'Today [is my] second and last day': New hire baker saved from a red-flag-filled company when the woman he's replacing warns him about tyrannical, absentee bosses

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Feb 16, 2025 9:00 AM EST

This baker was in for a wild ride on his first day at a new job after discovering that he was replacing someone in a cursed job position. 

It can be intimidating filling the shoes of the employee who came before you. Whether they were fired or moved on to another job on their own accord, that worker had their special way of doing things before you ever showed up, and learning the ropes can take time, effort, and patience. But imagine if you came into a new job—with sparkles in your eyes and a skip in your step—only to learn that the position you were meant to fill was completely cursed by incompetent management? In fact, for the guy in this next story, the entire bakery was cursed, doomed to fall cycle through employees like yesterday's socks due to terrible, absentee management. 

Somehow, the owners of this business were both insatiable micromanagers and also totally hands off, looping employees in on a rule-free yet still tyrannical workplace that was prepared to implode at any moment. Keep scrolling for this baker's tale of his employment salvation at the hands of the woman he was replacing. 

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  • 重頭 60
    via Vitalij Sova

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

    I used to work at a bakery as well, run by the owner himself and a few ramshackle minimum wage workers. The owner was a tyrant but a terrible teacher, leaving us employees to fend for ourselves in his absence only to get screamed at later for 'doing things wrong.' Perhaps the bread rises better on the other side, but for this baker, fleeing from his new job was far better than sticking it out. 

  • "New job is a huge red flag"

    Got a new job as a baker. Decent pay plus the management was super enthusiastic to let me just go ham doing what needed to happen to get their bakery in order. They tell me they NEED to replace their current baker
    via officerbread
  • because she is just awful at everything, whatever. They have her last shift overlap with mine and holy moly! it's a good friend of mine I lost touch with. She's not incompetent. She
    via officerbread
  • tells me she knows she is getting fired because they always hire someone in and fire the person before them. She tells me she's been asking for time to fix the recipes, a little feedback from managers,
    via officerbread
  • Cheezburger Image 10467018240
    via MyPurgatoryYears

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • anything to help her work and she's gotten nothing. This morning my station is filthy from the closers and everyone lets me know this is normal and the last baker was blamed for it routinely. Then the barista tells
    via officerbread
  • me not to ever expect to hear back from management unless they're there in person (rare) and they have fired 21 people over the last year. There are only 9 positions in this whole store. I had sent a text to my
    via officerbread
  • manager, "Croissant recipe?" When she does finally come in she berates me for my attitude and tells me to screw off if I'm going to bring that attitude in there. Anyway the line cook
    via officerbread
  • witnessed all this and today was his second and last day because of all this and I got myself an interview somewhere else this afternoon. Absolutely wild ride.
    via officerbread
  • 1,25 1.40 150 US 130 130 203 095 110
    via JackF
  • MasterBaiterNJ No one wants to work anymore!!! No..no one wants to work for YOU. Good on you for seeing the signs quickly planning to gtfo. Wish places like this would just close down already
    via MasterBaiterNJ
  • kappa_demonn Truly a wonder how managers never seem to know the definition of the word "manage"
    via kappa_demonn
  • NapClub haha i have worked a couple places like that for a short time before. one place i was hired on the spot when i went in for an interview. wanted me to work that night... well okay that's a little fast but not so crazy.
    via NapClub
  • there was no long time staff... starting to get worried. then i find out everyone is already looking for a new place to work and it's because the owner is an insane narcissist who wants to basically do everything themself? like
    via NapClub
  • anything anyone else did is automatically not right no matter how exactly it was done to spec. would interrupt servers at the table to take over, would grab tongs or knife or pan from people working the line and take over, angrily claiming it was being messed up.
    via NapClub
  • i only lasted one night at that place. just not for me. restaurant lasted almost a year before they closed and the owner changed it into a clothing boutique which also closed.
    via NapClub
  • zigaliciousone This usually happens with owners who are also the management who also don't know the first thing about food. They have money, open a place and f initially on the hiring or they hire experienced and passionate people at the
    via zigaliciousone
  • onset but drive them off with their incompetence. When I go into an interview, I expect to be encouraged to ask them questions, if that doesn't happen or if I am given that opportunity and they don't share the same passion and experience with food, I kick rocks.
    via zigaliciousone
  • Either the place is going to have serious issues with food safety, general cleanliness and/or they are going to have problems with quality and efficiency they don't have the knowledge to fix and you will be their savior or their scapegoat, usually both
    via zigaliciousone

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