Scruffy jeans at new job - does it matter?

[ScruffyTrouserMindFlip]

My OH has just started a new job (this was his 3rd day). It's for a night manager at Tesco on £37k. Today he was not customer facing - just doing paperwork etc and training. They said he should wear jeans.

The thing is, the jeans he wore were, imo, really scruffy. Also, I think that looking smart does matter, especially in a managerial role, and especially when you are new.

However, he says I don't know what I'm on about, because I have an office job and it's different. Also that no-one said anything to him about his appearance, and they would have done, if it were an issue.

It makes me feel like I'm mad, that to me it's so obvious that you don't go into work looking like that, but another person can be equally gobsmacked that anyone would think it mattered at sll! I would be more than happy to hear that I'm wrong. Just need some honest, unbiased views!

YABU - The jeans are fine / no-one will think twice.

YANBU - Employers do still care about this sort of thing

But for the right setting.

A training at work where you were told to wear jeans.

These are fine

Like I say, they look like they could even have been brought like that

Did you see the second photo? The bottom of the legs were caked in something or other. Jeans means casual. But you should always be clean

Scruffy perhaps not such an issue in the circumstances, but dirty is another thing in my opinion.

I thought so, too. My first thought was "wow, he has really short legs."

They just looked like worn down bottoms

They weren't dirty

If OP didn't zoom in on a stain, you wouldn't even see it.

Worn down? They were brown!

Gross

YANBU. Whether anyone else notices or cares is not the only point. It’s a matter of personal pride.

You do if they can’t make the decision that they’re dirty and unsuitable and he’s at risk of losing another job because he’s oblivious to such things.

or easier still, bin him

They aren’t scruffy. The bottoms are just dirty. Give them a wash. He was told jeans and those are jeans. Stop stressing. If you had said he was telling you what to wear to work people would be going nuts.

Clean would be a start or he could buy new jeans.

I'm definitely scruffy but even I wouldn't wear those jeans to work unless I was in a warehouse or on a building site. However, times and standards change. Who knows what's acceptable where nowadays?

Being as that photo was no doubt taken AFTER he'd worn them for work... its likely they weren't even that worn before

They said he could wear jeans. He did. Yabu.