Cashier forced to clock out late for lunch break after their cover fails to arrive on time, gets reprimanded by store manager, leading cashier to leave the register unattended: ‘They wanted me to skip my break’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jul 17, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

If there is one thing I disliked about working as a retail cashier, it was that I was essentially tied to the cash register. I could never just go to the bathroom if I needed to; I had to have someone stand in my place and cover for me. This meant that I had to call someone, usually only when there was a lull in customers, wait until they finished with whatever they were doing, go as quickly as possible to do my business, and come right back to stand behind the register.

When it came to taking lunch, I rarely got to take it whenever I wanted to. It always depended on when others took their lunch, because I had to have someone take my place while I left for the break room, which meant that I was always the last to go on break.

If there were a system in place, in which employees had a set time for lunch and an employee to cover them, you would think that breaks wouldn't be as much of issue. Yet the story below proves that it is not always the case…

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    Cheezburger Image 10530536960
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Talk to the Hand

    I've commented about this, I think it fits here. In the late 80's I was asked to work at my pharmacy job full time during summer
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    break from college. I was the only young full time worker and the only male among a clique of mom to grandma aged women
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    mostly working mothers hours. My half hour lunch was supposed to start at noon but for some reason my relief just wouldn't show up
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    no matter how often I paged them. Fifteen minutes, a half hour, an hour or more. It didn't bother me so I didn't complain about it.
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    That first Friday I finally get to break a little after 1PM and the store manager comes in and starts telling me she has had MULTIPLE
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    complaints that I have been sc ving up everyone's break schedule and how disappointed she is in me. I try to tell her that my relief is not showing up and she
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    actually does the hand thing where she just puts her hand in my face and says:
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    SM: Starting next week I want you back on main register at 12:30 SHARP. NO EXCUSES!
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    So next Monday I start paging my relief at quarter of. At five of I call for second or backup register who is surprised since there is only one customer. I tell
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    her to open second register. I close main, lock my drawer in the office and punch out right at noon sharp.
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    Cheezburger Image 10530537216
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    About ten minutes later the store manager comes running into the break room in a panic asking why main register is closed,
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    there's a line and more importantly WHY IS MAIN REGISTER CLOSED? Me: On Friday you told me I had to be off main register at noon sharp, NO EXCUSES!
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    SM: THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID! Me: Did you say starting next week I have to be back on main register at 12:30 SHARP. NO EXCUSES!
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    SM: Yes! That's what I said! Me: And is my break a half hour long? SM:...
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    SM: Can you please punch back in and take care of the line? I'll find your relief. My relief showed up at five to noon for the rest of the summer.
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    Area51 Resident SM: don't do what I told you to do, do what I imagined you should have done.
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    Nervous-Owl5878 They wanted you to just keep skipping your break, good for you
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    upset_pachyderm So your supervisor finally registered what you were trying to tell her?
    via upset_pachyderm

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Tags

cash register boss lunch break workplace-stories employee manager job malicious compliance tales-from-the-workplace reddit story lunch cashier workplace Horrible Bosses Reddit company
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