12 Real-Life Stories That Prove a First Impression Can Be As Deceiving As the Weather

Most of us have probably heard the saying that you can’t make a first impression twice. It is the first impression that helps us read a person we meet for the first time. But in reality, the first impression often can’t be further from the truth. People who we find sweet and nice when we first meet them can turn out to be just charming scoundrels, and vice versa. The heroes of this article had to experience firsthand that first impressions can be really deceiving sometimes.

• When I was an assistant manager in a retail store, I got in trouble with my district manager due to his “judging books by covers” attitude about customers. Instead of helping a “professional woman” customer, I chose to take care of a man who looked like a “dirty farmer.” But this farmer was a local multi-millionaire. He still worked in his business, which was livestock and horses, hence the dirty clothing. Eventually, this “professional woman” bought her $6 T-shirt and complained about the clearance prices, while the grubby guy had already selected about $500 worth of merchandise and was waiting to ask me about other things. © Lara / Quora
• My husband and I moved to a new house in the outskirts of the city, and I was home alone. Suddenly, I heard someone banging on my window. I looked and saw a huge bloke with a mustache screaming something. I rushed to the hall to lock the door. But he continued to scream. It turned out that he had come to warn us that the water supply would be cut off any minute. He’s a good friend of ours now.

• I worked as a waiter, and a man walked in once who looked like a hobo. My fellow waiters cringed and turned away from him. He asked for something cheap, and I helped him make the choice. I felt so much pity for him that I brought him some complimentary bread and tea. And when I brought the bill, he took out a wad of cash and left me a $100 tip. The other waiter was shocked. We shared this tip, but after that, she started serving everyone.
• I work at a jewelry store and know for a fact that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. In my experience, the men who look shabby usually buy the most expensive pieces for their wives. So, I treat every customer politely.

• Once, I had to travel by train at night. The car was empty when I got on (because it was a long stop), and there was a lot of trash on the table. I got really worried. And then 2 men who were about 35 years old got on too. I got worried even more. But when they saw me, they immediately cleaned their table and apologized.
• A guy came into my husband’s appliance store looking for a dishwasher. He looked unkempt at best. He bought a top-of-the-line Bosch and asked how fast it could be delivered. Since he lived near us, my husband said he’d drop it off on his way home. The buyer paid by check and showed my husband his driver’s license as his ID. It turned out the guy was a famous actor. © Jodie-Beth Galos / Quora
• After a regular day at college, I was returning back home on my 2-wheeler when I realized that 2 guys on a motorcycle were frantically trying to say something to me. They were making gestures indicating a phone. The dude was even pointing at his phone and back at me. “What a creep,” I thought and rode faster. Through the mirror, I saw that they were chasing me. But at one point, there was a red light ahead, and I had to stop. The men stopped right beside me and handed me my phone, which had fallen out of my pocket, and I didn’t even notice. © Netra Manjunath / Quora

• Imagine the showroom of a company that sells wallpaper. An old man comes in and looks around. The manager says to him, “I’m sorry, but we only sell wallpaper in bulk.” He says, “Okay, thank you,” and leaves. A minute later, he drives up with a truck and buys half of our storage.
• I’m an actress and was filming in the winter once. And at one point, I got really hungry. I decided not to wait for our catering company and went to a restaurant nearby. I was dressed in huge felt boots, a second-hand jacket, and a big fur hat. They looked at me, astonished, but still took my order. When I was paying my bill, I talked to the waiter. He said, laughing, “When you entered, we thought you were either a hobo or a billionaire.”
• I worked at a private dental clinic. A man of uncertain age walked in once. He was dressed very simply, I’d even say, poorly. His mouth was full of iron crowns. He asked how much it would be to replace them with white ones. We told him the cost, and he suddenly took out a thick wad of money from his pocket and said, “Let’s start, then.” When he left, we looked out of the window — he approached a huge crossover, and the driver jumped out of the car and opened the door for him.

• I was at a party with a lot of guests. I noticed a handsome athletic-looking man with a beautiful smile and decided to sit next to him, but no. My friends gave me a place next to some nerdy-looking guy, saying that he was one of the best specialists in IT security. Well, I was chatting with this nerd throughout the entire evening and we were giggling like hyenas — we even won a contest. So, your first impression is not always right.
• A friend of mine took her daughter to the playground, and suddenly a woman who looked very unkempt appeared with a little boy. While the children were playing, my friend felt like this woman was going to ask her for some money any minute. But she was really surprised when this woman jumped into her expensive car and drove away. It turned out that she owned real estate all over the country.