Things People Leave Behind in Changing Rooms

This article originally appeared on VICE Alps.

Everyone has had to do a job that wasn't really to their taste. Aside from tutoring, babysitting, and waiting tables, working in a clothes shop is one of these classics. I have a hard time believing that anyone works as a shop assistant because it's their passion or that people plan on working in the same shop their whole life.

The next time you go shopping, take a look around and try to notice how angry many of the assistants seem to be. Their job is to take shit from people, clean up after them, and be nice all at the same time. And even if endlessly folding clothing actually was fun, keeping the dressing rooms tidy is less so. Especially when there's disgusting stuff left behind in there, that you wouldn't want to touch with tongs, but you have to because you work there. Here are some of the worst, most pitiful stories from the changing rooms of hell.

"I actually always work in the changing rooms, never at the registers, but I know both jobs have their drawbacks. I always have to be careful when touching things. We urge the people to take the pieces of clothing out with them, but we can't always be there. Especially when it's busy, there's not always enough time to immediately clean the cabins. Once, at the end of the shift, I thoughtlessly picked up a pile of clothes. Luckily there was so much that I could only hold half the pile. Underneath half of the pile was a used maxi pad with a lot of dried out blood on it. The idea that I almost touched the crusted up thing made me sick. I had to ask a coworker to remove the pad with a garbage bag."

– Johanna

"We always have to clear out the cabins at the end of the day, which can be really annoying. People are really forgetful. I find lots of shopping bags, forgotten chapstick, and other little things. The worst thing I ever found was an empty but shiny wet condom. And I knew that it had to be a specific couple, because I had cleaned out the cabin right before they went in. The whole thing was topped by them having hid the thing under the wig of one of the mannequins. I don't even want to know what they did with the wig."

– Alex

"I actually like my job a lot. I get to work with people and most of them are really nice. Some of them behave like animals though—they just piss and shit wherever they please. Seriously, there are pets that are better trained then a handful of people who have made my job really hard. One time, these two young guys peed in one of the cabins—both of them, as if it were a public toilet. Our dressing rooms are carpeted, which didn't make the situation any easier. We panicked because the piss smell could get into the other cabins. Luckily we had industrial cleaning materials. That one dressing room was closed for the rest of the day. Nobody noticed a thing."

– Sarah

"I really don't want to think about this ever again, but people need to know you can't do this. One afternoon I found a plastic bag in the corner of one of the rooms. Over the years I've gotten more careful, so I didn't touch the bag when I saw it. This was a good decision. The bag was half open and there was a stinking pile of shit inside. But it wasn't from a dog or any other animal—it was human shit. I got rid of the things wearing gloves with the tips of my fingers. I felt disgusting for the rest of the day."

– Isa

"I find tampon wrappers in the dressing rooms often—I'm pretty used to it. But once somebody emptied an entire box of tampons on the floor. The floor was covered in them. I had to pick them all up individually. That really pissed me off."

– Caro

"I've heard that people sleep with each other in parks, at festivals, and in other public places, but I don't know anyone who has actually done it. Luckily—or in my case unluckily—there are always people who go against the grain. It was peak hour on Friday afternoon, which is always insanely stressful. While working, I suddenly heard quiet moaning. I was at my whit's end and was worried that an old lady had collapsed, so I peeked through the crack in the door and saw two bodies wrapped up in each other. I was really embarrassed, but I didn't disturb them. I just wanted to forget the whole thing."

– Jakob

"Once I was cleaning up outside the dressing rooms, carrying clothing around. I was picking up all the tags and hangers off the ground and glanced under one of the dressing room doors. There was a young lady blowing her boyfriend in there. It was so cliche, like in a movie. She was on her knees, he was sitting on a stool. I dropped everything in my hands out of shock. I heard rattling from inside the dressing room—I'd interrupted them. Then I ran into the storeroom and hid so that I didn't have to look them in the eye when they came out."

– Ajsa