I worked at an Ace Hardware for 2 years. I came from another Ace Hardware where I also worked for a few years, but each store was separately owned. They didn't have to train me much, really I just had to learn how my current store did things differently from my original store.
They had me working all over the store in different capacities. I'd work the floor assisting customers, stocking, mixing paint and cutting keys. They had me working in the post office, helping customers with stamps and getting their mail and packages out. I'd also work the front, ringing up customers and keeping an eye out for thieves. I could work just about anywhere in the store.
I got along well with management, except for one assistant. Let's call him Ken. Ken didn't like me for shit, and I'm not sure why. I've always been polite, and am good at my job. There was trouble between me and a rode hard old witch that worked the front. Nobody likes her as she's got a screeching nasal voice with distinct northern accent. We're in the deep south. Let's call her Debbie. Debbie has her head so stuck up Ken's ass, her hair is surely tickling his throat. The two worked together to get rid of me. And they succeeded.
I was fired for nonsense that got blown out of proportion by Debbie, and as usual, she threw a hissy fit. When my managers fired me, they literally had tears in their eyes. One of them hugged me, they both promised not to interfere with me getting unemployment and promised me they'd be good references. They lied. They fought my unemployment. As of now, I've been denied, but I've appealed. I feel pretty good about my chances because I have proof they're lying about why I was fired.
Remember Ken? Ken doesn't seem to like women very much. In fact, Ken went on a spree of sorts, verbally abusing most of our female staff, humiliating us in front of customers. When a female coworker went to the big manager to complain about how us ladies are being treated by Ken at work, the big manager could only say, well if you have a problem with Ken, take it up with Ken. Um, no. The complaint is he's discriminating against us and you want us to talk to him about it? Hell no.
So, of course, I've filed a complaint to the EEOC. Now, had they not been big pieces of lying shit, and didn't interfere with me getting unemployment, I might would have let it go, maybe. But they fired me, a single mom, barely making ends meet, with a special needs 10 yr old boy, fired with no real cause. And they lied to unemployment about why I was fired!
I haven't yet, but I'm also filing a complaint with my state's labor board. They steal about 6 minutes a day from employee's time punches. So, wage theft, discrimination, what else is next for them? Seems like it would have been easier and cheaper to just pay my unemployment. I'm going scorched earth.