Hi there! I’ve posted this story in another sub, but I just came across this one & thought I would post it here as well, you all may enjoy it…
I'll be as specifically vague as possible while still making sense (won't name names/locations). Be warned, it's rather long, but if you're interested in a wild ride of a tale, take a seat, make some popcorn, and hang on… I present to you, my (sadly 100% true, I WISH I could make this up) retail nightmare.
(Edited to add: this happened a little more than a year ago.) I worked briefly at a consignment type clothing store in a rather sketchy area where sketchy people often hang out. I wasn't a fan of the area but I was fresh out of college & needed a job. I had reselling experience from years of online platforms & honestly thought I'd enjoy the work while I decided on a better career path. At my interview, the Owner was a bit odd, but I chalked it up to her being an eccentric business lady. What should have been a giant red flag though, was that she required her employees to participate in this “self-enrichment” course where we listened to lessons & Zoomed in on Sunday nights to talk about the homework. She took money out of your check (allegedly to pay for the lessons) but at the end of the 6 week course you got your money back. I thought this was ridiculous, but again, I needed a job, so I (stupidly) agreed. (And yes, it was just as dumb as it sounds.) I was hired immediately & had my 1st shift scheduled for just a few days from then.
Flash forward a month or so in, I think everything is going great. Owner brags on me, talks me up to other employees, & even tells me I'm quickly on track to become a manager. However, her colors really began to show. I started to noticed how passive aggressive & “fake nice” she could be. She was also paranoid about shoplifting, that spilled over into some racial profiling issues. She'd obsessively watch the cameras & if someone stole, she'd record the video & post it on Facebook. She would tell us to follow/watch people. I was always uncomfortable doing this, but she never had an issue making it obvious. Keep that in mind.
2 major events on the fateful day of my resignation are as follows…
A car theft/almost kidnapping took place in the parking lot. A mom left her kid & dog in her car & as soon as she got out a man jumped in, noticed the kid was in the back, threw the kid out, then drove away with the dog & everything else. The kid was found in the parking lot & was brought inside in hysterics. The mom was found next door, cops were called. Owner comes out of her office (for about 2 minutes because she was on an “important call”) & had no emotion about the situation whatsoever even though her staff was shaken. I tried to give the still crying kid a sheet of stickers until Owner saw me & proceeded to tell me I could only let them pick ONE sticker over & over before disappearing back into her office. I watched coworkers walk to their cars at the end of their shifts.
Here's where it really goes to hell… Maybe 2 hours later, two black female (relevant because Owner profiled hardcore) customers come in & Owner immediately instructs me to keep an eye on them. They didn’t look suspicious at all. I move close-ish to them & complement one of their bags & they thank me, but it's obvious they don't want to be bothered, so I move on with my closing duties. After a few minutes they each have some clothes draped over their arms. Owner goes over to them & asks if she can hold said items up at the front for them so they don't have to carry them around. The customers decline & Owner gives them a true if-looks-could-kll* glare before slowly moving away from them. One of the customers drops some clothes on the floor a bit later & laughs. Owner just loses it. I can honestly say that I've never seen a person flip like a light switch the way she did. She grabs a box & marches over to them, insisting they put their items in it. She starts frantically grabbing clothes from one of the customers who protests once again & tells her not to touch her. Owner explodes & starts yelling about kicking them out. A physical fight ensues, including hitting/shoving. The Owner’s husband had come in earlier & was in the back stock room. He comes running out screaming & blocks the door, demanding the customers' personal info including their IDs & what car they were driving. Cops are being called. They finally get out the door & another customer who had come in before the fight (also a black female) tries to leave but Owner & her husband stop her too. They're yelling that she open her jacket & drop any items she was holding. She finally makes it out the door & it quiets down. I'm aimlessly wandering the racks just trying to look busy while I text my dad to come get me. My hands are shaking, I've never experienced any day like this before & my nerves were just shot. Owner & her husband are brushing it off. Husband even makes a “sorry you had to see that” joke to another customer that was still in the store for some reason.
When the cop arrives he asks Owner if she wants any employees to back up her story. She says she doesn't want any of us to talk to him. I truly regret not speaking up but in that moment I was honestly a little afraid of her at that point. I'm “cleaning the bathroom” when my dad arrives. Owner comes back to find me to tell me he's there & I tell her I’m leaving for the night. She's like “oh are you not feeling well?” I tell her my nerves are shot after the day we'd had. Now, this was when we were still wearing masks, but I could see that light switch go off in her again. She got this wide-eyed crazy look & asked if I had just planned on leaving without telling her. I said I'd always planned on telling her when my dad got there. She then ranted about me leaving my team in a bind (it was only an hour til closing w/ like 4 other people working), that I needed to reconsider my position there & what hours I wanted to work. She said I needed to evaluate whether or not this job was for me. I was stunned, so I just said “okay” & walked out.
I broke down in the car. My dad told me that he would return my lanyard/keys for me & I knew it was for the best because I never wanted to see that woman again. My dad went back in & told the owner “she (me) won't be back” as he sat my lanyard on the counter. Owner responds w/ “okay!”.
She wouldn't send me my last check, I had to have someone go pick it up for me & when it came time for my W2 at the end of the year, she didn't mail that to me either… she took a picture of it from her computer screen & texted the picture to me. I'm also pretty sure that she didn't give me back the last payment I'd made for that stupid enrichment course, but I never pressed that issue because I didn't want to contact her anymore than I'd already had to.
So! I could honestly go on with more stuff, but this is what I wanted to get off my chest. How would you all have reacted to this situation? I've been told before that I was sensitive & overreacting, but I'm glad I got out of there. No job is worth that.