I was fired and banned from Busch Gardens (a popular amusement park owned by sea world) at age 16 for accepting a 2 dollar tip. I was a face painter/henna artist. I came back from my lunch break and there was a customer already waiting for me at the stand. I quickly threw my lunch bag down and got to work. The women was very insistent that I accept her tip because she was so happy with my work, even after I told her we’re not supposed to accept tips. Eventually, I agreed and took the 2 dollar tip, placing it beside the register and out of view like MY BOSS HAD DONE BEFORE. I was told if you have to take a tip, do it discretely, by my manager. An hour later, about five cops approached my stand, hand on hip ready to withdraw their weapons, and told me to step away from my stand. I was 16, with unicorn glitter face paint, I was terrified, and was interrogated about the money that I had “taken”. I told them it was just a small tip and the money was near the register. They counted my register, which had all the money it was supposed to. I was informed that for taking a tip I was to be fired immediately and banned permanently from the park. I remember rainbow colored tears falling from my face as I wrote and signed my statement of events. They took all the lunch money I carried in my personal wallet (maybe like 5-10 dollars thankfully), they had the right to it apparently. They told me they suspected me because I had my lunch bag out, I guess I was supposed to put it IN the cabinet instead of beside the cabinet. That’s when they saw me take a tip. What was I supposed to do if given a tip against my will? Immediately call a manager. They would walk multiple miles across the park, type in their code, and deposit all tip money in the register. It’s Busch Gardens’ tip, not mine. Of course my manager would be furious if I had followed that protocol.
In the end my permanent banned was later reversed. I have more bad things to say but getting approached by men ready to shoot me, fired and permanently banned over 2 dollars at my first job was the worst.