Burger Bitch's Coworker Uses "The Gay Card."

I don’t even know where to begin, RHU. I’m starting to think that my manager specifically looks for snatchdrains when she’s hiring, because most of the new employees are all fuckwits.

However, I’m going to focus on one that I have a real problem with. He was hired a few months back and when he started, he was… ok. But now, we’re lucky if he even shows up for his fucking shifts, let alone on time. We have no clue why he hasn’t been fired yet, probably because the main manager is too busy looking at herself in a mirror somewhere to give a fuck.

And here’s where my story starts. I’ve never personally had a problem with him, sure he’s a total waste of air and possibly the biggest pricktit on the planet, but he’s never done something ridiculous on my shift, until yesterday.

Whoever is working the night shift on the gas station side has the chore of baking the muffins and the donuts, then glazing the specific ones for us. This takes about an hour and a half and it’s THEIR job. Nobody else has any fucking problem with doing this job; it’s always done whenever I go in for the early morning shift. Yesterday, I started at 5AM (We open at 6AM) and when I went in, I noticed that neither the muffins nor the donuts were set out in the display case, and it wasn’t cleaned.

I walked into the back to find my coworker, we’ll call him Tim, reading some celebrity gossip magazine and listening to music. The muffins weren’t done at all, not even close, and the donuts were still in the freezer, so I asked him why they weren’t done and the following ensued;

Him: “Oh, I didn’t feel like making them, I was really tired.”

Me: “Nobody feels like doing their job, but I don’t have time to do my job as well as yours.”

Him: “Oh, well. Looks like you’re going to have to.”

At this point, he put his earbuds back in and ignored me. He’s a lazy fucking cuntpincher and I was so beyond frustrated that I would have punched a baby directly in the soft spot, but just then, Mama Bear came in. She was supposed to start at 6AM, but I guess she was having trouble sleeping and came in early to hang out with me before we opened. She noticed that nothing was done either, and the argument continues;

Mama Bear: “Why isn’t all of this done?”

Tim: “I told her I was tired, so I just relaxed all night.”

MB: “How about you do your job!?”

Tim: “I SAID I WAS TIRED!”

Me: “Well, I don’t have fucking time to do this as well as all the fucking shit I have to do! Maybe next time you can just pull your usual shit and not fucking show up! You’re a lot more useful when you’re not here!”

Tim: “You just don’t like me because I’m gay! That’s all this is! I’m the only gay person who works here and everyone bullies me!”

Me: “NO, IT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE AN INCREDIBLE WASTE OF SPACE! THAT’S WHY EVERYONE FUCKING HATES YOU!”

Apparently, he pulled the exact same thing with my other coworker, whose daughter is a lesbian. When he accused her of being a homophobe, she said “I am? Damn. I better tell my daughter and her amazing wife.” He told my manager that I was being rude to him because he’s gay, and she obviously didn’t believe him, which is good. He even tried it again later on in the shift because I asked him to open the safe so I could get some quarters. I was so fucking angry that I shouted “YOU JUST DON’T LIKE ME BECAUSE I’M WEARING BLUE UNDIES. YOU’RE PREDJUDICE!”

I’m just worried that he’ll try something else and we’ll actually get in shit, and I really don’t want that. The fact that my manager didn’t believe him is a good thing, but I’m just so fucking angry that he even thought about using his sexual orientation as an excuse. It’s absolute horseshit.

Anyone have any advice or similar experiences?

-- Burger Bitch

Comments

[Head Manager]

Ugh that really sucks dude. I've had a few employees that were like that. Not gay, but useless. Well a few gay ones but they were great people :).

Have you had a chance to talk to management about how this behavior is affecting other employees? I'm in the same situation right now, and because we keep the bare minimum of staff on hand we can't fire her until another one is trained up. But I'm very open with employees that it's seriously not going on much longer, and I will can her in a second if they really need me to, but they would have to pull some extra shifts. Maybe approach and ask and see how that goes....

The one I'm firing may be a pain in the ass, but the day anyone flat out tells me that they won't do their job because they're tired... well they'll have lots of time to catch up on sleep after that. That's really a crappy thing to have to deal with.

