'Enjoy $7k in rotten shrimp': Manager ignores grocery store employee's warning about freezer temperature, whole seafood section goes bad

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Apr 24, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Never underestimate the input of your employees! If you're the kind of manager who thinks that everyone under you couldn't possibly have a better idea about the best way to handle something, then you probably shouldn't be a manager at all. Not everything has to function in terms of hierarchy. You could be working at a big corporate institution or a local grocery store, but no matter what, the best idea should always win in any work environment.

This manager learned that the hard way after he cut off his employee mid-sentence and refused to hear him out regarding the temperature of the freezer, which was set to an abnormally warm number. Of course, what ended up transpiring was that every product in the freezer leaked and thawed overnight, rendering all of these food items inedible. All of this could have been avoided if this manager got off his high horse and let the author of this story finish his sentence!

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    Cheezburger Image 10497647360
    via Unsplash+ (Natalie Behn)

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

  • As you'll see, the manager in question made a very expensive mistake here, ultimately causing the grocery store to lose $7,000 of shrimp and shellfish products. That's the kind of loss that inevitably leads to undesirable consequences, and the manager even dared to blame everything on the author of this story. He quickly shut that down and was able to find evidence proving who was in the right. That's when the manager's future at the store crystallized—his time was coming to an end.

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    Back in 2022, I worked night shift at a grocery store in Florida, stocking frozen. One night, I noticed the walk-in freezer was at 20°F (should be 0). I go tell my - manager — real hard: , always barking orders like he's running a boot camp.
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    He cuts me off mid-sentence: "You're not paid to think. Just stock the shelves." Cool.
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    Next morning? Whole seafood section's trash. Shrimp, salmon, crab legs all thawed and - leaking. Store lost over $7,000.
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    Corporate shows up ped. Manager tries to throw me under the bus. "Why didn't you report it??"
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    I just said, "Manager told me I'm not paid to think." They checked the cameras and audio confirmed everything.
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    Corporate backed me hard. Dave was "reassigned" (aka fired) a week later. Never saw him again. I got moved to dairy lead a month after.
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    JANE 1,99
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • 09
    Debosman 13m ago Dave wasn't paid to think either....and a good thing, because he clearly wasn't capable.
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    Crafty-Read1243 · 13m ago Some people are just on a power trip for no reason. Hopefully Dave learned his lesson.
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    Hina74656 • 12m ago . Revenge, in this case, is best served thawed.
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    MostSanePsycho • 11m ago A real manager exists to assist the employees. They facilitate training to make the job easier to understand or complete. They manage
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    the employee's time to ensure there are enough people to complete the job as required, or there are extra people available to stop other tasks to assist during a rush.
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    Your manager just got a $7000 lesson in the value of employee feedback.
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    avid-learner-bot 12m ago Actually, I think the manager probably deserved it, honestly, it's a classic case of getting what you asked
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    for, and I'd be laughing all the way to the seafood counter, though I'm trying to cut back on shellfish these days, because my doctor said my cholesterol's a little high.
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    Waterfish3333 9m ago Em dashes all over the place, a grocery store manager not concerned about a clearly malfunctioning freezer, and managers "pulling tapes" to prove who was lying?
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    I promise you corporate isn't even thinking about asking "why wasn't it reported?" They are going to basically be like "get it fixed and if the
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    loss is above a certain amount, file an insurance claim." In fact, how would they even know you knew ahead of time?
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    . s0m3d00dy0 · 11m ago Dave's not here man.
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    fishaholic1962 · 1m ago Never mind if the horses are blind just load the dam wagon.
    via missvibey

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workplace-stories-reddit workplace-stories malicious compliance work workplace Horrible Bosses malicious compliance reddit workplace malicious compliance grocery store
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