'If I leave, I'll never set foot in this store again': 17-year-old server reprimanded by coworker for helping out per manager's request, refuses to finish final two weeks

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 29, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

It's hard to forget your first disastrous job experience. Here, we have a 17-year-old server who already had enough with this job before things really escalated. He put in his two weeks' notice because he was tired of repeatedly being given closing shifts that required him to stay nearly two hours after he was supposed to be off.

On one night in the midst of those final two weeks, the server was asked by one of his managers to help out his coworker behind the bar, who was clearly out of their depth. There were a ton of dirty glasses and impatient customers. However, the bartender insisted that they had everything under control. Of course, as soon as the server returned to their previous tasks, the manager again insisted that he help out his coworker regardless of whether or not they think they need any help. You can probably imagine where this is headed…

Thankfully, serving your final two weeks is really a courtesy, and this Redditor was empowered enough to understand that. Keep scrolling below for the full story. For more, check out this post about an entitled family at Disney World.

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    AUXXX
    via Crew

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    You want me to help someone who doesn't want it? Sure, that'll go over well...
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    So this story happened over 20 years ago, back when I was in high school working for my first non- family job. I worked at a restaurant that offered a buffet and pizza, a game room, and drinks. No, not
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    one with Pizza in the name either. The location in question no longer exists, so I feel more comfortable telling this story now. If there is a better place for this, please let me know and I'll gladly move it.
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    At the time, I (17M) was working on a Sunday. I was asked to work the Bar Open shift (9-4).
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    Around 12 or 1 I, the closer would come in. I was able to do everything except pour alcol and do register for sales related to alcol. No big. deal. Football comes on (Packers vs Cowboys),
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    and soon the closer came in. She (30s) has some sort of d y given a speech impediment, but I neither knew what it was, asked, or even cared about it. I had put in my two weeks notice, as I got
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    sick of the closing shifts I would get, which should be until 10pm, but sometimes going past midnight in violation of - my work permit.
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    Closer comes in during a slow period and tells me she's got it handled for now. Great, that leaves me with nothing really to do, so I pick up a tub and start bussing tables.
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    (cleaning them for those who may not know). We have two managers on duty that day - one I liked (Madge), and one I didn't like so much (let's call him Rob... Screw you
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    Rob). Madge sees me bussing and asks what I'm doing, so I let her know what happened.
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    She sees the bar area getting behind with dirty glasses to be cleaned, along with a long line of customers, and asks me to go back to help. I
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    figure, I'll do the glasses and let her handle the customers. That way, it's less stress for her.
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    I get there, get going on glasses, and after a few, she sternly tells me she had it under control. I
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    explain that I was asked by the manager to help out over here. She angrily says I'm not needed here.
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    This left me puzzled, but I went back to bussing tables, as I couldn't find any manager at the time.
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    A couple minutes later, Madge sees me, and sternly asks why I wasn't doing what I was told. I
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    again explained what happened, that she asked me to help, but my help wasn't welcomed. I was trying to keep the peace
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    between us and didn't want to look like I was doing nothing, so I was trying to help get tables turned over quickly, since we went to having a host
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    do seating given how busy it got. I get told again to go back, do glasses like I was, and to get her if anything else happens.
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    So I go back, knots in my stomach, for I knew a storm was brewing. Deep breath taken, I drop my tin off for the dishwashers, and go back.
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    to the bar. Her line is at least a dozen deep (only one register), and no clear counter space for dirty cups to go. So I grab a couple cups, start washing, but next thing I
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    know, a hand grabs my wrist. I turn over, and here it's the Closer reprimanding me. Angry at being grabbed like that, I say to her, "don't you EVER grab me like that with that kind of hostility. I was TOLD TO
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    BE HERE and to help you by the manager. I do NOT appreciate you grabbing me like that, and if you EVER do that again, I promise you I will consider it an attack on me personally and I will defend myself appropriately!"
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    At the end of that, manager Rob comes around, grabs her off to the side, leaving me to manage the bar by myself. The patrons there
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    who saw what happened sided with me, saying I handled it about as well as I could have and that she was out of line. Nice to have that validation, but it mattered not.
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    Few minutes later, I get told to go home. Wait, what? Me? "Don't I get a chance to say my side of what happened?" No, go home. "If I leave, I'll never
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    set foot in this store again," I say, giving one last chance to do the right thing. "I don't care, go home."
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    Fine, I went home. Rob didn't witness any of what happened earlier, to my knowledge, and sided with her and didn't even bother getting my side of the situation. So I left.
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    The rest of the week I was supposed to be closing the game room (4-9). I called the next day after school, got the main manager, explained what happened, and said
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    I cannot in good faith work the rest of my notice given the hostile work environment that has come up. He thanked me for my time, and
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    ensured if I ever needed a job in the future, that I would have one there. Thankfully, I didn't need to go back, but was still nice to know.
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    Contra... 1h ago. Rob probably knew you were on your way out, so he chose to act like a spineless loser and pretend to take her side. Maybe he was just trying to get some. What a wimp.
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    Traditio... 1h ago • • First jobs are tough. Wonder how it would have played out if you ignored Rob and went to the first manager instead.
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terrible coworkers bar malicious compliance server coworkers malicious-compliance-reddit restaurant reddit thread Reddit tales from your server quitting
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