'I quit at the register on Black Friday': 20+ People who got back at their bosses before joyfully quitting

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 25, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

If you're working for a boss you don't like, quitting is the best feeling in the world. And these people had an added bonus: they were able to tell their terrible bosses exactly what they thought about them before leaving. 

They say that people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers. If you've ever been in a great job that quickly goes downhill when your favorite boss leaves, you know exactly what I'm talking about. A good manager can shield you from blame so that you can do your best work (or if you're in retail, they'll handle the most unhinged customers for you). Great managers encourage you to do your best while having realistic expectations. The right boss can make you excited to do your job — they make it feel like you're making a difference. 

When you don't like your boss, though, it can be a real slog to get through the day. From micromanagers who need to know what you're doing every minute of the day, to those who blame you for everything and never praise you, it makes you dread waking up for work each morning. 

That does make it especially satisfying when you find a new job! Just like these people below, you can finally take a breath and prepare for the next phase of your career, and leave your bad boss in the rearview mirror. 

Check out the hilarious ways these people told their bosses to go to heck. Then, this dad ordered a hamburger with everything on it, despite the waitress's warnings. 

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  • 01
    Green - coh voine 'My co-worker bought cake and ice cream for the office. Someone asked what we were celebrating.. and he said his last day.'
    via Brooke Lark on Unsplash
  • 02
    Mammal - What was your final "fl you" to a boss you didn't like?
    via u/Wholikesfruits
  • 03
    Font - Diamond Hand Dwight I worked at a dry cleaner for a summer. Front desk, cash under table type of job. I worked 50 hours one week and he told me he'd pay me time and a half for the OT. I go into work on payday and my cash envelope is not in the drawer. I called him and asked about it and he told me he couldn't pay me for my work yet. I kindly informed him that I was taking the money I was owed, and locking up the shop, and left.
    via u/Diamond Hand Dwight
  • 04
    Font - garethrory My co-worker bought cake and ice cream for the office. Someone asked what we were celebrating.. and he said his last day.
    via u/garethrory
  • 05
    Font - FrostyB Bag On my last day at the bowling alley, I sent an email to head office detailing all the she'd been up to but everyone was too afraid to report (inc. trying to fire someone when he found out she was pregnant - a big no no in my country).
    via u/FrostyB***Bag
  • 06
    Font - I heard later that the next day regional manager and a couple of executives turned up for a surprise inspection. He's found in the office, having backed a 16 year old female colleague in the corner, screaming at the top of his lungs, with his big red vein- throbbing face touching hers. She was distraught and obviously crying her eyes out. Manager was escorted off premises there and then and never heard from again.
    via u/FrostyB***Bag
  • 07
    Font - [deleted] I was thinking about quitting but has holding back. I scheduled a vacation with 3 extra days. It was a once in a lifetime type of trip. He rejected my vacation request. I thought about it for a couple of hours. Went to his office and told him 'I'm taking the trip no matter what.' The next morning the boss met me at hr and gave me a formal written warning. I responded by giving him my 2 week notice. They apologized and tried to convince me not to leave but it was too late.
    via u/deleted
  • 08
    Font - garlicroasted potato. As far as my life goes it was the s est job I ever took. Long hours, a lot of crunch, no company vehicle and a lot of travel. Every time I'd go to a different site I would get like 20 different phone numbers for the various people I was communicating with. Anyway so all of the contacts for these people was on my company phone that was synched up to my personal GMail (which stored all the phone numbers). At some point management decided my job was redundant and decide
    via u/garlicroastedpotato
  • 09
    Font - First thing I did was wipe my company phone clean before handing it over. A few days later they called me asking where all the contact information was stored. "Sorry I don't work for you anymore."
    via u/garlicroastedpotato
  • 10
    Font - o ijustcomment My boss and I had butted heads a few times after she took over the office. After finding a much better job I handed her a list of my job responsibilities, which she asked for because she didn't understand what I did there. "This is too much, we'd have to distribute all this to like 4 different people" and I said "yea" and walked out. Spoiler: she didn't do any of that and was fired less than a year later as the office was falling apart.
    via u/ijustcomment
  • 11
    Font - California_Sun1112. I gave him a two-hour notice when I quit. He had a habit of firing people on the spot when they gave advance notice.
    via u/California_Sun1112
  • 12
    Font - GreedoInASpeedo. Working retail I quit at the register on Black Friday. I had recently gotten another full-time job and was keeping this retail gig because I liked the employee discount and due to my other job this check was pure fun money, all that is to say I didn't need the retail job.
    via u/GreedoInASpeedo
  • 13
    Font - My store manager comes over at hour 7 of my shift, with chaos and a line 100 people long, and has the nerve to tell me my up-sales(fishing for promo signups, i.e. rewards, credit cards etc) weren't cutting it for how much traffic I was seeing. In front of the customers! I already couldn't stand this B so I said, "You know what you do it, I'm done" and then I apologized to my coworkers on the way out.
    via u/GreedoInASpeedo
  • 14
