‘I’m outta here': Employees Share Stories About Quitting on the First Day

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Apr 6, 2024 7:00 PM EDT

It doesn't take much to realize you don't want to work somewhere. It could be that their lack of morals is obvious from the moment you start your first shift. Or maybe you're lucky and figure it out beforehand, during the interview process. You think, 'Nope, this is not for me', and either don't continue, or immediately quit. Back when I was working as a waitress, I did a couple of shifts at different places. Once, I interviewed at a fast food restaurant chain where the employees looked (surprise, surprise) absolutely miserable. Now, I know that minimum wage workers aren't exactly the happiest bunch, but there was something off about this place. The manager was creepy and asked me a bunch of personal questions that at the time, I answered because I was 17 and naive. Today, I would have laughed in their face and told them nicely to get a life.

After one shift I realized why everyone hated it so much. We were forced to work overtime for no extra pay, and many employees shared that they weren't allowed to take vacations. I noped out of there real fast. Below you will find a thread where people share times they quit on the spot.

Then, check out these hilarious memes for workers with the Monday blues.

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  • 01
    AL 80% RE "I spent the next 6 hours giving all customers 20% off and then never went back..."
    via Canva
  • 02
    People who quit their jobs on the first day, what was your “I'm outta here" moment?
    via u/redmambo_no6
  • 03
    Katy-L-Wood I used to work at a craft store as a cashier, but quit when I moved. Ended up going back a couple years later to make some extra cash, but this time in the framing department. During the interview they swore up and down I would only ever be a backup cashier because I said I refused to have full cashier shifts. First shift after interview is listed as framing, but I'm put on cash and told that actually most of my shifts would be cash since they'd found someone else for framing. I spen
    via u/Katy-L-Wood
  • 04
    teamfaysal On the first day of working at Amazon warehouse the managers broke down to Everyone how a 15 minute break works there. Walking to the break room is 2 1/2 minutes. 10 minutes of actual break and then 2 1/2 minutes to go back to your stations. It took me 2 1/2 minutes to walk to my car and I took a forever break. 5.4k Share bravestbats Also you have 3 minutes to use the bathroom but the nearest bathroom is a 5 minute walk away 1.3k Share
    via u/teamfaysal, u/bravestbats
  • 05
    csudebate. Summer job working for a landscape architect. Got to the job site and he asked me to dig a hole in some rocky dirt. I asked for a shovel. He didn't have one. I asked for a hand spade. He didn't have one. He told me to just dig the hole with my bare hands and then he drove off to another site leaving me completely alone. I dug for a little bit and then said 'f k this' and left. Had the job specified that I needed to supply my own tools I could've but it didn't and I wasn't going to wor
    via u/csudebate
  • 06
    webz45 Answered an ad in the paper (this was the mid 90s) what seemed to be an office job making sales calls when I was in college. Did a phone interview and was called back for an in person interview. When I go to the interview I'm led into a room with about 50 other people and a small stage at the front of the room. We're all somewhat confused as to what is going on. Finally a guy gets on the stage and informs us that we've been selected for the opportunity to sell Cutco. Me and 2/3rds of the
    via u/webz45
  • 07
    Auto_Fac I noped out of an interview one time. Thanked them at the end and said it wasn't for me. Those interviewing, management level folks, started arguing with each other in front of me during the interview. I figured, if this is the vibe at the management level then I sure as hell don't want to be your employee. 2.0k Share
    via u/Auto_Fac
  • 08
    gkemball A long time ago, not long after getting my papers as a chef I had an interview at a hotel for a position in the kitchen. The Executive Chef and I chatted in his office for about 20 mins, at the time I remember him coming off as very arrogant which is quite common in this field, I didn't think much of it at the time as the pay was decent and the shift was what I wanted. As I was leaving his office I turned to leave through the dining room (the way I had come in) which was closed at the t
    via u/gkemball
  • 09
    Chefdingo Restaurant. Swept under my station when we were closing. Giant brown pile came out with broom from under low-boy fridge. Pile began to scatter. It was hundreds of roaches. Never returned 1.9k Share ...
