'I... thought some companies really cared': Deli employee cite safety concerns during exit interview, gets bullied into rewriting letter by their bosses

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Dec 15, 2023 5:00 PM EST

This deli worker was not thrilled about the sanitation standards at their job. Since they worked behind the counter, this worker got to see how the sausage was made, so to speak, because in their case, they were witnessing how rotisserie chickens were being sold. Instead of trashing turkeys that definitely shouldn't have been consumed by the general public, this guy was asked to just put them out for sale. 

It seems like this is not uncommon. How can bosses just not care if they're putting out food products that could make people super sick? I know that lots of managers enjoy lazing about during their day-to-day work life. But they must have to draw the line somewhere…

You can check out this story of a person who bravely tried to warn their employers about hazardous situations. Then, check out these mildly infuriating moments that happened during the holiday season, like one boss who gave out a stingy Christmas bonus of a "$20 off coupon for a frozen turkey." Wow, how generous. 

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  • 01
    'My employer made me rewrite my exit paperwork'
    via Kyle Mackie on Unsplash
  • 02
    My employer made me rewrite my exit paperwork after I initially submitted a list of safety and general concerns I had about my department...so I did.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 03
    About ten years ago, I worked for a famous wholesale club that usually prides itself on good working conditions and treating their employees well. You know the one. The specific location I worked for happened to be a rather large exception to that rule, as it would turn out.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 04
    I worked in the suburbs west of Detroit for this Wholesale Club in the deli department for the better part of two years. My job was, among other things, skewering the chickens, preparing entrees, and performing the nightly cleaning procedures. If you know anything about this Wholesale Club, you
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05
    know that they have very detailed and very thorough procedures for just about everything because they care about their customers and they care about doing the right thing in general even when no one is looking...or so I thought.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 06
    During the two years, I started noticing certain patterns that felt not just unfair but possibly dangerous or hazardous to the well being of employees and/or customers. A couple of examples, among dozens of others, were being told to look past off coloured/bad- smelling raw rotisserie chickens and to just do my job, being written up for clocking out one minute over my shift
    via u/[deleted]
  • 07
    even though I was rushing to complete all of the sanitation tasks in the prep area, and getting in trouble/written up for requesting the Wholesale Club's company policy/deli guidelines about how fast a satisfactory employee should be expected to go when preparing entrees and cleaning the deli (my manager bucked the official guidelines and would always make me perform 10% faster than my previous weeks performance, probably so she could cut more hours and send us part timers home sooner so it'd cu
    via u/[deleted]
  • 08
    Given my place in life, I absolutely had needed this job and couldn't afford to lose it. So I tolerated everything that I felt was odd or perhaps egregiously unfair about the work environment...but I wrote everything down in a journal when I came across an instance where I thought "that doesn't seem like the executives of this company would approve of that". But now, at the point where I had another job offer, I felt slightly more confident and less likely to slip into my subservient spineless w
    via u/[deleted]
  • 09
    About two or three days after I had tendered my two week notice, one of the lead people of the store called me to the main office while I was working in the deli. I walk up to see what they wanted. I was given a packet of paperwork that was tantamount to an exit interview. It had questions many of us have all seen before in an exit interview. It also had a space for extra comments. In this space,
    via u/[deleted]
  • 10
    I put that I had some concerns about some of the safety practices, disciplinary measures, adherence to corporate standards, and general demeanor of and the worker morale within the deli department. That's all I put. I didn't get salty, I didn't list examples, I wasn't even mad. I was just a naive younger adult in my early twenties who thought some companies really cared about certain kinds of feedback regarding well being and safety of the employees and customers. I handed in the paperwork and r
    via u/[deleted]
  • 11
    ...About two days later I get called to the main office again. Oh boy, maybe they want to hear my feedback and concerns, I thought. When I arrived into the office, the same lead person who originally handed me the paperwork had a puzzled expression on her face. She told me to step into this super tiny office where they had the security camera
    via u/[deleted]
  • 12
    monitors stored. Inside was a small desk and three store leaders: the assistant manager, the store manager, and this lady. They all told me to take a seat and shut the door of this super tiny room. All three of them got really close to me from across the tiny table.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 13
    The store manager was first to speak, "Fartsdontmatter, how many years of experience do I have being a manager?" Me: "Probably a lot. Seems like you know how to run the store."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 14
    Store Manager: "Right, I've been here points to nametag since (some year in the late 1990s). So would you say I have what it takes to know how to reflect on all of the things needed to operate a Wholesale Club like this?"
    via u/[deleted]
  • 15
    Me: "Yeah, likely that you do. What are you getting at?" Store manager: "How many years of management experience do you have, Mr. Fartsdontmatter?" Me: "None."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 16
    Store manager: "Ok, how many years of deli management experience do you have?" Me: "None. I work as an associate."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 17
    Store manager: "Right! So let me ask you: how would you know how to run a deli if you don't have any experience as a deli manager?" Me: "Never said I did know how."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 18
    Store manager: "Well apparently you think you do because I have what looks like very disgruntled paperwork here I believe you filled out that says you have "some concerns" about certain "safety practices, disciplinary measures, adherence to corporate standards". Me: "That's right."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 19
    Store manager: "How can you know what is truly a concern in the deli department if you have never had experience as a deli manager? You just told me you have no experience as a deli manager." Me: "..."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 20
    Store manager: "The reason we called you in her today everyone in the room folds their arms in unison is because we know you overthink stuff. We don't pay you to think. We pay you to show up and work. And while you may think your comments and so-called concerns are legitimate, I can assure you that your remarks instead come across as disgruntled and highly out of line. It would be a shame if a future employer
    via u/[deleted]
  • 21
    called us for a reference check and we had to tell them Mr. Fartsdontmatter was a highly disgruntled employee. Therefore, we are going to give you this opportunity to rewrite your paperwork and we will pretend like we didn't even see this paperwork so you can rest assured we don't have to mention anything about you being disgruntled to any future employer."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 22
    One of the other people slides me a fresh copy of the same paperwork. I agree to rewrite it. They leave me alone while I begin to rewrite the paperwork. When I get to the comment section, I write,
    via u/[deleted]
  • 23
    "Everything was absolutely perfect about my experience here and there is nothing but good things that I have to say...and this was what the three managers told me to put after bringing me into a tiny room and giving me the "opportunity" (offer I couldn't refuse) to rewrite this
    via u/[deleted]
  • 24
    paperwork after my former paperwork, which pointed out that I had concerns about the deli department, would be interpreted like I am a disgruntled employee if I submitted that copy of the paperwork."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 25
    I turn in my new paperwork without saying anything and walk back to my department. I didn't return to work after that night.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 26
    Fallout: Came back for a shop a few weeks after starting my new job and the store had entirely different management and the deli manager was long gone.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 27
    Tl;dr management at a famous membership club had me rewrite my resignation exit paperwork that pointed out that I had concerns about my department, threatening that they would tell all future employers I was disgruntled, so I rewrote the paperwork saying I was pulled into a tiny room and threatened that I would be perceived as disgruntled if I submitted my original comments.
    via u/[deleted]

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boss cleaning workplace-stories jobs club job malicious compliance bosses work malicious-compliance-reddit note deli workplace malicious compliance reddit
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