You Fail To Plan Your Plans, You Plan To Fail

I was working my first real job as a cashier, but I was also trained in the grocery and fashion departments. For cashiers, it was our job to keep the candy section organized. The head cashier was responsible for doing any reorganization that was sent down from head office. My head cashier almost never did ours.

One day, we were informed that someone from the head office was coming, so [Head Cashier] was worked up over everything she had to do. It was a slow day, so I offered to do the reorganization for her since I knew how from working grocery. She gave me the paperwork without a thank-you and told me to do it quickly. As I worked, I marked up the paper. I was halfway done when I went to lunch.

While I was on my lunch, [Head Cashier] came in angrily waving a paper.

Head Cashier: “What do you think you are doing?!”

Shocked, I didn’t answer and stared at her.

Head Cashier: “You are doing the wrong plans!”

She then threw a paper at me.

Head Cashier: “This is the one you were doing! And this is the one you should be doing!”

And she threw the other.

I took a moment to look at the papers and saw that neither was the one I was doing since there was no writing or anything on them.

Me: “You are the one who gave me the paper before; I was doing exactly what you told me to do. And for the record, neither of these is the one I was doing.”

Head Cashier: “Well, this is the one you should be doing. You’d better fix it after you are done with your lunch!”

After lunch, I started over but shortly realized I was basically putting everything back.

One time, as [Head Cashier] walked past, I asked if she was sure it was the right one.

Head Cashier: “Just do as you’re told!”

About an hour later, I was almost done thanks to help from another cashier when [Head Cashier] came back.

Head Cashier: “Are you stupid? How hard is it to do your job properly?!”

Me: “What are you talking about? I’m doing exactly what you told me to do.”

Head Cashier: “It’s wrong!” *Holding up yet another paper* “This is the one you should be doing! Seriously, you are completely useless!”

To make it utterly clear, we were in the candy section surrounded by staff and customers.

Me: “I am sorry I am so useless and stupid. I was only trying to help you since there was so much to do, but since, technically, this is not my job, I will stop now and let you do it correctly.”

I then turned to the other cashiers and told them I was going on my coffee break.

I went to the back and the grocery supervisor, having heard the screaming, asked what was going on, so I told her.

Two days later, I was pulled into the manager’s office. Together, we realized that [Head Cashier] was like eight plans behind. First, she gave me something like plan five. Then, in the staff room, she accused me of doing plan three and made me do plan one. She actually ended up doing plan six herself, and the person from the head office noticed. If it had been plan seven, she could have claimed she hadn’t had time to switch it yet, but it was two plans off.

She was also told she cannot speak to me or any staff like that, especially in front of customers, and she was made to apologize to me in person and write me a letter. From then on, she was required to do all plans herself, and after that, no matter how crazy things were, no one ever offered to help her again.