    via u/Chefdingo
  • 10
    ItsMeDoodleBob Restaurant line chef. Worked a 12 hour shift, was given 2 breaks of about 10-15 min each. Burned my hand numerous times because they gave me plates that came right from the oven and never said a word. End of the shift I told the head chef I was done. He called me soft and Said I was the third person to quit on him after a day. I said “maybe it's the way you treat people”. 1.4k Share
    via u/ItsMeDoodleBob
  • 11
    battleangelred I answered an ad for a baby sitting job. I was already working on a casual basis but it was sporadic so I thought some after hours baby sitting would be welcome extra cash. The couple were both in the military and proceeded to tell me that I would be staying in the spare room and looking after their 6 mth old child around the clock as well as doing the housework. I would have one day off every two weeks. They said it is cash in hand so I could sign onto the dole (unemployment beni
    via u/battleangelred
  • 12
    sleepdyhollow applied for a job at my longtime favorite restaurant(celebrated my birthday there every year). Owner asks me to come in for basically a try out, as I communicated i was looking at other job possibilities. I come in and they just stick me on dishwashing for an hour, no biggie. Then there dishwasher doesnt show up, so the kitchen manager asks me to stay one for their lunch rush, saya I'll get paid for the hours. I do, kitchen staff was nice so I was happy to help out even though i fi
    via u/sleepyhollow
  • 13
    Fast forward a couple weeks and he tells me to email the owner after I ask him if i should pick up my measly paycheck. I do, she off over text. Tells me it was "staging" basically tells me to and that she told me i wouldnt be paid, I respond that I understand that but that I stayed an extra 3 hours which I WAS told i'd be paid for. She stops responding, I decide I want to be petty over the 40 bucks so I get the statw labor department involved, dude goes in there and makes her pay me for the hour
    via u/sleepyhollow
  • 14
    CaptainA When the microwave in the lunch room was coin activated. 52.2k Share ElenorWoods This is like when I made my patrons pay money to use the bathrooms at my rollercoaster park when the ticket prices weren't cutting it. Amazing move. 813 Share
    via u/CaptainA, ElenorWoods
  • 15
    H Scandal929. Had an orientation for an alarm company. Next day manager calls and says don't worry about going into the office and to meet at "Planet Hollywood" they like to get to know the employees better over lunch. Next day I go into the office and another employee whom I had not met says "You must be "Scandal929." I was like "ha"? They responded "Light skinned, pretty boy" is how the manager described me. In same conversation I found out no one else had ever been invited for a "get to know
    via u/Scandal929
  • 16
    yellowchaitea I was hired to be a waitress, which has a lower hourly wage due to tips. The entire shift they had me wash dishes in the sink, but paid me waitress wages. A few months later the restaurant was investigated for a number of fraud activity. 16.6k Share
    via u/yellowchaitea
  • 17
    unelune. I interviewed for a "professional marketing assistant" and got the job straight away. I was under the impression that I would be an assistant to the man I was interviewed by. When I showed up for my first day, the same waiting room I was in the previous day was FULL of people. I quickly learned that we were all hired, and that I would be a door to door salesperson selling some pretty useless s :. I spent my entire day inside a Starbucks applying for other jobs and went home, got paid, b
    via u/unelune
  • 18
    uno_the_duno It was a small independent insurance agency in 2006. My first day there the owner (a true fossil) said email and fax were strictly forbidden as he only 'believed in' communication in person, by phone, or through mail. Left for lunch and never went back. I couldn't imagine the inefficiency I'd have dealt with had I stayed. They ultimately closed their doors so it was definitely the right decision. 5.9k Share
    via u/uno_the_duno
  • 19
    Pokestralian 'Salesman' for Kirby vacuums. First sale call was to a single elderly woman who was supporting her son in hospital (they got us in the door by offering a free carpet clean as a demonstration). The supervisor training me pushed and pushed to make the sale until this old woman was in tears. Just as she was about to sign the paperwork I asked if she actually wanted to vacuum and she said it was lovely but she couldn't afford it. I took the paperwork away from her and said not to worry.
    via u/Pokestralian
  • 20
