casual shirt tucked into nice pants with belt and shoes”, usually because they suspect I’ll be able to afford tipping better. There’s also a noticeable correlation between whether I’m near a college where where people are used to getting stiffed by poor college students and not.

        But I’ve never been questioned at the grocery store for ID, and I’m almost always “extra casual” for that. Which is possibly fortunate, the photo in my ID is now 10 years old, and being relatively young I look pretty different. The guys at the airport always take a little time squinting before they make up their mind about me.

  4. Funny,I’ve never had anyone do any of that to me regardless of what I wore. I haven’t worn a tie in… six years? Maybe five? I don’t wear them even to military presentations; they just make me feel like I’m strangling.

      1. I’ve had a pretty significant difference to the response I get from servers at restaurants between “t-shirt, pants, and sandals” and “collared casual shirt tucked into nice pants with belt and shoes”, usually because they suspect I’ll be able to afford tipping better. There’s also a noticeable correlation between whether I’m near a college where where people are used to getting stiffed by poor college students and not.

        But I’ve never been questioned at the grocery store for ID, and I’m almost always “extra casual” for that. Which is possibly fortunate, the photo in my ID is now 10 years old, and being relatively young I look pretty different. The guys at the airport always take a little time squinting before they make up their mind about me.

  5. I recall my father asking a set of questions on this order. “Two people go into a bank for a loan. One is dressed in a suit & tie and is well-groomed, perfectly clean. The other is in overalls, and has grease under his fingernails. Which one is more likely to get a loan?” And then, after a pause, but before an answer could be stated, “Now, which one do you know does some work?”

  6. I recall my father asking a set of questions on this order. “Two people go into a bank for a loan. One is dressed in a suit & tie and is well-groomed, perfectly clean. The other is in overalls, and has grease under his fingernails. Which one is more likely to get a loan?” And then, after a pause, but before an answer could be stated, “Now, which one do you know does some work?”

  13. >> Dress nicely if you want to get away with stealing other people’s credit cards. < <

    I think there’s a Maxim in there somewhere 😉

  14. >> Dress nicely if you want to get away with stealing other people’s credit cards. < <

    I think there’s a Maxim in there somewhere 😉

    1. I’ve heard that to get it rejected, you basically have to draw it out very slowly as if you’re trying to copy someone else’s signature. If you scribble quickly it’ll look natural even if it’s a bit off the base.

    1. I’ve heard that to get it rejected, you basically have to draw it out very slowly as if you’re trying to copy someone else’s signature. If you scribble quickly it’ll look natural even if it’s a bit off the base.

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