I got fired today

[realisticphish]

(I'm posting this here because no one anywhere else will care)

Fired from my terrible retail job (8 bucks an hour!) because they accused me of stealing five bucks from the safe. FIVE DOLLARS. I've worked there for two years, and never had a problem. Then this bullshit.

I fucking hated that job, so good riddance. But what I hated was the company, not the people who worked there. I bought the manager who fired me coffee this morning.

That's what gets me more than the actual loss of job (financially, I'll be fine for a few months or longer even if I didn't get a new job). It's the backstabbing finality of it. They didn't confront me, or give me a warning. Bam, fired. Fucking cowards.

So, if there is anyone in Columbus looking for a college graduate and current grad student who's experienced in customer service...

[Warpy]

1. If misery loves company and you want to feel a little better

I came home from a doctor's appointment to find my place in progress of being ripped off. I got a look at the guy and where he was headed and a suspicious person on the next street described the getaway car and got a plate number, so hope springs eternal...

They didn't get much because I think I surprised them pretty quickly. They did trash the place so I'll be spending all my time putting it back into the same shit state it was before it happened. The one thing they did get was a box with papers in it, including my passport. That pisses me off. They were actually welcome to the POS laptop I was getting ready to give to charity and I don't store personal info on any of my puters.

It's the damn paperwork I'm pissed off about. I hope the guys catch these scumbags only for that reason.

Don't be surprised to see that retail place go out of business soon. Firing people for bogus reasons so they won't be able to collect unemployment is really, really low and they only do it when they get desperate. For that reason, you need to fight the assholes.

[realisticphish]

4. What gets me

is that I thought these people were my friends. And without warning, without even confronting me, they do this. As I posted below, now I'm scared that this will come back to haunt me. Maybe I'm just paranoid, I don't know. I mean, fuck them and that job, I'm glad to leave. But I'm just worried about my future, at least until I get out of graduate school

[salvorhardin]

23. I'm happy you weren't hurt

Hope the cops catch whoever did it and recover your papers.

[LeftishBrit]

25. Sorry to hear that...

I sympathize over the passport and paperwork, as I had my handbag stolen in Amsterdam in August, and it contained my passport, mobile phone, and some cards - fortunately not a lot of money - and this led to all sorts of paperwork.

But it's always much worse when it's your home that is robbed. All best wishes!

[TZ]

2. Damn. I think Warpy is right.

They were looking for an excuse to fire you. I've seen people accused of much worse and not lose their job! ( I worked retail for 6 years after college). Warpy- I'm sorry to hear about your place.

[realisticphish]

3. the thing that terrifies me

is that this is my biggest job reference, chronologically. I'm scared that getting fired here will fuck up my chances of getting hired somewhere else now.

[beam me up scottie]

10. Much of that will depend on whether you're collecting unemployment.

If Ohio is an 'at will' state, collecting ue benefits shows that they had no valid reason to fire you. They would need to prove willful misconduct and I doubt they're stupid enough to fabricate evidence against you.

You were there for two years, if you were a thief you would have been fired a long time ago. There were no warnings, no write-ups in your file, they got nothing for proof.

Talk to a co-worker, someone you can use as a reference instead of your manager. Technically it's illegal for them to give you a "bad" reference but we all know they wouldn't hesitate to do so. You can easily explain why you don't want your manager to give you a referral.

Be very careful when you file for ue, everything depends on your side of the story, keep a record of everything.

Go to resume sites online for info on how to describe your termination, you can pull it off, you're a smart guy. :)

[realisticphish]

11. the problem is

there ARE three write-ups for drawer shortages. One for 10 over, one for 5 under, and one for 50 under, which I drew their attention to. That's in two+ years.

Company policy says that after 4 write-ups, they have grounds for termination, regardless of how long the employee has worked there. So, they would probably take the fourth write-up tact, i.e., "safe 5 dollars short," as a write-up, making it 4, rather than openly accusing me of stealing.

I'm fine without UE; but I haven't really thought about anything yet pertaining to that. Still in shock.

I still can't decide whether the manager is evil enough to sabotage any job hunting stuff. I had already applied to several jobs before I was fired, but in an organization that can take 6 months to hire on an advertised opening. So she is listed as my contact there. I don't think she would deliberately fuck me over, but then I also didn't think she would do this. Hell, even just having the goddamn courtesy to let me quit, rather than get fired. Fucking did it for Nixon, why not me

[beam me up scottie]

13. Hmm, I'm not sure that it qualifies as willful misconduct.

It's pretty hard to prove that you deliberately stole money.

