Retail Slave Wronged By Manager

Seasons Greetings RHU,

I'm afraid that I'm no longer Santa's Bitch.

Which, depending on how you look at it, is either a wonderful relief, or a terrible case of "bah humbug" due to the management.

Miraculously enough, I wasn't fired for my super awesome calendar selling techniques, but because of personal family crisis. My grandfather was recently diagnosed with cancer, so the entire clan would be traveling to his respective location.

I, as the awesome little wench that I am, informed management of this as soon as I found out his diagnosis. The cowardly manager suddenly turned into a ferocious mean monster and starting ranting about how the only possible way on God's green earth that I could manage to get the week of Christmas off was to quit, or be fired.

I told her that I would try and wait it out, and if need be, I would only take Christmas eve and the day after Christmas for traveling purposes. She seemed fine with that.

Until last Friday. When I went in for my schedule.

I wasn't on. Not a single hour.

I knock on her door and ask her what's up. Her response, "Oh, yeah. I decided that since your grandfather was obviously more important that I didn't bother putting you on the schedule. Don't worry about ever coming in. You'll get your last check after the holidays."

WHAT. THE. FUCK?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I'm fired because I bent over backwards trying to be a professional and work up until the critical hour?

Because my grandfather, who is fuckin' 89 years old, might not make it for next year's Christmas? Seriously?

It's not like I requested every day off, or only opening shifts--in fact, up until today (my last day), I think that I've been fairly good. I've always come in early, and stayed late depending on what she needed. I trained on every store/kiosk/cart that she owned so that in the event of someone not showing up, I could come in until that next shift started. And I get the axe because my grandfather developed cancer, which is at no fault of my own?

Again, I stress: WHAT. THE. FUCK?!

 

Banks are kind enough to stop with the foreclosures during the holiday season, but I suppose retail is the evil Mr. Potter from "It's a Wonderful Life."

Fuckin' figures.

Comments

[Kat]

Find a lawyer. Sue their asses for wrongful termination :/ That's such bullshit, I hate it when people get screwed over like that.

I count myself lucky that I've had two managers at the singular job I've held, and they have both been really awesome (especially the newest one, she's younger and not as afraid of the store owner. Plus I think the district manager is sweet on her and we got all these nifty upgrades). We wouldn't get that kind of crap.

[walgreens photo god]

I agree with Kat. You can sue for wrongful termination. Do it! They deserve to be bitch slapped! lol

[Nikki]

It depends on what state you live in. I live in a right to work state and could basically be fired for breathing the wrong way.

I'm sorry, that sucks, =[. I hope all goes well with your Grandfather.

[Logan]

Definitely look into suing them for wrongful termination. Especially since you really tried hard to work with them. And yes your grandfather is more important. Remember the words of the great Suze. "People first, then money."

I worked at a restaurant once upon a time, where I had just trained a new busboy. His Grandfather died and he called in that he wouldn't be in. The owner/manager fired him for not working. I told him that he had called in and his grandfather had died. He said he didn't give a damn about his grandfather. I could only give a shocked look and then he sputtered "I don't believe his grandfather died." He had been talking about his grandfathers failing liver for over a month, so if he was lying he had been setting it up for a long enough time that he could have just requested the day off ahead. It was also something that would be pretty easilly checked and get hime caught in a lie if in fact he had been lying.

Anyway, a few days later, the owner/manager came up to me and asked if 'Jim' had come in to work that night. I said, "no, you fired him." His response was "Yeah, but I was going to give him another chance and decided not to fire him, but since he didn't show up, now he is fired." Of course he didn't bother to let the kid know he was unfired, so he had no way of knowing that he should have shown up for the job he was fired from. When I tried to explain that to the owner/manager, he told me to go ahead and call him, and if he could make it in in within 20 minutes he wouldn't fire him. I called him, but he wasn't home because he didn't think he had a job.

I ended up quiting shortly after that. The owner/manager always expected me to be at his beck and call. He would send me to work for another business that he owned, a catering company. I had never applied for or been hired by the catering company which was a seperate business. He would just tell me, "I need you to work catering tomorrow morning." I need more than 10 hours notice, and I already had plans. Luckily the guy eventually ran himself out of business with his brains and attitude.

[Santa's Bitch (Retail Drone 456)]

@ Kat: Sadly enough, South Carolina is a right to hire, right to fire state. Meaning that I so much as look at the manager the wrong way, I could get the axe.

