Perception is reality, well, at least in certain situations it is. There have been plenty of instances where intimidating looking individuals have been laid out in fights against folks who may not look as physically imposing.
But at first glance for most, seeing someone so big might have the desired effect of quelling a potential fight through the perception of being menacing. The same goes for the clothes that someone wears.
If a guy walks into a retail store dressed like a soccer dad who exclusively purchases all of his clothes from Costco, versus someone who has a subscription to GQ, the latter might get a bit more attention from salespeople on the floor.
And a Domino’s customer wanted to test the theory of “walking into places like I own them” to see if there would be a change in the level of service they receive. TikToker @ermeterl recorded himself trying this tactic out when he walked into a Domino’s location wearing a suit while rocking a pair of sunglasses to see if employees would react differently as a result.
@ermeterl ♬ original sound – ERMETE
He takes it a step further by directly heading behind the counter as he starts to survey the area. One of the workers’ looks back at him and acknowledges his presence briefly before getting back to work. Someone recording off-camera can be heard stifling their laughter as @eremeterl inspects the pizza oven and then picks up a pie cutter and looks at it intently before tossing it back where he found it.
“What the f*ck is he doing?” the person recording is heard saying. He then walks out from behind the counter before walking back to the seating area. He taps his hand against the counter’s glass service window before the video cuts out.
It would appear that the TikToker has done this at least one other time as well. In a second clip uploaded to his social media account, he can be seen walking into a bike shop, this time, he’s mic’ed up.
@ermeterl And a new frendship was created 💯 🇮🇹
♬ original sound – ERMETE
He makes a b-line straight behind the register and begins to survey the computer, before walking around to every other part of the store. An employee notifies another store worker, who says that he owns the business, to which the TikToker responds that he is the owner of everything in the city.
At the end of the clip the TikToker says that he returned the next day to apologize to the actual store’s owner and he even bought of the items he made fun of as part of his bit. He uploaded a photo he had taken with the man, who was wearing his “business” blazer in the photo.
One viewer who saw his post didn’t seem to be shocked by the reaction, or lack thereof, that the Domino’s employees had to his antics: “Act confident and no questions will be asked”
Another penned, “bro got the workers to work harder”
“Bro self identified as the manager,” one TikToker joked.
One TikToker suggested ways for him to sell the boss persona even harder: “You gotta touch surfaces to check for dust, also for crevices” while another recommended that he go up to employees and ask if “everything is ok?”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Domino’s via email and @ermeterl via TikTok comment for further information.