Remember that unemployment rates are high, the offices here don't have time to investigate claims, unless the employer has a slam dunk, they usually side with the employee.

It's not going to be easy, after you file for ue you'll have to wait 15 days to see if your employer is going to fight your claim, and then another fifteen if they do. It's horrible to have to wait that long, my friend went through it last year, it destroyed what little self-confidence she had to spare. I would hope that your manager is smart enough not to fight over what little pittance you'll get from their ue fund, it would be a lot of work for a fraction of $8/hour.

Hopefully you can find something soon and won't need to deal with all of that.

Hang in there, remember your long term goals and the people who care about you, your manager is the one who should be upset, she has to live with what she did to collect her paycheck.

[realisticphish]

14. i think i'll be ok

I have a decent bank account, which can honestly last me quite a while if I budget well. Not to mention that if all else fails, I have loans coming up that I can utilize. I'm actually hoping to get a part-time library job, which would let me complete my MLIS faster than if I was working full time.

The bitch about retail is that when you're done, you're qualified to work... in retail. And I pretty much refuse to do that, unless it's Half-Price books, or something like that. Of course I'll take what I can get, but it's frustrating to never be able to build any real skills apart from customer service

[beam me up scottie]

15. A library job would be perfect, for you and the library.

Now you have all this extra time and can concentrate on making that happen. :)

[realisticphish]

17. wait, wait

shouldn't all you filthy skeptics and atheists be sneering and scoffing at my petty non-scientific emotions?? Don't you hate anything that isn't coldly logical??

:D

[beam me up scottie]

18. Oh, that's just great. Way to GO, dude.

:spank:
We need to kill this thread before anyone sees it.

[realisticphish]

19. um, let's see

BOY, WE SURE DO HATE THOSE CHRISTIANS!!!

[beam me up scottie]

20. And those professional psychics, who do they think they're fooling?

Everybody knows real psychics would never take a penny for helping people.



:spray:

[lizerdbits]

31. Did they know you were applying for other jobs?

If it's a power trip issue, could your manager have fired you for looking elsewhere? Sorry that happened, that just sucks. :(

[Warpy]

5. Thanks TZ

The only thing I regret is the box of paperwork. That's all I really want back. The laptop was a POS and the computer was a backup box. Tiger and Overstock can replace everything economically.

I just hope the little bastards are freaked out enough never to come back here. I have a description of the car and the license plate number, so who knows?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

6. It sounds like they wanted to deny unemployment benefits

I worked for a huge asshole and that's how he would get rid of people to avoid paying out.

[realisticphish]

7. well

I really don't think so. With this manager, I think she basically got on a power trip. Other people at this job have done worse, or had drawers come up 200(!) short. But they got write-ups, or warnings. But I've been there longer than anyone else, got paid (slightly) more than everyone else, and am older than her.

I don't know. I just don't think this was financial. I want to know WHY, but I'm dropping it. No point to it, in the long run.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

21. Well, it sounds like you've got a good job lined up.

I'm in school myself at the mo'. I know that school + life sucking customer service job is a potent combination. I wish I could offer some sage and worldly advice on how to cope with the betrayal from your boss and coworkers. Sorry :(

[beam me up scottie]

8. That sucks, man. I know what it's like, you can't let it eat at you.

Anyone can stab you in the back, set you up and get rid of you so that their cousin Billy Bob Sue Ray can take your place.

Trust me, I know. Being fired or laid off is traumatic, especially for someone like you, you're honest and you did a damn good job, even though you were obviously overqualified. It's an insult, a slap in the face...don't get me started, I have issues. :)

We do care about you, I'm not in a good place now but I do lurk, you guys cheer me up without even knowing it.

Good luck, let us know how you're doing and pm me if you need to vent.

:hug:

[realisticphish]

9. thanks

:hi:

[Orrex]

12. Here's a terrific poem for you by Charles Bukowski

great escape

listen, he said, you ever seen a bunch of crabs in a
bucket?
no, I told him.
well, what happens is that now and then one crab
will climb up on top of the others
and begin to climb toward the top of the bucket,
then, just as he's about to escape
another crab grabs him and pulls him back
down.
really? I asked.
really, he said, and this job is just like that, none
of the others want anybody to get out of
here. that's just the way it is
in the postal service!
I believe you, I said.

just then the supervisor walked up and said,
you fellows were talking.
there is no talking allowed on this
job.