If there's a head office try calling them and letting them know what's up. I'm sure they would love to hear about the major time theft that's going on. I hope it all gets better though!!

[The Last Archimedean]

Call Corporate and repeat exactly what this freakish waste of carbon said. I'm sure they'll be *very* happy to hear that he CHOSE not to do his job because he was tired.

I got 1.5 hours of sleep last night, went in to work and did my entire shift without complaining one time about how tired I was. And I completed all my assigned tasks without a problem.

[And I'm going to go to bed *very* early tonight. But that's life.]

[TimmiHoe]

Ugh this coworker IS a waste of space. You come in and DO your job no matter what YOU want to do. I work overnights and get shitty sleep beforehand so I am slugging around after 2-3 hours after I clock in but I still do my job AND deal with customers. He should get fired and if he tries to sue over his sexual orientation, you can pull up this.

[Kristina]

God I hate people like this. Should be trampled by a herd of rainbow barfing, glitter crapping unicorns. I've never played a single minority card in my life and I hate when others do it just because they are walking talking asshats.

BTDT with a former co-worker who used to try and use her age as an excuse for why she wouldn't face shelves while on overnights, change the lowest price tags or make sure the cigs were fully stocked for the morning shift. She learned the hard way though that she was a retail slave just like the rest of us, when some punk knocked her out, just so he could rip off a couple cartons of smokes.

Advice: Record every incident and feed it up the food chain.

[Bagel Bat]

People like that suck so hard. It's awful and makes it difficult on so many levels. I agree with previous posters, report every incident with that twit and when he does something again see if you can't get him canned.

Seriously though, that's the lamest excuse ever. "I'm tired" Last summer, a lady I was working with (awesome by the way :p) blew up like a nuclear bomb on a kid who said nothing was done from morning and afternoon shift. She asked why the place looked like a tornado hit and he looked at her, yawned and said "too tired to care, didn't do it".

One's sexuality should have nothing to do with one's work ethic (or lack therof) and he's probably just gonna go for the "wah they yelled at me cos i'm gayyy!". But if you have proof that he's a lazy little bugger than he's so screwed :D

[DishesDarling]

Do you have security cameras to back you up?

[Terah]

I posted a story a while back about Mrs. Mertz. She was a black belt at pulling the race card. Every time you asked her to do even the simplest, no-work-on-her-part jobs, she would explode and scream that you were only asking her to do it because she was black.

[CharlieWhiskyMike]

I think it is a Luck for you that he told Mama Bear the Same cheap excuse that he was tired so she can proof that he First Said he is tired. I
By the way is he really gay?

[CashierBtch]

I only get a few hours of sleep every night I have to open, but I never let that stop me from doing my job. Its inexcusable. If you are too tired to go to work, use a fucking sick day. Though by the sounds of things, he probably doesn't have any.

I'm Mexican, and kinda look it, but I hve never pulled the race card. I would never use it unless I though someone was actually discriminating against me because of my race, but from what I hear my family say, that could be harmful to the other party.

This person shouldn't be allowed to pull this shit. If your manager wont do anything, go higher up. He's creating a hostile work environment. he's not doing what he is being paid to do. That is a loss for the company. find whatever proof you can to prove that he is just a wasteful use of space.

[Fortune Cookie]

Just once I wish someone would pull Their gay card on THEM.

"You don't like me because I am gay."
"No, I am gay, too and I don't behave like a total prick."

OR

"No, I like you cuz I'm gay, too. I hate you cuz you don't do your work, bitch!"

[Lady Red]

What an idiot, I agree with the others here about going to corporate and telling them exactly what he said about being “Too tired” to do his job. I’m sure they’d love to know too about how he doesn’t show up sometimes and is late other times.

He is definitely a loss to the company, and corporate should know about someone not doing the job they were hired to do.

[Cocoalope]

Ugh, this kind of person just absolutely sickens me. I've gone to work absolutely zonked out on medicine to fight off various infections and I still did my job and at a reasonable pace too. There's no 'I'm tired' excuse in retail and there never will be. This dude needs to be fired so someone with a decent work ethic can take his place.

