Management tries to set up gas station worker by accusing him of stealing $0.03 slushie, he exposes all of their secrets and gets them fired instead: 'I got 20 people fired because they tried to fire me'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jul 8, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Some people are dishonest by nature, which presents a bit of a challenge to us honest folk. When you're going about your usual business within your own"modus operandi," you kind of just generally have a habit of assuming that everyone will be as upstanding and honest as you, playing the game by the same rules you are. But some who are more than happy to take a given situation do what suits themselves will be sure to take advantage of this.

It's incredible when, for the first time in your life, you experience something where something happens and other people swear it happened a different way than it really did. This might happen at work when some coworker or boss who has it in for you decides to frame you or make you the scapegoat for something that they have done wrong. Some organizations just need someone to point a finger at, and as long as everyone can agree on who it is, they don't care about the actual facts or reality of the situation.

This worker found themself being set up when they asked their supervisor if they could have a $0.03 slushie. They were able to turn it around by pulling all of the skeletons out of the closet for things that they had witnessed during their time working there, resulting in a mass exodus of staff who were either fired or quit in shame.

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  • 01

    "I got 20 people fired because they tried to fire me..."

    A few years ago, I was working at a popular petrol station, on a popular freeway. Unfortunately, one afternoon I'd had a freak accident reaching for my drink bottle (my core was obviously still developing) and I slipped a disc between L5-S1. Side note-it was beyond anything I'd ever experienced. My mother dressing me as a grown adult, heavily relying on opioids as if I even so much as cough, my legs would crumble. Many months of physio etc I was approved to return for minimal hrs. I UNDERSTAND i
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  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10524139008
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story. 

