I started working at a higher-end retail store last Monday, and I found that my coworkers and the assistant manager were really difficult to work with. Red flags were everywhere, I was constantly being yelled at for making mistakes while training and learning how to do my job. Even little things like tapping the touch screen computer too hard. I was blamed for mistakes that other people made because I was new, even though I knew I hadn't done what I was being accused of. I was told that I couldn't take a 5 minute break to have a quick snack by the assistant manager and that “every minute you spend in the back not working, will be docked from your hours.” I initially figured that I'd just suck it up for a bit because I knew that everyone was being unreasonable, and I could deal with that.
However, I feel like I was deliberately set up to fail by the AM, and that's when I chose to leave. My last shift was on Sunday and when I was leaving, I told her I hadn't seen my name on the schedule that's pinned in the break room and if I'd be getting any shifts later in the week. She said she was still working on the schedule and that she'd let me know when to come in. I asked if she had my phone number, she said yes, and I specifically asked how she'd let me know. She said she'd text me, and I left.
By Tuesday night I hadn't heard anything about my shifts and thought she may have been keeping me off the schedule on purpose. Yesterday at 12:05pm, I got a text from her telling me she'd messaged me on WhatsApp on Monday and that I was supposed to be working from 12-9. I don't use WhatsApp, I deleted it a while ago because I wasn't using it and it was taking up space on my phone. This means I was already 5 minutes late to my shift. She never, ever mentioned that she'd communicate with me that way and that I should have it on my phone. She also would have seen that I never saw that message, and wouldn't she have tried to get in touch with me another way if I had to come into work? She had also scheduled me to work on Friday from 12-9, which is a day I specifically requested not to work on, especially in the evening, for religious reasons.
I figure that she was trying to fuck me over on purpose to make me look bad, she doesn't seem to like me for whatever reason, so I just quit. I texted her,
“Okay, thanks for getting back to me. Given the situation, there was no way I could have known that I was going to be messaged with WhatsApp instead of text messages. When I asked about texting, I meant text messages, not WhatsApp. Otherwise, it should have it been clarified on Sunday night. Unfortunately it makes me look bad, even though it wasn't my fault. I don't think this job is working out for me, I've found the work culture to be very unpleasant and not suited to my needs. I think it's best for everyone if I leave and find another job.”
She had the audacity to ask me if I won't be coming in to do my remaining two shifts, to which I just replied, “No.”
I know this post was long, but I've truly never experienced anything like this before, I feel as though I was purposefully sabotaged. My dad said that the AM may feel threatened by me because I learned how to do my job VERY quickly. I'd only worked four shifts and was basically doing most of my job duties on my own, without help from my coworkers. Oh well, I'm just glad to be out of there and hopefully the next place I work won't be so toxic.