Time For Them To Vacate Their Position

(I work at a local grocery store. It is the week before my big vacation. I’ve had planned it out almost eight months in advance and submitted my request off as soon as the plans were finalized. I go to the schedule to make sure I got the time off, but I notice that I have been scheduled several times over the course of my vacation days. Thinking there must have been some mistake, I go to the manager, who is in charge of making the schedules.)

Me: “Excuse me, [Manager]. I think there must have been a mistake in the schedule.”

Manager: “What do you mean? The schedule is correct.”

Me: “I requested off for this week and the one after it for my vacation, but I’ve been scheduled for both weeks!”

Manager: “You should have put your request in sooner, then.”

Me: “I put it in back in November. It’s July now.”

Manager: “Well, I don’t know what to say. Requests are not guaranteed no matter how early they are.”

Me: “But, Miss—“

Manager: *now yelling* “Listen, [My Name]! You have a job to do, and you’re going to do it. You will be present and in uniform for each and every shift during those two weeks or you will be fired! I don’t care how early you put your request in; they are, once again, only requests, not guarantees! If you don’t get your time off, you don’t get your time off! That is final! If I hear one more word on this matter, I will be writing you up for insubordination! NOW, GET BACK TO WORK!”

(I sheepishly head out of her office and to my register. For the next couple of hours, I am on the brink of tears. The owner notices and brings me to his office out of concern.)

Owner: “What’s wrong, [My Name]? Are you all right?”

Me: *trying hard not to cry* “I didn’t get my vacation.”

Owner: “I’m really sorry to hear. You did request it off, right?”

Me: “Yes, eight months in advance.”

Owner: “Well, I’m sorry, but if you didn’t get it, there’s nothing I—“ *pause* “Wait. Did you say eight months?”

Me: “Yes.”

Owner: “Okay, if no one else requested off before you, then you should have gotten that request approved. For you to make a request eight months in advance and not get it is just ridiculous, and I have no idea why [Manager] wouldn’t approve it.” *pause* “Unless…”

(He turns to his computer and begins looking something up. I suddenly see him scowl at the screen and then shake his head in disgust.)

Owner: “Yep. Just as I thought.”

Me: *nervous* “What?”

Owner: “Don’t worry about it. You can take your vacation.”

Me: “But [Manager] said I’d be fired if I didn’t show up!”

Owner: “You will not lose your job. I promise I will not allow you to be fired over this. You have my permission to take your vacation. In fact, I’ll give you tomorrow off to prepare. Why don’t you go take your break now? Go get some coffee and settle down a bit. I’ll deal with [Manager] myself.”

(I went to the break room and made myself a cup of coffee, while the owner called the manager to his office with a rather angry voice. As it turns out, the manager rejected my eight-months-pending vacation request to put forward her own last-minute vacation request. It wasn’t the first time she had done this, either. As punishment for her actions, the manager was written up and forced to cancel her vacation and work every shift that she had scheduled me for! She was very resentful and bitter to me when I returned from my vacation. Luckily, I didn’t have to put up with her for long, as she was fired a week later for forcing one of my coworkers to push carts in a thunderstorm.)