(I am being trained for a management position in a photography studio, and the manager training me decides to do a session on interviewing potential candidates. We pull up a few applications from online, and I start calling. My first call goes like this:)

Applicant: *sleepily* “Hello?”

Me: “Hello, this is [My Name] from [Studio]. I am looking for [Applicant] to inquire about a position.”

Applicant: “Yeah, that would be me.”

(I’m slightly put off by the tone, but since it is about ten in the morning, I figure maybe they’re still getting ready for the day and are just not themselves yet. So, I launch into a spiel about the job requirements, position, and what we’re looking for in terms of hours and work.)

Applicant: “Yeah, I can’t work earlier than noon because I need my sleep, and I need to be gone by four. I also don’t really like to deal with people, so I want to be the photographer, not the seller people.”

Me: “Um… Well, being the photographer, you would have to engage with the clients, telling them where to stand or sit, and how to pose. And our photographers are also studio sales associates and often sell their own photographs with the client. Is that something you’re willing to do?”

Applicant: *sighs* “Yeah, whatever. When do I start?”

Me: “Well, I’d like to set up an interview with you first. Will today at one o’clock work for you?”

Applicant: “Are you serious? I have to come in, in order to see if I got the job?!”

Me: “That’s how we like to do things.” *starting to get a little frustrated with this applicant, but still willing to give them a shot*

Applicant: “Well, I had plans today, so I’ll call you back about a better time.” *click*

(I just looked at the trainer, a little shocked. The manager shook her head, crossed the name off, and told me to move on to the next one. Three days later, the applicant called back wanting to schedule an interview in fifteen minutes. I was in a session, but my training manager told her the job had been filled. I’m used to demanding clients, especially when it comes to their photographs, but for someone seeking a job, their attitude took me by surprise.)

(I’m the last in line and there’s only one cashier — perhaps the only employee in the whole store. She finishes ringing out the first customer, then puts a closed sign on her register.)

Cashier: “I’m so sorry, but I’m required to take a break right now.”

(She quickly leaves before the grumbling starts. The other three customers in line are furious.)

Customer #1: “I can’t believe this! What a lazy b****!”

Customer #2: “You’d think the store would care that there. Are. Customers. In. LINE.”

Customer #3: “I’m calling her manager. I’ll have her fired!”

Me: *finally deciding enough is enough* “Denver requires companies to give breaks, even if you’re the only one working.”

(They round on me, then stop. I’m a tiny woman in a wheelchair, and that seems to give them pause.)

Customer #2: *red-faced* “Well… Well, I guess if it’s the law.”

(They turned back around and patiently waited. The cashier was back within five minutes, but they didn’t say a word.)

(I am about to move across the country and have reserved a trailer to transport my stuff. I make an appointment to pick it up in two weeks, at a dispatch location run by a different company than the one that owns the trailers. I arrive right when they open to pick up the trailer.)

Desk Person: “I’m sorry; I can’t seem to find your reservation. I’ll have to contact [Trailer Rental Company] to see what is going on.”

(She disappears for a few minutes to make a phone call and comes back looking apologetic.)

Desk Person: “I’m really sorry; they can’t find your reservation, either. They are sending a company rep over to see if they can figure something out. They should be here in about ten minutes.

(Not having any other options, I agree to wait. After an hour, I go back to talk to the desk person.)

Me: “Hey, you guys have [different sized trailers] outside. Those will still work for me. Can I just rent one of those, or at least just get it hooked up, while I wait for this guy?”

(As I am speaking, the company rep shows up behind me.)

Representative: “Hey! I don’t know if you’re going to be renting anything today.”

Me: “I reserved a trailer and need to have everything out of my apartment by tomorrow morning.”

Representative: *smugly* “No, you did not make a reservation. We would have gotten it! Now let’s see if we can still rent you something else.”

(While he is talking I pull up my confirmation e-mail on my phone and hand it to him. The smirk slowly falls from his face while he reads it over and types furiously at his tablet, trying to find my reservation info.)

Representative: “Well… um… It seems you did have a reservation, but it got deleted somehow. We can upgrade you to a larger trailer and knock $100 off the price for your trouble.”

Me: “Fine, just hook it up as quickly as you can.”

(If I could have, I would have gone elsewhere, but my plans to leave the next day didn’t give me many options. I would have given back the discount and larger trailer if I could have traded it back for the hour of packing I lost.)

(I am speaking with my roommate who works at an art store, and used to work at [Popular Retail Chain], which shares a wall with the art store.)

Roommate: “So, we just evacuated [Art Store] because we smelled a gas leak.”

Me: “Did anyone tell [Popular Retail Chain]?”

Roommate: *long pause* “No.”

(Our company oversees several projects at once, and we rotate our staff from one to another whenever one ends. I am a manager running one of these projects. Another manager has transferred his employees over to me, with a warning that one in particular has been slacking off, and to keep an eye on her. Her first two days under me, she is noticeably less productive than anyone else, getting less than a third of what is expected completed by the end of the day. I sit down with her to go over our expectations and the problems we have been having with her work. I end up writing her up and placing her on review, which essentially means that as long as she can meet a minimum standard for only one of her next three shifts, we will keep her on staff. The entire conversation, she is combative and only reluctantly accepts being on review, only after being reminded that if she doesn’t go on review, she will be let go on the spot. The next three days, her performance doesn’t improve at all. Towards the end of her last shift on review, I tell her we can discuss her review once the meeting room is available, in about two minutes.)

Employee: “Ugh, can’t we just talk about it really quick here?!”

(There are several other employees in the room, and I’m not about to fire her in front of the rest of the staff, in case she causes a scene.)

Me: “No, I’ll go see if the meeting room is open.”

(I check the room, and when I get back, she is gone.)

Me: “Where did [Employee] go?”

Coworker: “She left; she said you told her it was all right if she went home early.”

(At this point I’m furious, so I decide to just call her and let her go in the morning before the next shift starts. On the phone the next day:)

Employee: “Ugh, what do you want?”

Me: “We need to discuss your review.”

Employee: “Can’t we talk about it at the office? I’m busy.”

Me: “No, actually. We—”

Employee: “I’m trying to sign a lease for a new apartment! I’ll call you back when I’m done!” *hangs up*

(Now, I’m fuming. At first, I felt bad about having to fire her, but now I’m looking forward to it. She calls back about 30 minutes later.)

Employee: “What is so important?!”

Me: “Since you haven’t improved your job performance, we are going to let you go.”

Employee: “What?! You can’t do that! You need to give me some warning before you fire me like this.”

Me: “What part of ‘you have three days to improve or we will take you off staff’ did you not understand?”

Employee: “But I just signed an apartment lease! Fine. I’ll just go back to [Previous Manager]’s project. What do you think of that?!”

Me: “You can’t. I’m not taking you off of the project; I’m firing you from [Company]. We went over this when you were written up.”

Employee: “But you don’t work for [Company]!”

Me: “Who do you think I work for?”

Employee: *pauses* “What about [third project]?”

Me: “Seriously? You don’t work for [Company] anymore; you can’t go to our other projects. We’ve already mailed your last check, and I’ve informed the other managers that you were let go, and instructed them to not let you onto company property.”

Employee: “UGH! I just signed a lease!”

(I spoke with the other manager, who told me that he had several missed calls from her since leaving early the night before. My guess is that she thought that if she could get transferred to another project before I could fire her, it would somehow save her job.)