I had been there for eleven and one-half
years.

I got up off my stool and climbed right up the
supervisor
and then I reached up and pulled myself right
out of there.

it was so easy it was unbelievable.
but none of the others followed me.

and after that, whenever I had crab legs
I thought about that place.
I must have thought about that place
maybe 5 or 6 times

before I switched to lobster.

Sorry about the firing, but I hope it works out for you. Little is worse than being stuck in a job that you hate.


Best wishes from western PA!

[realisticphish]

16. haha

thank you.

I've been pacing and talking to myself a lot this evening and I came to a realization. I have to move on. I kept dwelling on the why's, and alternative scenarios, and the injustice, blah blah.

What's done is done. "So it goes" has been my personal motto since I first read Slaughterhouse 5, and I need to apply it. They did what they did, now I have to do what I have to do. My problem has always been that I think too much about stuff, and get myself worked up. I've calmed down now, and I think I'm ok.

I was dreading going to work every day, and now I don't have to. My only regret is not being able to say goodbye to some of the people there, but oh well.


I kind of wish I HAD stolen from the fuckers. Then at least I would have had something to show for it.

[salvorhardin]

22. I'm sorry to hear that

Retail jobs are awful, especially the corporate chains. Did you have to take an honesty test before you started working there? Back in college in the '80s I did to work part-time at Radio Shack. It was pretty much a joke. The thing I hated most was balancing out the till for the day. Back then we still had cash drawers and hand wrote receipts. When I worked nights, after closing, I had to use an old TRS-80 Model IV running proprietary Tandy software to enter in all the receipts for the day. Then the computer dialed up Tandy headquarters and filed your report. If your cash was off by more than a dime though it wouldn't let you call Texas so you had to fiddle the numbers to make it come out even. My manager told me if the drawer was really off to just leave a note for him and make the bank drop. He would take care of it, supposedly. After a few months of working there, suddenly the drawer started regularly turning up $50 or more off. I left for Christmas break and came back to find out my manager had been arrested for embezzling.

It was sad though. The reason he was taking the money was to pay for his wife's doctor appointments and medication.

[LeftishBrit]

24. Fuck them!

And you'd think if they want to make false accusations, it could at least be something a bit more plausible that stealing *five dollars*. It smacks of sleaziness-cum-desperation. Possibly the backstabbing manager sold you down the river to save his/her own skin. It wouldn't surprise me if that company soon ended up out of business.

I hope you get something much better soon.

[realisticphish]

26. got any jobs?

will travel... ;)

[uriel1972]

27. been thinking on this for a while

It's good that you've got perspective on this and being philosophical (wouldn't expect anything less from a sceptic lol). Being betrayed is one of the suckiest things that can happen. I wish I had advice that doesn't sound glib or facile. Just to let you know that I empathize. It sucks that there isn't much I can do, but cheer from the sidelines from the underside of the earth.

[realisticphish]

28. yeah

I think I'm over it. I'm looking for something part time, now, and I'm going to use the extra time to focus on my school.

As an aside, my roommate may be joining you down there. He is currently attending the University of Sydney online (he was down there for a few weeks this fall), and is applying to their doctoral program, with a damn good chance of getting in.

Though now he won't friggin shut up about Australia. ANY topic, he starts with, "Well, in Australia..." And he insists on referring to "uni."

[uriel1972]

29. don't worry

the wildlife will either poison him or eat him. Take care to remind him of the Sydney Funnel Web Spider. It lives in urban Sydney and is the most venomous spider in the world. And it is friggin huge. Each breeding season the males get aggresive and go wandering looking for females, thus winding up in peoples houses. Tell him not to leave clothes on the floor as they find them attractive and quite comfy. There is an anti-venine, but you might want him to sweat a little before telling him.
Good luck.
Oh yeah check out Bill Bryson's Down Under it's a very funny travel book by a US author who decided to travel around Australia

[realisticphish]

30. I have every Bryson book

he's awesome, though he can be kind of a dick at times

[trotsky]

32. I heard that butt candles are big in Australia.

Well, they're not BIG in Australia, if you get my drift.