I worked at a regional chain grocery store. I had worked at this job for almost two years (August would’ve been my two year anniversary). When I first started working there, I loved it. Slowly though, it turned into a hellscape.
Recently, I found out my father may have lung cancer. I made the decision to drop out of college for the time being to stay and help my parents. It’s been a very emotionally overwhelming few weeks.
I informed my boss what had been going on, and asked if I could be non-customer facing for a while. I didn’t get any answer, and honestly my situation was kinda ignored. This irritated me, as I was one of the best workers in my department, so I thought my boss would be willing to help me out here.
Nope. I’ve received passive aggressive comments and glares these couple of weeks because my performance hasn’t been the same, even though I’m covering my lazy coworkers’ asses as well. I just couldn’t take it anymore.
We are not allowed food or any drinks unless on breaks, which it’s impossible to take sometimes. Or you have to walk all the back to the back of the store. We are not allowed any “personal” belongings in our department, including your own sweater or coat, purse, keys, whatever or it will be taken.
The workers are treated like shit, and their problems and personal safety don’t matter. A woman was told her miscarriage wasn’t a valid excuse for calling in. My best friend who I met here, can’t even enter the store anymore because it’s gives her so much anxiety. Our industrial oven gloves have holes in them, and if your burn yourself, it’s because “you’re not working fast enough.”
Yesterday was my final straw. I’ve already been feeling like my time was up here and have secured myself another job, it was just a matter of putting in my notice. I used to really like my boss, but she’s become like the rest of them.
We had been missing one of our devices all day and couldn’t grab another because they are locked up. My coworker and I just borrowed somebody else’s to do what was most important and went about our day.
It started getting hectic and honestly my other tasks just slipped my mind. My boss, who had barely been in the department up until this point, passively aggressives asks if we’ve been doing our logs.
I don’t say anything. I go over and help a coworker finish a task, because my boss was treating her like shit and I felt bad. My boss then says,”I scheduled more then two of you today otherwise nothing would get done.”
Excuse me? I cover everyone’s asses more then once. I didn’t say anything but I glance over and she’s giving me the nastiest fucking look. And I knew that I was done. I literally told her a day before, my father was getting a biopsy soon, and may have to get the whole lobe of his lung removed. This is the treatment I get?
I finished out my workday and stuck a note on the door and left.
I only feel guilty because my mother is a huge believer in notices and leaving places right, which I understand. I don’t want to add to their stress and it makes me feel selfish and guilty. I wasn’t truthful and I told her I put in a week notice, because I didn’t want her to worry. I dug myself in a hole with them..
Should I have given notice? Or was I right to leave the way I did?