Regional manager demands retail workers don't clean store until closing, gets forced to pay out overtime: 'We didn't finish until 9:30 every night'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jul 11, 2025 9:00 PM EDT

Supposedly, managers achieve their managerial positions because they know what is best when it comes to running a team and/or a business. In reality, pretty much anybody who has experienced the world of work can say that this isn't always true. In fact, there are many in supervisory positions who seem to enjoy nothing more than making nonsensical decisions that benefit neither themselves nor their employees. 

As a subordinate, the most annoying thing about this is that there is usually an expectation to deal with the changes or face the consequences. It makes it all the sweeter when there is an opportunity to demonstrate how a manager's not-so-bright idea will actually work in practice. It is often the case that the only thing necessary to make a supervisor backtrack on a stupid decision is to follow through on it completely and watch the consequences unfold that they had hoped to avoid.

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  • 01

    Can’t leave until closing time, even if everything’s done? Enjoy the overtime bill.

    I used to work at a luxury watch store in mall. We closed at 9 PM, but most nights we'd be done with all the cleaning and closing tasks by 8:40. With no customers around, we'd just quietly wait out the last 15-20 minutes. One day, our regional manager walked in unannounced around 8:45, saw us sitting and talking, and got mad. Next morning, we got a new rule: "No closing tasks can begin until after 9 PM". He wanted us "working until the very end". Fine.
    via brookssofi
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10528337152
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

  • This is the logic that retail workers used when their regional manager insisted that they were not allowed to perform closing tasks until the store closed at 9 PM. Previously, they had begun to clean up and close twenty minutes before, as they did not have any customers.

    Complying with this new rule, the manager soon realized that making employees stay for this extra time came with some obvious costs. One of the workers told their story.

  • 03
    We stopped doing anything before 9. Every display, register, cleaning task all of it waited until the clock struck 9:00. Which meant we didn't finish until 9:30 every night. And since our contracts gave us paid overtime if we stayed late, we started racking up extra pay every shift. After two weeks, corporate started asking why labor costs had spiked. But we kept following their instructions exactly. It wasn't until senior exec watched us standing around doing nothing for 20 minutes before madly
    via brookssofi
  • 04
    New policy: "Use your judgment just make sure the store looks good until closing". Amazing how fast common sense returns when budget take a hit.
    via brookssofi
  • 05
    Cheezburger Image 10528337408
    via Christian Wiediger
  • 06

    Commenters had mixed reactions to the story.

    vacuousintent Well done. You really watched the clock for this malicious compliance.
    via vacuousintent
  • 07
    Illuminatus-Prime Senior exec got wound up over the regional manager's new rule, huh?
    via Illuminatus-Prime
  • 08
    BrobdingnagLilliput Use your judgment just make sure the store looks good until closing". PRO TIP: Don't let them unring that bell. Let them know that, in your judgement, the new way is better. Maybe don't say out loud that half an hour of overtime pay improves your quality of life more than getting back that half hour of free time. They'll eventually explicitly direct you back to the old way of doing things, but make them do that work - don't do that work for them!
    via BrobdingnagLilliput
  • 09
    PuzzleheadedPhone603 Yeah I agree, there's a difference between making sure the store looks good and starting closing tasks
    via PuzzleheadedPhone603
  • 10
    xaliwill Legendary compliance. Nothing opens corporate eyes like a fat overtime bill
    via xaliwill
  • 11
    Wsb-sidekick That's for any business or organization. You wanna hit them where it hurts. It's always the rich pockets. I know a wealthy geezer who was crying about buying lunch and crying about someone owing them $5. Seriously.
    via Wsb-sidekick
  • 12
    AngrySquidlsOK That whole "use your judgement" galls me. "Yeah, we were, until you meddled f nugget. I'll carry on with your rules oh enlightened one. Eat crow"
    via AngrySquidIsOK
  • 13
    oxmix74 Any customer facing job cannot start the moment you serve your first customer or end when you finish your last. There is stuff to make you open for business and stuff to make you closed to customers. I ran a call center where the hours started at 6AM pacific and the first reps started at 6. The phones were open a few minutes after. It's the nature of the beast. If you want to hit your open close times exactly, someone has start before opening and someone has to end after closing. This is
    via oxmix74
  • 14
    Geminii27 New policy: "Use your judgment Ah, the standard "Read our minds to find out when you should do what we say and when you shouldn't, and we'll blame you either way" tactic.
    via Geminii27
  • 15
    Neverdropsin57 And, of course, nothing happened to the regional manager who caused the problem with a bone-headed new rule. Always hated management who confused looking busy with productivity.
    via Neverdropsin57
  • 16
    Wsb-sidekick When at work. I always cite budget and people. Not about Money. Not enough people. Scrap it
    via Wsb-sidekick
  • 17
    CikkReddit This is the most American a story I've ever heard. It's a victory because you worked an extra hour, for time and a half (I imagine it's like.... $18 for time and a half, since this story is old) and eventually they stopped allowing you the privilege of working that overtime. ....yee haw? You don't get overtime anymore? You don't have to work late? Which one is the victory? Did you win in this scenario? Because you worked less and got paid less, or because you worked your original hour
    via CikkReddit
  • 18
    Aurzyerne Well.. yeah. Money is the only language corporations understand. Profit Uber Alles.
    via Aurzyerne
  • 19
    Silaquix Before this they got zero over time. Then they got overtime while teaching them a lesson. Now they're back to their original schedule. The overtime was never going to last because if corporate doesn't have to give it, then they won't. But by law and the contract they had to when their dumb policy unintentionally required overtime to finish all tasks for the day. No idea if they were lucky enough to get $18 considering they were working in a mall and the minimum wage in the US is still $
    via Silaquix
  • 20
    Developmental Tequila What regional manager is still working and doing rounds at 8:45pm??
    via DevelopmentalTequila
  • 21
    Severe_Ad_5914 "Here. Hold my beer MBA."
    via Severe_Ad_5914

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boss cleaning employee manager malicious compliance retail retail worker work overtime reddit thread Reddit
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