Hey guys, thank you in advance and I apologize if this is not what subreddit I should do this under, but this is a start.
So I started working for a Liquor Store, and at first, it seemed pretty good! The manager seemed to be stressed out but I just chalked it up as summertime Liquor store madness.
I have 4 years in the industry, and I'd like to think I'm a great worker! I'm personable, I'm quite agile, strong, fast, I know what I'm doing and I never slacked. Always on time, always came in for other people and never called in myself. I have fantastic customer service (obviously I can't make everyone happy though) and I brought business to the store and there have been quite a few reviews on google for this in the time that I worked there. Which was almost 4 months to be exact.
My problem is my manager. She is a middle aged woman with a lot of stress going on. She can be a bit insecure though, always going on about how skinny me and my coworkers are, then going on about how popular she is and showing off her “hot friends”. Now I know there isn't anything wrong with that, but I think it plays a part here. I'm 37 years old and when she found out about that her whole attitude changed. She was super rude to me, took all her problems out on me. She's a bully. The staff have anxiety constantly, and all she does is make fun of her staff to their faces or behind their back. Calls customers horrific things behind their back as well.
So I was stressed going in there and seeing her. I always kept it professional but after months of being berated for things that weren't even my fault I did stand up for myself a little bit. I guess employers don't like that.
So it started one day when I came in, and immediately she went off on me because a homeless man came in and was acting a bit odd, playing and dancing and he wouldn't leave… and he said that “Red” said he could. I DID NOT. But she wouldn't believe me. I have red hair so he was obviously referring to me. She went off on me in front of my co worker. Going on that they have an issue with me flirting with everyone and causing people to wait in line longer. She was angry. Furious with me. I'm just standing there, my good mood being ruined. I kept telling her that I had nothing to do with him, but yeah doesn't matter.
This was also the day I found out my mother has breast cancer so yeah, I teared up a bit. Which she then went off on me for again. Saying I always cry (It only happened once before as a co worker thought I was talking about her behind her back, and I wasn't, and the manager was going off on me for that too. I have a co worker that did confirm that I didn't say anything but that was that and my evidence didn't matter.
She took me to the back. Just unleashed it all. I never had a chance to speak for myself. I never do. She went off on me more. Saying no one likes to work with me because I talk too much to customers and then there's a line. There are lines sometimes but it's during a HEATWAVE, and their POS system is so hard to use. Nothing scans and it's hard to look up. Sometimes customers have trouble paying and that takes times. Keep in mind, I have made more tips that I split with my co workers than anyone has ever seen there, and I made bank for them. Manager even said she has never seen anyone make so many tips. She also says no one likes me either… hurts especially when I did a lot for them.
Still back to going off on me. She made fun of me for not having a family. Little did she know I had a stillborn many years ago and was medically unable to have children for more than a decade. This whole half hour of this just was crushing. I've always been a super happy positive person and apparently that's annoying to everyone. Like I'm not over the top. I just always came in with a positive attitude and was ready to work, AND knowing my place and not being nosy about anyone's life. I never even gossiped.
After this, I got a text from her, a very petty text, saying she was going to give me the next week off. Which turned into 18 days. I am only part time but that was how I bought groceries, paid for gas, etc. She said she was doing me a favour so I can de stress. I told her I needed to pay bills and she ignored me.
So when it was time for the next schedule, I asked her if we could just do what we were doing before, and she just said that this wasn't a good fit and I was no longer working with the company. It's four months so it can't just be without cause. I was devastated and I don't know what I even did wrong. I am professional. I might have talk a bit too much to customers because I genuinely care about people. My goal is to always leave people with a smile which I pretty much always do. I tried to get a hold of the owner as it's a small company but my manager was not willing at all to give the number to me. Then she said her and the owner talked and he's mad with me. For?
Today she called my old boss who also worked there for a few weeks until she was fired. Mysteriously. She told old boss that I was going to be sued for writing bad reviews (never did), and that one co worker was saying that I always hit on him and I send him flirty texts. I have records of all of our conversations and there was NOTHING like that. Never. This was strange for me, as this particular co worker was having panic and anxiety attacks from her on the daily from her. I tried to call head office for the owner once, to talk about how the mistakes she was blaming us for was her fault and how she bullies us. Professionally of course! The manager did always go on about how we were the worst store for mistakes. Which was her fault. She hires a new person, has them work a day, doesn't train them, and leaves them alone. Very stressful on a new person.
So the rudeness really happened when she found out I was closer to her age that she thought. I am not vain at all but I like I do like to do body building (had kidney disease for 20 years it makes me feel strong), and I have long red hair, and I love fashion in general so I have some cool articles of clothing that I have collected over the years. I think she was jealous of me… I got a lot of male attention, and I hated it. Just got out of a 6 year relationship and I did not want that. She constantly made comments on my body and how I must not eat or blah blah blah.
I just don't understand why she hated me so much. She would also say I was on drugs for making a mistake on the POS which I have mentioned was the most difficult one I had ever used.
I have had so much stress since I worked there my BP is rising which isn't good for my transplant. That's not on her. But can the owner really sue me? Can I sue for harassment? This manager is going to everyone spreading lies, and the owner wants to sue me! For things I never even did. I can't talk to the owner myself as he refuses (she says). There is no HR. No other way to get to him.
I am tired of people in power or low level managers bullying and harassing staff. I really don't know what I did wrong at all, except for asking if there was anything I did right, in a moment of tears.
For anyone that actually read this, I appreciate you whole heartedly. I've always had the highest reviews anywhere I have worked.
So few questions:
I'm part time but can I get a tiny bit of severance? She refuses to tell me whether I'm fired or let go. She just said there's no future with me there. It's more of a bit of petty revenge I guess. But man my mental health has taken a huge toll. I don't want to even put any effort into myself anymore, or even talk to men since they all seem to think I'm in love with them. A homeless guy was convinced I wanted to marry him once… he said I always was excited to see him even though it was his dog I was happy to see.
Do I need to speak to the boss? He's just going to sue me for something I didn't do? Like go ahead and try I guess. Can my manager actually call my friends and tell them to tell me things? Those were also lies.
I actually feel broken from this. I'm just trying to live my best life after being though some horrible things, are people so unhappy and miserable that they hate happy people who seem to be doing well? I just want to never leave the house looking like myself again. I want sweatpants and sweaters, messy bun, no makeup.
I'm at a loss.
Thank you all. And take care.