I have just worked all weekend even though I was sick because I didn’t want to ruin others’ weekends off. By Monday, I can barely talk, my chest hurts, and I even pulled a groin muscle from coughing. I call in to get my afternoon shift covered.  

My doctor takes one look at me and can see how sick I am. After taking vitals, he gives me a certificate to have two days off with orders to visit him on the third day, which is my day off anyway.

I text my manager to let her know what is going on but still ring in to let her know I texted. A coworker answers.

Me: *With a croaking voice* “Hi, [Coworker], it’s [My Name].”

Coworker: “[My Name], I heard you were sick. You know, I feel sick, too, and I still came in.” 

I’m barely able to get words out.

Me: “I just worked all weekend sick. Can you tell [Manager] that I just sent her a message because I can barely talk.”

Coworker: “FINE!” *Hangs up*

Me: “B****.”

This woman constantly calls in sick; in fact, she’s got no paid sick leave days left. I haven’t had a sick day in well over a year.

Our company has brought in strict guidelines and practises, insisting that line managers inspect each store monthly. Each month it’s the same thing: the line manager visits and leaves a large list of jobs that she wants done by her next visit. The store manager usually does his own thing, ignoring the list, and doesn’t even show it to me as his second in command. If I do ask about it, I get told he’s taken it home to work out a plan of action. The line manager always visits on a Monday after I’ve had the weekend managing shift. It’s always the same thing; I get sent an email first thing on Saturday morning.

It usually says, “OMG, [Line Manager] is coming on Monday! You need to make sure you do all of these jobs,” followed by the list of jobs he was given a month ago.  

Weekends are our busiest times, so I try to get through the list as best as I can with the help of the one other staff member we have. I often work two hours past my finishing time on both Saturday and Sunday before exhaustion gets the better of me and I attempt the forty-minute drive home, desperately trying to keep awake. Every Monday, I work the afternoon shift and I always get told off.

It’s usually something like, “[Line Manager] was not happy that the list of jobs was not completed; you let me down again.”

Nothing I say or do makes any difference; he can’t understand that working on the jobs over the course of the month is a much more efficient method of getting them complete. Even telling him that I worked over four hours extra, unpaid, gets me told off as I’m not supposed to be staying back in the store on my own.

I work at a major petrol station in Australia. It’s not compulsory to pre-pay for your fuel here, so we have to authorise the fuel pump from the till. We have 35 fuel pumps, so it can get pretty complicated sometimes!

It is during the busiest period of the afternoon when I notice that every time I try to authorise the pump, the customer hangs it back up again. This happens several times. Eventually, she comes running into the store.

Customer:
“The pump isn’t working! Fix it!”

Me:
“Sorry you’re having trouble. Just pick up the pump and put it inside the car and wait for a few seconds so we can authorise your fuel for you.”

Customer:
“I was doing that! It’s not working!”

Me:
“Please go out there and try again. It should be working fine now.”

The customer runs back out of the store and to her car. She picks up the pump, holding it above her head for a few seconds, and finally puts it into her car. We authorise her fuel and keep watching her. I check on the screen to check how much fuel she’s pumped and was surprised to see she had none. As I expect, the customer comes back into the store frantic about filling up her car.

Customer:
“It’s still not working! You said it would be fine!”

Me:
“Well, we did manage to authorise your fuel this time. Were you actually pulling the trigger on the pump?”

Customer:
“What? It doesn’t just work automatically?”

I am now holding back the urge to laugh.

Me:
“No, of course not. You squeeze the handle and the fuel will pump into your car.”

Customer: “Oh.”

She runs out of the store and back to her car. She picks up the pump and finally begins pumping. When she’s done she comes into the store, pays for her fuel, and then leaves. Thinking we’ve seen the last of her, I am relieved, only to see her running back into the store again.

Customer:
“There’s no fuel in my car! I just paid all this money and when I turned the car on, it still reads as empty!”

Me: 
“You do know you have to wait several minutes before the fuel gauge moves, right? Unless you spilled a tank’s worth of fuel straight onto the ground, it’ll be in your car.”

She protested some more but finally left. All I could do was giggle for the rest of the shift.

On Sundays, we have a “super Sunday deal” which discounts all footlong subs to $7 if you buy a drink, as well. A customer has purchased a six-inch meatball sub, which costs $5.45. She buys a 600mL bottle of soda for $3.75.

Me:
“That’ll be $9.20 all up, thanks.”

Customer:
“Excuse me, where’s the deal in that?”

Me:
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

Customer:
“Your sign says that if I buy a sub and a drink, the sub will only cost $7! So why is my sub not $7?”

Me:
“That deal only applies to footlong subs and you have ordered a six-inch.”

Customer:
“Can’t you just give me the $7 deal with the six-inch, then?!”

Me:
“But you ordered a six-inch meatball sub. That costs $5.45.”

Customer:
“So what?”

Me:
“So, what you’re telling me is that you want me to charge you $7 for a sub that normally costs $5.45?”

Customer:
*Pauses for a few seconds* “No.”

The customer handed me $9.20 and quickly headed for the door.

(Our company has brought in a new policy to force staff to sign up customers to their loyalty card; we have to meet a specific number each week or face disciplinary action. As a supervisor, I often bring up things I see as issues with my manager.)

Me: *to my manager* “What’s to stop people from adding fake names just to get their quota?”

Manager: “Why do you always do that?”

Me: “Do what?’

Manager: “You always see the worst in things, like last week when I wanted to remove the security code from the door to the staff area and you told me that someone could get in there and steal from the staff lockers.”

Me: “I’m only bringing up things that I can see that could be a problem.”

Manager: “I just can’t believe that you think like that; I don’t think I can trust you.” *walks off*

(Fast forward a few weeks:)

Manager: “Oh, my God, did you hear that there’s been quite a few staff in other stores who have been fired because they were putting in fake names for [loyalty card]? I wonder why no one thought of that in the first place.”