  • 03
    One day back at work during a 4 hr shift, I'd had a sore throat that day. Normally, we are allowed to grab a coffee once a shift- I asked the 2IC (let's call him Clifford) if it was possible to have a cup of slushie instead to sooth my throat. Clifford responded- "yeah that's cool, just put it in a coffee. cup". Which I did, following his guidance. Side note, I was SOOTHED.
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  • 04
    The next morning at approx 7am, I awoke to an official email from this company stating I'm being suspended without pay due to a serious breach of conduct. Obviously, I'm baffled and pretty upset. I'm aware that I'm back on reduced hours, being watched, etc. etc. I reply and we set up a meeting in person 2 days later. Attending; me, my support person, the 2IC, the store manager, and 2 persons from HR which I'm SURE they had to make a gigantic drive for. We sit down in an adjacent building. Still
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  • 05
    The store manager: "Hi, so we've called you here today for an offence that we can terminate you immediately". Tbh at this point I was ING myself. What absolutely S have I done? It was like when you go through airport customs and you're wondering if that kilo of cl e was accidentally left in your carry on. I ask them to elaborate.
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  • 06
    They begin with a VERY patronizing question which was the first red flag. "Do you understand the definition of stealing?" Me, still baffled: I would like. to think so???!! The store manager begins- (back story to set the scene; he was 5"0, 50 years old, VERY flamboyant) Monday, you drank a slushie, out of a coffee cup and that is a breach and considered stealing. At this point I was relieved because the 2IC was IN the meeting, and I reacted like "oh!!! This is all a misunderstanding, I asked Cli
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  • 07
    THIS MF (21C) looks me directly in my eyeballs, across the table and says "??? That never happened???" The silence was palpable. My jaw was in my lap. My eyes are darting back and forth, thinking theres NOOOO WAY I'm being set up Imao. 170 scenarios. ran through my head. Confusion, shock, anger, THEN...... acceptance. My back was f ed, I was trying my best to recover and now being accused of ripping petrol station off by 0.03 cents worth of slushie so the managers could get a bonus from getting
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  • 08
    I let out a big sigh and I started smiling. I looked directly at the store manager, who unfortunately for him underestimated my observation skills. A week prior, mind you there was PLENTY of other offences..I saw him purposely knock a pkt of oreos off the shelf following an "oops, I guess I'll have to write that off for my morning. tea meeting hehehehe". At the time, I didn't even THINK about it. I don't care. You do you. But now??????
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  • 09
    I said alright. But if IM confused, let me clarify something. I stared down the store manager, laid out what had happened, and asked him and HR if THAT would be considered stealing. Without breaking eye contact. I witnessed his soul leave his body. I sensed HR do a slow pause and turn. I quickly moved on, I was taking everyone down.
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  • 10
    Next, the 2IC. Who I also had nothing against but here we are. He was freshly married, 2 year old and a baby on the way. He was ALSO J another cashier, let's call her Trina, in the bathrooms during work. Again. I minded my own business, even though I thought he was a POS.
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  • 11
    I looked at him, then the manager, then HR, and asked if the 2IC was a reliable source of information seeing as he's having s in the bathroom, cheating on his wife etc etc. another one down. By this point HR are needing a defib. Then I threw in that half the staff are W d on their break (no hate but it was more to throw shade that the manager is useless)
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  • 12
    While I was at it, I truly only liked 2 people that worked there, from a very busy 24 hrs store. I went on for the next 30 minutes about every single breach I had seen, in the last week and let them know I could definitely help them out with more information etc. The meeting was abruptly ended.
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  • 13
    3 days later: I was still OFFENDED, but had gathered myself and I thought "FK them, I'm young I'll move on". HR called me and asked me to come in, and I had absolutely prepared myself to be fired and I was already mentally checked out recognising that there's no way I could go back and play nice with people that threw me under the bus. I sit down. HR are GROVELLING. There's probably some sort of court case I could have followed. But again, I was young and ready to burn the bridge. They offered m
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  • 14
    Oh??? What happened to Clifford? They tell me that he AND Trina have quit because Clifford's wife was trying to pull her through the safety barrier every time she went on shift. Also, they fired 18 people for breaches after going through alot of footage. This included staff eating expired food etc. I asked them to give me some time to think about. I walked back over to the main store, there is my manager in tears, packing his stuff up in the office into a cardboard box like some sort of movie sc
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  • 15
    I couldn't help myself. I had a spring in my step. I asked him why would he be crying? What's wrong??? He told me through tears he's going on leave blah blah blah. I quit 3 days later and went to another country on credit card. Best 2 weeks of my life. Happy to answer any questions.
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  • 16
    co_snarf 7h ago • I was on a construction sight where a guy crushed his thumb. The company was on the hook for the surgery meds and physical therapy. They were p ed. When the worker was cleared for work, they didn't let him come back, didn't fire him, and just wouldn't schedule him any hours. He wasn't making workman's comp anymore could work and couldn't quit, or he'd lose his ongoing medical care.
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  • 17
    Eventually, he ran out of savings and started clocking in and sitting in the headquarters trailer, asking to be put to work. Of course, he got fired for lack of production. Last I heard, he had a lawyer, and the company foreman was p ed because if they lost any settlement, it was coming out of his bonus first.
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  • 18
    elevenohnoes 10h ago HR. For a service station chain. Over a frozen coke
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  • 19
    DisastrousAttempt09h ago Lol, that was great, I had a similar experience myself. Years ago, I was working in a corporate restaurant and got injured. I was off for three months and then had a slow return to work. The kitchen manager was trying to get rid of me and was writing me up for a bunch of items. I had a sit-down with the GM; I think I had about five write-ups by that time. The GM and I talked, going
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  • 20
    through them, and most were for things people also did. After the GM did his thing, I called him and the KM out, not nicely, and told him where to go and a lot of other things. One thing that got me the most was being written up for not being there 15 minutes before my shift.
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  • 21
    By the time the meeting was done, I only had one write-up left, which I owned up to because it was right. I was told to let the GM know when the KM was following through on other staff. Two days later, it happened, and the GM was nearby, and I called the KM out loud enough that the GM heard it.
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  • 22
    Next, I knew the KM was dragged down to the head office with our GM and the HR president at that time. When he came back, he apologized to me and was moved out to another store a few months later. After managers were alwasy nice rest my years there.
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  • 23
    • FrostyRoams 9h ago you should have spoke to a lawyer. The reason HR was groveling was because they knew the entire company would be tucked if you sued them. Firing an employee who is recovering from a severe disabling injury that occurred on premises, not to mention for stupid sh, is a big deal. That was a big pay day opportunity for you. They would definitely have paid you to walk away.
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  • 24
    Still-Bee3805 · 10h ago - Remember this any where you go in the U.S., selectively enforcing rules is a form of discrimination. HR offered you a 21C to shut you up. However, what was done- was done. You made the right choice. Hope you are doing much better with that back pain.
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