(This just happened yesterday)
I had been working at my former job for about 6 months and started out working in the kitchen. Things were rough with the pandemic and former management and I was unhappy with how things were being run (I was promised a $2/hr raise for 4 months and the kitchen manager never even brought it up with the owner, so I asked to make a switch to bartending.) The bar manager who I’ll refer to as “C” helped bring me to the front where I began bartending full time.
For two months I have been juggling work and school full time while making about $100/shift in tips on average. I recently moved in with my partner which turned my commute into a 30-40 minute drive from our place to work which was a city away. Recently I have been looking into other jobs to try and make a bit more money, and found a place about 10 minutes from our house that pulls in a big crowd. I applied and they reached out to me shortly after and we set a time for an interview.
At the time of the interview, there was a baseball game going on. I pull into the parking lot and of all the odds, I see “C” and my work friend “S” walking into the game together. I debated on saying hi to them, but I had a really good friendship with both, so I ran over and said hey. They asked me what I was doing and I told them that I was going to hang out at the brewery. We said goodbye and I went to the interview which was pretty successful and I was told I would hear back from them in a few days. This was (as of the time of this post) 5 days ago.
Two nights ago, when I was bartending with “S”, she asked me if I was really at the brewery to hang out. I was anxious and told her that I had an interview but nothing has happened with it. She told me that it would be a great place to work at because of the crowds before and after games and congratulated me. I told her that I was trying to figure out the best way to tell “C” about the new job if I ended up getting it because I didn’t want to leave him short staffed. Afterwards I asked her to not tell “C” because it wasn’t a sure thing yet, which she promised me she wouldn’t.
Queue yesterday, I’m bartending the day shift and about 30 minutes before my shift was over, “C” walks in. I said hello and asked him if he was doing inventory today and he told me no. I said “oh are you working today?” Which got another flat “no”. He then told me that I needed to talk to him in the office and to follow him. At this point I was like okay he knows about the interview and probably wants to figure out where I’m at.
We get to the office and he immediately says “yeah so I’m pulling the plug.” I said okay on what? And he replied “on you. You’re fired.” I was completely taken aback and asked him why I was being fired. “Because you seem like you don’t want to be here.” I asked him if I did anything wrong and he said “no you didn’t do anything wrong. There are scheduling conflicts.” I responded “I’ve been working the same schedule for two months with no issues and I have done nothing wrong but you’re firing me?” I then asked if I could at least work two weeks to find another job since I still hadn’t heard back from the interview and he said “no you’re fired. You can either close your paperwork or I can mail you your tips.” So I elected to close my shift, hugged my friends and left.
I guess I’m writing this post because I’m hurt. I don’t know if I did something wrong, I’m sure I shouldn’t have told “S” since her and “C” are sleeping together but I trusted her to keep her word and she denies telling him.
So now I have no job and no promise of a job, and I lost a friend, maybe two. Like we hung out after work, went to watch movies and drink and play games. It just hurts.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading.