Retail job candidate reports their power-tripping interviewer to HR: 'I hope she calls me back so I can decline'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Apr 14, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

Bad experiences are a dime a dozen when it comes to interviewing for a retail role; in no other line of work are there so many desperate interviewing managers looking for such a high level of effort and experience for such minimal pay.

Usually, if an interviewer takes issue with you, there's no coming back from it, no avenue of recourse; after all, they're the ones doing the judging, and you hold very little control over the situation outside of your ability to walk away. Yet, sometimes, a hidden option might be available to you—one that might not be readily apparent. Depending on the organization, a larger one preferably and certainly not a smaller one where you're probably being interviewed by the owner, you might be able to make a report of your interview experience to the company's HR department if the interviewer's behavior was unprofessional or otherwise might have been out of line with the organization's values.

The reality is that some managers, and organizations on the whole, want to hire people whom they know they can manipulate. This candidate ran into one of these managers when, from the outset of the interview, the manager was immediately hostile towards her—and it didn't get better from there. 

The candidate returned the next day to share an email she had written that she was planning on sending to the parent organization. See this update from item 21 onwards in the images below.

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  • 01
    "We're like a family here. RED FLAG!"
    via Amy Hirschi
  • 02

    The candidate first described their experience in this thread

    r/antiwork 1 day ago • chihuahua_supporter Retail managers are the most miserable, power-tripping people on this planet ( interviewer story!) I did not choose that as my title to be elitist - I have worked lots of retail throughout my life. In my experience, it seems a lot of these people in managerial retail positions have internalized shame about their career path and not being able to find a "fancier" job (not an attitude I share about customer service
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 03
    work). That's why so many of them are bullies or micromanagers - grasping at any iota of power they think they have. This isn't a post about gripes I've had with previous managers because that is a whole can of worms I'm not gonna open - instead I'd like to share an interview story! - Context 23F, during the week I work as a classroom assistant for a a school. I have no gripes with that job, it's fun and relevant to what I earned my degree. However it's only part-time and so I've been looking fo
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 04
    Yesterday, I had an interview with a gift shop near a hiking trail. I applied to this job over a month ago, and was surprised to hear back so late. After meeting the rancid store manager, it became obvious why no one wants to work here. I showed up twenty minutes early. Right off the bat this woman was hostile, constantly interrupting me to the point where I could barely finish a sentence. Just generally a cold demeanor. To all of my answers she'd either cut me off or go "o-kay? Next question".
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 05
    A few minutes in she asks, "Why do you want to work for the C y?" This is the agency that runs parks in my city, including the park that this gift shop happens to operate on. I said "I know it's a nonprofit, and I'd be open to learning more. I've liked this trail since I was a kid -" - " and I would have continued but she cut me off and went "Before you show up to an interview, you need to look up the business on the internet. This is why, when you emailed me last Thursday asking for our address
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 06
    ???????????? What? In what world is that a reasonable or normal reaction to someone asking you, "May I have the address of your business?" Two words: Gift shop. This is a gift shop my sister-in-Christ. On an empty hiking trail. The stakes are low. They've never been lower. Literally not a single customer walked in the whole time I was there.
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 07
    I have been bullied by power-tripping retail managers before and I know exactly how these people operate. They know the stakes are low and that makes them insecure about their place in society, so they go to ridiculous lengths to manufacture urgency. They set sales expectations or membership/rewards quotas that are impossible to meet. They over-hire then play mind games slashing hours, dangling carrots over your head.
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 08
    They treat their workers like disposable garbage. They want to "intimidate" you sooo bad, when really they're just telling on themselves how much of a parasitic loser they are. Like, I do remember emailing her about the address and I remember noticing that she didn't respond, but like lol, I just assumed she got busy? Like a normal person?
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 09
    If it helps you sleep at night to GATEKEEP the address of gift shop, Imfao, ok, seek therapy. At one point, I offhandedly mentioned the bus route I took to get there, and she smirked and went "oh, so you don't have a car? That's going to be a problem for you. Do you even get places on time?" What a clownish thing to say to someone who showed up twenty minutes early to speak with you.
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 10
    To add to why this comment is so absurd, I live in a large city where most people use public transit. I'm not gonna say where for the sake of anonymity, but think vaguely NYC vibes - public transit is part of the culture. "I took the bus here" should not make you blink. I just looked it up and half of all residents here don't even own a car. Like this lady was pulling stuff out of her . Absolutely frothing at the mouth to bully someone. Whether I take a car or the bus to get to my job is frankly
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 11
    Like everyone else, I've done loads of interviews throughout my life and people generally don't respond to me this way. I landed a job at a school working with young children, after all. Like... at one point she asked "what is your sales approach?" and I answered "I'm very friendly and I like to have organic conversations with people. When I worked at a bookstore, I built acquaintanceship with a handful of regular who would come back to the
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 12
    store to ask me for reading recs", all of which is true, and I would say that's a pretty solid answer a considering the absolute " you" energy she was exuding the whole time, but she cut me off and went "So you helped customers find books? O-kay? Next." Like, idk, I'm just trying to make a point that I wasn't behaving in any way which warranted such a negative reaction. This person was wretched.
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 13
    And because these people seem to chronically lack introspection - she even admitted that they're short staffed, and that "lots of people quit because they think the trail is creepy". Sure Jan, tell yourself that's the reason. She also described the workplace environment as, "very small. we're like a family here." RED FLAG!
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 14
    The only reason I can think why someone would behave in such a deeply weird and contemptuous way right off the bat is to weed out the people with an ounce of self-respect. These people just want a puppy to kick.
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 15
    And on that note, nearing the end of the interview this lady's demeanor just like? switched???? After her insane spiel about The Address, she was like "BUT :) I am giving you chance because I am pleased with your veRbaLity." and i was like "um, what?" and she was like "that means I like the way you talk." (Imfaoooo talk like a human please) and she became all nice, "oh, it was so wonderful meeting you", etc, and she introduced me to some of the other employees and said I'd hear back by Tuesday o
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 16
    You know why? Because I'm probably the only person who didn't just walk out of the interview. I hope she calls me back so I can decline. I can't imagine this woman being anything but a DEMON to her current employees. At least with previous retail managers who ended up being ' they had the foresight to pretend to be decent during
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 17
    the interview. If I didn't have the insight to know that, yea, some of these people truly are just Machiavellian nutjobs looking to employ their next punching bag, I would wonder why on Earth she even bothered to invite me for the interview. This didn't even feel like an interview. I can't believe I bussed all the way out there to be interrupted and spat on for half an hour. What an utter waste of my time.
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 18
    False-Focus2949 1d ago Go to the store as a customer and give her trouble. Call the shop and waste her time. 10 ☐ R ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 19
    AZO CaexKothar 1d ago 100% Years ago I applied for a local grocery chain, and the dude interviewing me talked for 45 minutes about himself, was a condescending the whole time, had me take a personality test, and ended the interview by saying "you can stick around if you want to see how the store works." Offered me a part time minimum wage job like two weeks later and I told him to shove it. ↑ 4 B Re ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 20
    No-Two79 1d ago idle They absolutely DO just want a puppy to kick. You got that right. I worked with a borderline sociopath like that who systematically bullied others at work, just one at a time, until they quit or got fired, and would then focus on a new victim, rinse and repeat. I got angry, gave her some back, then I got fired. Then she just moved on to the next target. Completely insane. ↑ 3 ⇓ Re ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 21
    introitusawaitus 12h ago • Or when she does call back, tell her you are going to wait a bit because some of the people over her said her position will be opening up soon and you would rather apply for her job instead. Play mind games and see how she deals with that. ☆ 2 B Re ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 22

    They then returned with this post detailing how they were going to report the interviewer to the company's HR department

    r/antiwork 1 hr. ago • chihuahua_supporter An update to yesterday's post- someone suggested I report my interviewer to HR and I thought that was an excellent idea Here is my draft. An extremely petty part of me wants to CC her but don't know if that would be wise ... Will not be attaching the google review for the sake of the person's privacy, but a customer did in fact call the store manager "discriminatory" they described her, it's the same woman. She is so cooked. Lol.
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 23
    Your Insulting Hiring Manager at . Dear HR Department at I hope this email finds you well. My name is, and I am contacting you today in light of a negative experience I had with one of your store leaders at r ) was interviewed at your store last Friday for a Sales Associate position. Your hiring manager, behaved in a disrespectful and contemptuous manner right from the start of the interview process. She
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 24
    constantly interrupted me, to the point where I could barely finish my sentences. In general, she had a cold, dismissive demeanor, in her tone of voice and in her facial expressions. While that alone is unpleasant, it would not be nearly enough to motivate me to contact you. I would like to highlight two separate comments she made towards me which really exemplify her offensive and unprofessional behavior.
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 25
    sked me what I knew 1) Early on, about the Conservancy. I said, "I know it's a nonprofit, and I would be open to learning more. I have loved the since I was a child," 55 and I would have continued that train of thought, but she interrupted me and said, "Before you show up to an interview, you need to look up the business on the internet. This is why, when you emailed me asking for our address, I chose not to respond to your email, or answer the question. If you were older, I would think to mysel
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 26
    There is no context where that is a professional, reasonable, or healthy response to someone emailing you, "May I have the address of your business?" I hope you and I can agree on that. 2) At one point, I mentioned the bus route I took to get to L and smirked and said, "So you don't have a car? That is going to be a problem for you. Do you even get to places on time?" What a foolish thing to say to someone who showed up 20 minutes early to an interview, and reserved time out of her day to speak
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 27
    As a representative of a ( Ms. V should know that 30% of onprofit, households do not own a car. Honestly, if you're from the city, "I took the bus here" should not make anyone blink. I sure hope your employee does not bring such a patronizing attitude to your customers who may not own cars. On that note, gleaning from your Google Reviews, it appears some of your customers have caught on to this employee's rudeness. In one review, she is called "discriminatory". I can attach a screenshot of that
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 28
    I had submitted my application in February, and was surprised to hear back over a month later. After meeting with your hiring manager, it became clearer why it might be taking so long to fill the role. Which brings me to my primary reason for going out of my way to contact you: if was this comfortable treating an interviewee with such absurd and unnecessary hostility, I can only imagine how she treats her current employees at che is probably very, very unkind to
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 29
    - she is probably very, very unkind to them. Perhaps this could explain why "lots of people have quit" (for inexplicable reasons, your employee chose to disclose that to me, by the way). Please look into that. Frankly, bussing all the way to to be interrupted and disrespected for 30 minutes was a colossal waste of my time. During the week, I work an educational role at a school. I am a busy person. I was interested in working at
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 30
    for a weekend job, but feel free to retract my application. I have no interest engaging with an organization - as a hire, or even as a customer - which allows such bullying individuals to preside over their workers. People only behave this way if they are not receiving proper oversight. Please update me when you are finished reading this. Sincerely,
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 31
    NubsackJones 56m ago Don't CC her. It gives her more time to come up with some instead of just being blindsided. ↑ 1 3 Re ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 32
    no-clever-names • 1h ago This is very well written but "please look into that" sounds snarky. Also "please update me" is a no. I look forward to your response and am happy to answer any questions. ↑ 1 B Re ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 33
    disappointedvet • 29m ago Very well put. I would simply point out that you were confirming the address for the interview. It doesn't matter if they have a publicly listed address. That does not mean that they don't have additional locations or that the interview would be held at the address you can find online. ↑ 13 ✩ Re ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 34
    Basic Beige Dahlia . 56m ago Love the fact you brought stats!! Nice work. ☆ 1 Re ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 35
    grandramble • 25m ago You might want to cover those words a little more thoroughly... I'm only tangentially aware of this place because I know someone who's worked with them for a long time, but was able to clock it immediately. Also you should check out the (city) Parks Dept instead, I hear they're on the cusp of a big retirement wave and cover a fair bit of the same ground but with pensions. ☆ 1 B Re ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter
  • 36
    Larrynemesis • 15m ago I would actually include the google review, maybe black out the username, but that's public information that even HR won't look up for confirmation ↑ 13 Re ↑ Share
    via chihuahua_supporter

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