Maybe you could make him aware of just how many other people are clamoring to do his job, I'm sure your store keeps the applications on record somewhere. I know we had to bust those out for this one chick back when I worked at Burger King. She didn't like knowing that there were other people waiting for her job. :3

[heavy melvanova]

Sheesh, had a total psycho coworker once pull every card in the whole deck on us one time or another. He was supposedly a "southern gentleman" from Virginia orginally, and we worked in Queens NY, the MOST culturally diverse area in the known universe. And he had problems with just about everybody, but it was always THEIR fault.

"So-and-so (hispanic clerk) doesn't like me cause her husband loses jobs to the white man." Dude she's got no problem with white people, she just loves me and the manager and we're Jews, who are apparently even worse than white ... guess what, it's YOU!

"So-and-so and the rest of you don't like me cause I'm gay!" Dude, she is bi and she's hit on me several times, unsuccessfully, but we still like her. We don't give a flying flarg who you sleep with, but you could probably use more of it, whatever it is ... guess what, it's YOU!

"How come Girlfriend (done with the snap even) gets to go to another branch while they're painting. She want to be with her homies?" No, it's because she's PREGNANT and the fumes are making her violently ill. Puking on checkout desk = BAD. When you get pregnant, then we'll talk.

"Why do I have to work 2 Saturdays in a row, do the other people have parole meetings or whatever?" (???) Dude, I've worked the last SIX Saturdays in a row, just shut the flarg up.

We needed him to set up some chairs for a program, but he said no, he "didn't hire out for manual labor, get the clerks (mostly black/Hispanic) to do it". Sure but at your last branch you had noooo problem rearranged the entire department's furniture to YOUR specifications. Dick.

"Those damn teen workers are so disrespectful, they do no work and don't listen to me." Dude, they do a fine job, everything is put away just right, they do chat a bit, they're friends. You're also NOT in charge of them, they know their jobs, so unless they're setting fires or having sex in the aisles, leave them alone. He went so far as to yell abuse at one of them (lazy, worthless, never amount to anyting), she yelled back, he wanted her fired. Her father worked for the system and was a serious tough guy who wanted to kick his ass, but he did make him apologize to her. Damn, could have put that beating on Pay-Per-View.

He hated everyone in the system, said every caller was "another one right off the boat". You don't like people from elsewhere, then what the BLANK are you doing here in NY? Go back to ole Virginny ...

He even thought the roofers were trying to poison him, cause he was the "only sane person" there. That made me laugh ...

He bitched about the clerks not listening to him, maybe cause he's NOT IN CHARGE, at all. He bitches to me, he's pissing me off, I told him to go away until later ... If your supervisor told you to go away or they woud stuff you in a filing cabinet, wouldn't you walk away? Nope, not him.

He eventually gor fired for threatening violence on a kid whose family member was a trustee. Mediation was just SOOO much fun, since I was his supervisor I had to go as a witness. But too bad, so sad, bye bye.

Saw him some years later in a store, tried to hide but he saw me, all smiles and he said "Come on, you can tell me, it was all a conspiracy to get rid of me, wasn't it?" WTF?? I just ran out of there.

Yeah, this is looong, but this guy was just a year and a half of pure epic lunacy. Great stories now, hell then. Thanks for reading.

[Sales Agent Guy]

The 'Gay Card' is a somewhat new one on me, but I'm not surprised, since anyone will use any excuse of discrimination to get what they want. It's unfortunate, but it's true. As for this guy, I strongly suggest you document every incident, just like they said, and try to get a supervisor to witness it (namely Mama Bear if you can.) That way, you have proof that's been witnessed by a supervisor.

[Queer Geek]

Ugggh this poor excuse for a human being shames the GLBT community. Sadly, there are a few bad apples in every basket. If this fucker doesn't want to work, fire his sorry ass! Then again, you manager can cut his hours so she hire someone someone who ACTUALLY wants to work. Hopefully someone cuter and faaaaabulous like me!