Now that I've been terminated though, I think I might be making a social call the the dept. of Labor. She would work us for 8 or more hours without so much as a break. And they've only paid us in cash, despite having fill in our tax forms--as she once put it, it's easier for her come tax time because she doesn't have to figure the numbers.

No, you dumb bitch, it just means that Uncle Sam comes after my already too small of a bank account.

[Magical Shrimp]

Well of COURSE your grandfather is more important than your job! Who would want to be around the kind of person who would value retail over their own family anyway?? Give the Dept. of Labor an earful, this bitch needs to be called on her bullshit. >:(

[Spritzy]

Boo for Right to hire/fire states...my state is like that...they can technically fire someone for having the hiccups even. The breaks and pay thing though...yeah... that needs attention drawn to it.
Most likely one day that manager will get her comeuppance for behaving like that. What goes around, comes around. And my thouhgts and paryers are with you and your family for this difficult time.

[Pharmacy_psycho]

I'm so sorry to hear about your grandfather. My grandparents were very special to me, and I miss them every day. Much more than I miss any one of my jobs. Managers that don't work with their employees are likely to have been "cheated" by them in the past, and the more bitter they get, the more likely they are to be cheated again in the future. She will get hers one day, and I hope you are in a much better job when it happens. Good luck with your grandfather's situation. I'll be sending good thoughts your way.

[Burger Bitch]

Sorry about your Grandpa, that sucks immense amounts of dick.
Have you tried calling head office and complaining, I understand that they can fire you for no reason.
But seeing that a family member has been diagnosed with a critical disease, they may make an exception.

[Stevie]

Reminds me of when I worked for a large chain store represented by a red and white bullseye. I was at the nursing home and watched my great grandma DIE. It was 7 hours before my shift started, so I called in. The next day I was called by the GM and told that because I was in the 90 day probationary period, I was not allowed to call in under any circumstances, and my probation would be extended, and that I was on a one week suspension. Fuck retail. Also, at my current job, I was given a dr.'s note because I had an extremely severe respiratory infection, and I was only off for 2 days while I got the anti biotics in me. Now the last 2 weeks, they haven't scheduled me over 4 missed hours of work.

[Logan]

Burger Bitch makes a good point. Even though they can technically fire you for no reason, doesn't mean that the head office wants them firing people for bad reasons.

[A Fellow Slave]

*hugs to you*

Oh and a swift middle finger to your manager.

[Maddie]

*Hugs for you!* I'm sorry to hear about your Grandfather. Your manager is such a bitch. I hope the Dept of Labor can do something about her if you go to them, she needs a swift kick in the face!

[Nick]

Uhm. I do sadly want to point out, since you said you've been paid strictly in cash, that there may be no record of you working for them, so her telling you that you're going to be paid after the holidays might just mean you're not getting paid at all.

So you may just want to make that complaint to the department of labor now to make a record just in case she tries to pull that. Because she seems to be the type.

[Santa's Bitch (Retail Drone 456)]

@ Nick: That would suck balls. Good thing I've kept all my time slips!!!!

[mudflapgirl]

That friggin bitch you worked for needs to be strung up by her toenails.I hope you find a better job and are not ruled over by an evil witch with a lump of coal for a heart and ice water in her veins.Good luck on the job hunt!On to better things!

[Cake Bitch]

People Suck... seriously. I hope karma gives her a nice swift kick where it counts!! XD She deserves it something fierce... D: I hope everything works out for you though! ^^ may your next job have managers that are awesome b^.^d

[Nick]

Ooh, good thing you did! But still, lodge that complaint. And if there is a head office for this thing, contact them too.

[Former Retail Peasant]

Paid in cash? Sounds like paid under the table to me. I wonder what the IRS would say? I wonder what the Dept of Labor would do? I bet the bitch is up to something shady!

[morigianna]

i don't know about your state but in CA the company has 24 hours to get you the last check/money after you have been laid off/fired. If they take longer then laybor board will make them pay for each day they make your wait. I once got over 150.00 for a place that made me wait until the next paycycle.

[Christine Beres]

Agreeing with Kat on the lawyer bit. That is SUCH bullshit. I would be PISSED. Family IS more important! If I was a boss / manager / supervisor person, I would hear that and go "D; omg you poor thing! Take as much time as you need, you don't want to regret not seeing him when you could have if he goes. Do you need a hug?? ):"

[Ria]

oh my god, that is actually awful D: and you know full well that if were the *manager's* grandfather, they'd take as much time off as they could and go around shouting "woe is me" and demanding the world stops for them