    DrTardis89. I wasn't the person but I was training a new guy at a movie theater. A customer asked for extra butter. She was nice and normal. Not a mean or rude customer. The kind I would pay to handle all day long. He puts the popcorn tub down, says I'm going to the bathroom, takes off his apron and walks out the front door and never came back. 12.4k Share
    via u/DrTardis89
  • 21
    05CR Worked in a hotel for a day. No one told me where anything was. Got chewed out for it. Guests enjoying their meals told me to pay no mind/I was doing a good job and that my boss is a I told the manager that I was quitting and wouldn't be doing the next shift. I arrived the next day, returning a work uniform and my supervisor approached me and yelled at me for being late. I told her I already quit but if i was working, technically I was 5 hours early for my shift. Absolute nu es. 45.0k Share
    via u/05CR
  • 22
    thelonecedar It was my first day at five guys, it was around 10:30 PM and they told me it was time to clock out, despite not having finished closing. I then worked until almost midnight. I did not return. 14.3k Share [deleted] One of my pals had one of these "Clock out, keep working!" gigs. Reported them to the Wage and Hour Division. Feds found lots of time-stamped evidence that people were still working after hours and even on days off (hourly) The business was heavily fined for every single v
    via u/thelonecedar, u/deleted
  • 23
    existentialgoof It was a petrol station and the manager wanted me to work for free until I had learned their computer systems to what he deemed a satisfactory extent. I agreed to do it, because I needed a job, and he brought me in at 7am on my first day, however he was not present to go through the training with me, so I was just standing around kind of helping out on the forecourt but not really knowing what I should be doing. Not learning anything. After about an hour and a half without the ma
    via u/existentialgoof
  • 24
    Professional_March54. They hired me to work full time. I had interviewed to work full time. I was trying to quit a horrible job, and this job was on the other end of town. I needed enough money for the bus pass, and to make up the difference and more of quitting my old job. They hired me and showed me my schedule. I showed up for my first day, things are going good, then my manager called me in, sat me down, and explained that they'd have to cut me down to 15 hours a week because they'd hired to
    via u/Professional_March54
  • 25
    Hall5885 I technically quit before my first day. I got hired at a well known gift store. I was hired with the understanding that I would work Saturdays, Sundays, and a grand total of 8 hours a week (so two 4 hour shifts). Also at minimum wage. Not a problem with me, done that before, I would just pick up a part time job for rest of the week. Nope, apparently that wasn't allowed. The manager thought that was a horrible thing and "disrespectful" to her. I should only work for them and only them an
    via u/Hall5885
  • 26
    imagisnarf2 It was a waitress gig for a local restaurant. I finished my first day, then was told that training would continue for six weeks. While I was in training, all of the tips I got had to be given to my trainer. I was being paid less than $2 an hour. I called the next day and said it wasn't gonna work out. 15.0k Share
    via u/imagisnarf2
  • 27
    tlr92 My very first job was at a little drive in restaurant close to my high school. I showed up to work the first day, they lady said I had to pay her $50 for training. She showed me around the place and said that my pay would be $4.50/hour as a carhop(this was in 2010), and all the tips I made went into a bucket with all the other girls' tips. At the end of the night, she counted up tips, kept 20% for herself and split the rest up evenly among EVERY employee. Also, part of our job was one day
    via u/tlr92
  • 28
    [deleted] I went into orientation for a new job as truck driver. Obviously you know you will be away from home but this was Out on the road 30 days at a time, then only 36 hours, or 1.5 days at home. You only work 6 out of 7 days. So 4 of those days you just sit at the truck stop unable to move. And not getting paid. Can't bring a pet of any type. So I would only be home 18 days a year. On the road for 347 days a year, and unpaid for 52 of them. The no pets rule was the final straw for me. I wil
    via u/deleted
  • 29
    PoolMermaid ⚫ Not me but I was training a new lifeguard. After our shift was mandatory staff training for our entire crew, where we practice rescues. Once she found out we actually had to practice and go in the water, she just...walked out. Not really sure what kind of job she thought she had signed up for. 20.0k Share
    via u/PoolMermaid

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