[kuroneko4276]

I just wish my college gay-straight alliance could've been in the store at the time. The straight ones would've been the lookouts and the fabulous ones would have given Lazy-butt a long lecture on the years of pride, history and resistance to persecution he was letting down. The last time they got ahold of a kid who was using the gay card to get out of assignments, he wound up voluntarily joining a time-management class, apologizing in writing and in person to his professors and paying a tutor to catch him up, lest he shame The Family further, and at the end of the semester he proudly brought straight A's to Big Mama and Daddy D, and we all celebrated together.

That's the thing about the gay community. So many people of the queer or ally persuasion have been thrown out of their original families that the community itself becomes family. Big Mama was the high queen of the RAs even before she came out and got into the grad program, simply because she has a nurturing personality, and Daddy D is getting his Ph.D on the GI Bill. They really are like parents, and it isn't uncommon for a baby-queer or a freshman-ally to be assigned an Auntie or Uncle from among the ranks.

Sounds like a visit from the Family is all Lazy-butt needs to set him back on the path.

[NC Tony]

It would have taken everything I had to keep from smacking the taste out of his mouth, followed by shoving the magazine down his throat. How did you not do that? However, you being the awesome Burger Bitch that you are, you did say almost exactly what I was hoping you'd say. Mainly “NO, IT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE AN INCREDIBLE WASTE OF SPACE! THAT’S WHY EVERYONE FUCKING HATES YOU!”

[YarnCharlotte]

Tired should NEVER be an excuse to slack off at work... I drove for 18 hours (a Wed.), was on-call on the Thurs since my boss was having surgery and we had a temp in, and then worked all day Friday and Saturday... I had to be up at 10AM and available until 6PM on the Thursday just in case something went wrong. I was beyond exhausted on Friday and Saturday but I still got all my shit done and organized. They need to have a "Probation period" of like 45 days where they can fire you just for your stupidity...

[RetailTrollSlayer]

As a gay male, this fart-catcher OFFENDS ME, because I'M GAY.

I'm really proud of our society that tolerance has been transitioning into warm acceptance this past decade. Like other RHU's up here, there's rich tradition of history, pride, and self-acceptance that brought about today's society of understanding. For someone like him to INSULT the gay community by making it all about his orientation; is a serious smack-back-to-start.

I've gotten much contradicting flack from OTHER GLBT members for being "too feminine", "too masculine", or "doing things too unique/stereotypical". The same type of people exhibit the same behavior this buttplug exhibits.

:/

[beaglebrains]

I'm sorry you're going through hell, but the "I'm wearing blue undies" comment made me laugh.

[LaserSpawn]

OMG, BB, i would have whooped his ass to kingdom come for that shit. i find this guy horribly offensive to the LBGT community, and i'm an ally! i'm not racist; i hate everyone equally, but this prickstain takes the fuckin cake! i know several in the LBGT community that would kick his ass for pulling the gay card when he really just wanted to "polish the silver" instead of doing what he's paid to do! and yes, there are TONS of people wanting a job so that they can pay their bills and whatnot all while this noxious pubesniffer is stealing time and money from the company!

[Su Chan]

I'm with Kristina. As a bisexual, this person does the Rainbow movement far more harm than good, and he definitely does not speak for us.

If he's not interested in working, well then there is a easy solution for that.... leave.

[Carole]

Hi Bob,I've been a Navy Corpsman, a photographer, cinhgatomrapeer, magazine writer/contributer, in manufacturing, import/export for distribution, in retail sales, and a teacher of professional photography this past 20 years (I'm approaching 80 so I've had that much time).Do I ever understand, I learned many years ago that customers and clients should have the privelege of being asked to be served, if they wish to be let alone, OK, but only if they ask for that privelege. To this day, I believe that the customer should have my attention, be informative, be a GOOD listener, not try to sell him something he doesn't need, make anything appropriately necessary for the customer. He may not buy anything today, he may just be shopping, but he will return if I make it pleasant for the experience.And yes, even though I'm paid by the state to teach in college, I treat my students in the same way that I treated my paying customers.Lynn Reply