Don’t Give This Boss A Pizza Your Mind

(On Saturdays, my boss buys pizzas for all employees, but wants to cut costs so has an employee pick them up instead of getting them delivered. Note: I am a 110 lb. female and this takes place in Detroit.)

Boss: “[My name], can you go pick up three pizzas from [pizza place]?”

Me: “It’s kind of far away, and I have a lot to do. Can you send someone else?”

Boss: “Everyone else is busy, too. And there’s one on the corner a few blocks over.”

Me: “Do you mean the one on [street name] and [street name]? I can’t go there, at least not alone.”

Boss: “Why the h*** not?”

Me: “It’s a dangerous neighborhood and I’m not comfortable. I’m a small teenage girl. A girl about my age got raped in that area just a few days ago. I don’t want to end up raped or murdered while picking up pizza. I’d gladly go get one from the farther one if I stayed on the clock and if I wasn’t busy with so many dog baths.”

Boss: “Well, I’m your boss and I say you have to go get the pizza from [closer pizza place].”

(At this point, one of our vet techs, who is male, overhears our argument and steps in.)

Coworker: “Wait, what, Dr. [boss]? You want to send a tiny girl into the middle of Detroit alone just to save a couple bucks delivery fee? No. I’m not even busy! I can go get the pizza!”

Boss: “I want [my name] to do it because I told her to!”

Coworker: “But it’s not safe!”

Boss: “But. I. Told. Her. To.”

(I ended up staying at the clinic and my coworker went to get the pizza without telling our boss. To this day, he thinks he got what he wanted.)