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Turns Out Wearing a Hi-Vis Vest Gets You into Everything for Free

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Re: Turns Out Wearing a Hi-Vis Vest Gets You into Everything for Free

#71

Post by rectang »

btrettel wrote: post #8

As a cyclist, I've worn a hi-vis vest while walking around after riding, and it's been weird how many people assume that I am a repair guy or even a police officer. The thesis of the article matches my experience. If you wear the vest confidently you could probably get into many things free.

I used to cycle in an orange jumpsuit I bought at a surplus store. Lots of people just about sprained their brains trying to figure out whether I was an escaped convict, but I'm an ordinary white guy with glasses so nothing ever went down.

Re: Turns Out Wearing a Hi-Vis Vest Gets You into Everything for Free

#73

Post by jen729w »

I used to knock about on a Friday night (also in Melbourne, funnily enough) with my Canon 1D with a 24-70mm lens and the EOS flash (430?).

I’d walk right to the front of the line of any club, with my mate, mumble something about shooting for the local music mag, and they’d wave us straight in. Never got one question.

Then there was the time that I skipped a line by pretending to be deaf, but that’s another story. (I had a deaf mate who strongly encouraged me to try this. “Works every time”, he said.)

(I’m no SJW, but it’s probably worth mentioning that I’m a friendly looking white dude. As are the chaps in this story. I suspect things work out differently if you’re not.)

Re: Turns Out Wearing a Hi-Vis Vest Gets You into Everything for Free

#75

Post by dentemple »

gizmo686 wrote: post #47
jacobsimon wrote: post #2

Amazing. I always thought it'd be useful to get one of those shirts that says "Staff" on it, but this is even better.

Careful, do this trick at the wrong place and people might think you work there. Or, just have a good "not my department" routine prepared.

Just go with the tried and true, "Let me go get the manager."

Re: Turns Out Wearing a Hi-Vis Vest Gets You into Everything for Free

#76

Post by ryanmarsh »

UncleEntity wrote: post #30
stcredzero wrote: post #26

I attended a military academy boarding school where being outside after "Taps" could technically get you dismissed. This did happen to some people. My senior year, I started going to after hours D&D games. Some people tried to dress up all in black and do the commando thing, but a lot of them got caught. I just got into my dress uniform and walked around looking official. Everyone just assumed I was "Officer of the D…

In the regular army carrying around a manilla folder (or for extra benefits a personal folder) gets you no questions from anyone as they just assume you're doing some task for someone. Or walking around like you know what you're doing you can walk off with pretty much anything that isn't being actively guarded since they just think someone sent you over to get it for them. My platoon sgt used to tell me "go find me "…

My 1SG told me “there’s only one thief in the Army private, everyone else is just trying to get their stuff back”

Re: Turns Out Wearing a Hi-Vis Vest Gets You into Everything for Free

#77

Post by ryanmarsh »

thomasfedb wrote: post #64

Wearing theatre scrubs and hat and walking with impatience is AAA in a hospital. They'll even buzz you through swipe doors half the time if you "left my pass in change".

When my daughter was sick I used to get practically whatever I wanted (on the floors that didn’t know me by sight) by just acting like a doctor and copying the lingo. When a nurse was busy and I needed anything I’d just go ask random for it. Weird things too. I’d ask for status on orders, all sorts of stuff. I got called Dr. a lot.

Re: Turns Out Wearing a Hi-Vis Vest Gets You into Everything for Free

#78

Post by veridies »

davidgh wrote: post #57

When I was in high school I worked at Kmart as a temp job during the holidays. They trained us on the first day to help fight shoplifting. They told us that for the longest time they were losing large electronics and couldn’t figure out how people were hiding them. In time, they realized how it was happening. The thief would find the item he wanted and would calmly walk out the front door with the item in plain sight…

I used to do this in the dorm room cafeteria at my college, just to see if it’d work. People got yelled at all the time for filling bottles with coffee or sodas, but I’d just fill their ceramic cups up and casually drink from it while waving to the greeter. It’s bizarre what people will overlook if you don’t seem suspicious.

Re: Turns Out Wearing a Hi-Vis Vest Gets You into Everything for Free

#79

Post by cpeterso »

davidgh wrote: post #57

When I was in high school I worked at Kmart as a temp job during the holidays. They trained us on the first day to help fight shoplifting. They told us that for the longest time they were losing large electronics and couldn’t figure out how people were hiding them. In time, they realized how it was happening. The thief would find the item he wanted and would calmly walk out the front door with the item in plain sight…

I worked at Target during high school and learned a similar shoplifting story: people would pick up expensive merchandise in the electronic department and then return them at customer service without a receipt or even leaving the store.

Also, anyone wearing Target's signature red polo and khaki pants could likely have had free access to any part of the store. There were always new employees so no one could really tell who actually worked there.

Re: Turns Out Wearing a Hi-Vis Vest Gets You into Everything for Free

#80

Post by interfixus »

The pitch-black side of this phenomenon: In 2011 in Norway, Anders Breivik commandeered a ferry to the Utøya island, was let onboard, heavily armed and with several heavy boxes of ammunition, going on, as we know, to kill 69 people there, mainly youngsters. All this solely on the basis of a sufficient display of authority and an obviously fake police uniform, and despite the ferry having been put on hold after the bombing of government headquarters in Oslo a little earlier in the day.
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