    Gesture - AHOY stebuu I worked hard over the course of a year to get all my former coworkers I cared about new jobs.
    via u/stebuu
  • 15
    Rectangle - Griffie Mechanic at a commuter airline. Boss wanted me to sign off a plane pre- flight inspection. I refused to sign because the plane was not airworthy. He told me if I wished to continue working, then id better sign. My response: then I guess I don't work here anymore. I picked up my tool box and left.
    via u/Griffie
  • 16
    Font - EDIT: yes, I am an A&P. I did report it to the head of maintenance as well as the FAA. No, I cannot reveal the airline, but rest assured, they have been absorbed by other major airlines several times and are not flying these model of planes any longer. 20.6k ↓ Reply Share
    via u/Griffie
  • 17
    Font - zipnathiel My boss's boss hated me. He drove out my previous boss that was one of the best managers I ever worked for. He demoted me, and then when the company laid-off EVERYONE else who knew my product, I insisted he restore me to my previous status or I'd quit. He did, and he wasn't happy about it. Eventually he demoted me again and I found another job. During my exit interview with HR, I spoke at length about how he'd fed up the department and fired many excellent people who were now w
    via u/zipnathiel
  • 18
    Font - A few months later he was escorted to the door and told never to return. Apparently the company took a good, long look at him and found he'd been holding his meetings with his subordinate managers in a local bar and would sometimes never return to the office. I don't know whether my discussions with HR had anything to do with their review of his performance, but I'd like to think so.
    via u/zipnathiel
  • 19
    Font - ApprehensiveSkirt5. lost him a big deal with another company by walking away at a critical moment. in fact, I walked right to the arcade across the street
    via u/ApprehensiveSkirt5
  • 20
    Font - Wholikesfruits OP. Haha How did he respond to that? 1.1k Reply ApprehensiveSkirt5 he called a lot and when I answered he was for the first trying to talk with respect that's how I know I really fed 'em
    via u/Wholikesfruits
  • 21
    Font - Malitov The manager told me the company I worked for owned me and that I'd do what they said or face consequences. This was in a meeting with other employees present. I walked out of the store with the manager screaming at me to get back to work.
    via u/Malitov
  • 22
    Font - JakeFrank08 This was my senior year of high school. I worked at IHOP and my direct supervisor was leaving, so the gm was going to take over my schedule. Well he didn't like me or my two friends who worked there as well. So when he posted the new schedule and drastically cut our hours all 3 of us walked out and quit he still had to fill like 4 or 5 weekday shifts and cover all of our weekend hours because all of us worked both sat and sun morning rush.
    via u/JakeFrank08
  • 23
    Font - ATF AlphaTangoFoxtrt When I left, he promised to take halfl what I was making and spread it among the team as raises to cover the extra work. He was trying to stop the exodus as I was the 3rd person to leave in a short time. So when I left I handed my pay stub (minus social security info) to the team and said Just in case he tried to lie. This is what I make. He tried to lie. They also realized they were being underpaid by a good chunk.
    via u/AlphaTangoFoxtrt
  • 24
    Font - He told me that was a breach of confidential information and they could sue me. I told him to sue me then. Never heard from that company again except for tax docs. For those unfamiliar, in the US you are legally allowed to disclose your own pay. And its illegal for your employer to tell you that you cant. Im assuming if he did try that HR or the lawyers quickly corrected him before they had to hand me a settlement.
    via u/AlphaTangoFoxtrt
  • 25
    Font - Successful_Tone5456 I interviewed for a new job and was offered it. I wrote my 2 week notice that same day and handed it over the next morning (I worked 11 pm - 7 am). The complete waste of oxygen that was the GM at the time tried to compete with the new job, and I laughed in his face. Told him that in order for me to even consider staying, he would have to give me a $9/hr raise, pto, and health insurance. He made a hateful comment, and I took my notice and changed the final date to the c
    via u/Successful_Tone5456
  • 26
    Font - The new job was a 'lateral move' (same exact job, same hours, just a better company) and is still my current job, I've had 12 raises, just celebrated 10 years there with management having food delivered for me every night for a week.
    via u/Successful_Tone5456
  • 27
    Font - nanoqueen2 Salary was delayed by 2 weeks and was about told to be lenient because the company is growing and needs our help and cooperation. I waited for another week but I was ignored. I left the job without notice and upon them calling me to sue me, I replied "You have money to sue people but no money to pay employees." I switched job and I am at a better place right now.
    via u/nanoqueen2
  • 28
    Font - Bevester I walked into his office before my shift started, told him "I quit." He says "You're giving your two weeks notice?", I said, looking at my watch, "I'm giving my ten minutes notice."
    via u/Bevester
  • 29
    Font - o 180Proof Was inline for a promotion after my old supervisor was fired for ethics issues. Boss decided to open the requisition, interview and hire a person all in the 2 days I had off. Since the person hired had no experience in my department/field, I was expected to train my new supervisor, and the other new people they also hired. I did none of that, quit (gave my 2 weeks), and didn't explain a single thing to anyone in those 10 days. Supposedly it took almost half a year to get close
    via u/180Proof

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quitting boss workplace-stories in-the-workplace jobs work stories toxic-workplace job coworkers i quit leaving askreddit quit workplace bad bosses
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