In May, I began working at my second retail job ever. A store named “The Loft”, it's kinda like Cato I guess. It's a sister store to Lane Bryant and Ann Taylor. Casual/semi formal clothing, bla bla bla
I was excited because I've always liked dressing nice, and working at a place like this I had an excuse. But after my interview, I slowly started to dread it. The interview itself was short and simple. Those “where do you see yourself in 5 years” type questions. The manager, however, who we'll call Hope, had a very very bad body odor. I try not to judge, maybe she has worked a long shift. Whatever.
Anywho, everything seemed okay at first. My parents could tell that I wasn't as excited for this job as my previous one, and I honestly wasn't. I kinda felt like my mind knew shit was up.
A woman named Margot (or what we'll call her here) always acted a little… Odd around me. Very bossy, despite her having no authority over me. Fyi; she was in her 50s. Again, I ignored it.
Hope smelling, the other women purposely making me feel left out, the snobby customers; I started getting tired of it.
One Saturday everything came to a head. I opened with another manager, we'll call her Mila, and another employee who we'll call Jenny. Jenny was in her mid twenties, Mila was 30s-40s. They completely ignored me. And I mean completely. I swept, dusted, all the opening things, as they sat in the back eating their breakfast and probably shit talking. When they emerged from their lair, they didn't speak to me then, either. Like I said, it was a Saturday, so the outlet mall we worked at would get super busy, so even though we weren't the most popular store, we still got very busy these days. So I was dealing with this petty behavior, and the snobby Karen's, I was slowly losing my shit. And to make sure I wasn't a crazy bitch, I texted my mom, who works with snarky heifers like these day in day out. She told me to let it roll off of my back. So, I did. Until Margot showed up.
Margot came in and once she got radioed up, she said hello to everyone, including me. Note a small change in tone when she said “Hey, M/N”. Not a big deal. Our store has petite and regular sized clothing and sometimes the customers or even the employees, get confused as to where things go. Margot had found 2 shirts in the wrong place and over her radio she began accusing workers, mainly me. Incident # 1.
Incident # 2: we had finally slowed down, the store looked good, nothing to do. Other workers were standing around talking and because they loved to cast me out, I was left standing against a wall minding my own business. In front of me was one of those jewlery wall thingys you see in a lot of stores, some have wheels, ect,ect… I wasn't hidden by no means, but I could be overlooked. Mila was standing behind the counter when Margot came stomping up and asked her, “Is M/N even working today?” She asked in the sense of was I even helping, not actually working. If that makes sense.
Incident # 3:I was on my period that day, so within my 8 hour shift, I used the bathroom 3 times. The third time, Margot was there. Here's a little funny thing about her, she never takes breaks. And she'll say that herself. In fact, she's insulted me a few times for wanting to take mine. (Our break system is work 6 hours – get 30 minutes, at least that's what I was told, but I think it was bullshit.) So I go into the back, go to the bathroom which is inside our storage/break room. (It's just one toilet and sink in a room), and as I'm using the bathroom I hear the door to the storage room open and close, whatever. I change my pad, pee, freshen up, you ladies know the drill. I wash my hands and come out, and who is sitting there? Margot. It made my eyebrow raise a little. She hadn't been there long and remember, she never takes breaks. I take the long way back out to the floor, which is going through the dressing rooms, and I look over once I'm back out, and Margot was high tailing it out of the storage. She sat in there until the time I went in, to the time I left. I am 100% she followed me to the bathroom. I would never accuse anyone of doing something of such a malice nature, if I didn't know they did it.
The final incident; Some interesting back story for you all- I worked with a woman (late 30s) whose mother worked with my mother. And her mother loved to make snarky comments about my parents giving me a “new car” and the fact that I've been doing cyber school for the last 4 years. We'll call her Lory. Lory was a little shit stirrer. My mom and I believe that she had told the other workers about me, making up lies, saying I'm probably a brat, ect… Anyway, as I'm leaving for the day, walking out to my dad's truck, (where my dad and mom are waiting for me) my mom notices, Lori, and some little miserable old bitch we'll call June, glaring at me. Watching me the whole time. Lori is sitting her ass in the window display??? For some reason, being lazy ofc. June is basically laying on the counter. All staring. As I get in, Margot RUNS over to get a view of me. At this point it's a stare off between them and my parents. Mila, had left about five minutes before me, no one watched her, same with others.
My mom went in there and told them all off. I quit when Hope called me after the incident.
Here's another thing that happened that day; all the girls were standing around making racist comments about an Indian family that had just checked out. Making comments about them probably owning a 7/11, guessing their last name, ect… Disgusting behavior.
One thing about all of them that urked me deeply, was the fact that none of them cared about their appearances. Their hair would be dull and nappy, or greasy. Hope constantly smelled god awful. She had a house, husband, and children; there is no excuse. They were honestly all very gross, due to lack of care.
Nothing happened. No repercussions for anyone.