7-Eleven manager schedules 17-year-old employee who gets out of school at 2:50 PM for shifts starting at 3 PM, refuses to push her start time back: 'Get here faster'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Oct 15, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Workplaces that employ teenagers should know that for the vast majority of kids with after-school jobs, school comes first. There are kids who are willing to sacrifice their education for work because they need the money to support their families. However, even these kids shouldn't be asked to work during school hours. Involved parents will never let their kid miss class because their 33-year-old manager at Sonic Drive-In is upset about them missing work for Geometry class. If workplaces really don't want to compete with mandatory education for their employees' time and attention, they should refrain from hiring high school students altogether. Instead, they should employ full-time adult employees who can fully commit to work as their priority. Of course, these kinds of workplaces will never do that because then they'd actually have to give benefits to their employees, and that would be sacrilege. 

Employers of teenagers might not schedule them during school hours, but they probably shouldn't schedule them in the hours immediately before or after school either. Kids need time to get from school to work, and if you've ever been in a high school parking lot at 3 PM, you know that might take them a minute. 

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  • 01
    Vehicle parked in from of a 7-Eleven store
    via Kenny Eliason

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

  • The young woman in this story wants to get to work on time, but that's virtually impossible when her school gets out at 2:50 PM and her shift at the local 7-Eleven starts at 3 PM.

  • 02

    School gets out at 2:50, boss puts me on the schedule for 3, boss gets mad that I’m late

    I'm a high school senior and recently got my first job working at a 7-Eleven. My school gets out at 2:50pm. I told my boss this, but he keeps scheduling me to be at work at 3pm during the week. If my dad can drive me, then I can be there with a couple minutes to spare, but if he's running behind then I'm late. Sometimes I have to walk and it's a 20-minute walk from school to work.
    via u/Dry_Caramel7820
  • 03
    An old brick high school building with a flag in front of it
    via Nicholas Fuentes

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

  • 04
    I told my boss that I can be there on time, no problem if he wants to make my start time 3:15 or 3:30, and his response was "get here faster." I'm worried that I might get fired for being late even though I told him that it's hard to get there at that time. What should I do?
    via u/Dry_Caramel7820
  • 05
    A teenage student sitting in corridor near colorful lockers packing book into backpack
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • 06
    weirdoldhobo1978 Start looking for a job that's more willing to work around your schedule, leave as soon as you find one. Don't lose any sleep over a job at 7-11.
    via u/weirdoldhobo1978
  • 07
    evilchris Also, do not feel obligated to give 2 weeks notice
    via u/evilchris
  • 08
    External-Amoeba-7575 I don't think 7-11 is a 2 week notice kinda job.
    via u/External-Amoeba-7575
  • 09
    spoonman1342 Fuck that asshole. Dude you're in highschool. This isn't a career. Either come in when you can and tell him he can like or lump it or walk out on his ass next time he says something. You're still young enough where you can walk out of jobs with zero real life consequences. It's a very freeing feeling that I miss dearly.
    via u/spoonman1342
  • 10
    lasey_guy First of all, let's set the right perspective. You are in high school; this is a job and not a career. The basic relationship here is that you are renting your time and effort to an employer to make money. You control the supply, they have the demand. At any point you have the right to end the relationship if you are not satisfied with the way you are being treated. "Get here faster," is not acceptable. I would tell my kid to walk out. After school jobs are a dime a dozen.
    via u/lasey_guy
  • 11
    KennyLagerins In certain areas, they may be, but some areas even the entry level jobs can be hard to get.
    via u/KennyLagerins
  • 12
    CynthiaChames Leave. If the job can't accomodate your schedule, don't accomodate them.
    via u/CynthiaChames
  • 13
    MayaPapayaLA It's not even about accommodating. This boss is an idiot and is purposefully scheduling OP at times they cannot make it. OP, the language you are looking for when talking to your next employer is "Yes, I am looking to change jobs; my current boss does a funny thing where he keeps scheduling me for times he knows I can't make because of school - I'm looking for a workplace that wants to set up their employees for success, is that something you do?
    via u/MayaPapayaLA
  • 14
    Mikeybackwards This is horrible advice. When you bad mouth a current or former employer the person interviewing knows that you will bad mouth them. The correct way to adress why they are lokkoing for a job/left this job in future interviews is "I am/was in high school and looking for a position that better fits my schedule, so when I'm at work, I can be one hundred percent focused on doing the best job possible."
    via u/Mikeybackwards
  • 15
    Puzzleheaded-Gap740 Tell him your availability starts at 4.
    via u/Puzzleheaded-Gap740
  • 16
    E_boiii Fr, my first job was Whataburger I loved the job and was very competent but if the managers scheduled me at some idiotic time (I did track) when I either had a sporting event or a 3pm time when I wasn't available till 5-10pm then I just showed up when i did lol. If they want to fired my from my $8.15 job then so be it, not like it matters lol
    via u/E_boiii
  • 17
    celestaire You can just tell your boss that you aren't available until 3:30 and to not ever schedule you earlier than that. He's probably juggling a couple other employees that need to leave by 3 or something mundane like that, but it's not your problem, especially for a gas station job. I get that you probably want to be able to jump in when you can get there early, but it's going to set expectations. If he's an ass about this, he's going to be a bigger ass about everything else.
    via u/celestaire
  • 18
    CynthiaChames When I worked at a gas station, 3:00 was the start of second shift. The first shifters that were there since 6am wanted/had to leave promptly at 3 to get their kids from school. It was non-negotiable, and the biggest reason why second shift was so hard to fill.
    via u/CynthiaChames
  • 19
    KennyLagerins This is most likely the real reason. It's not a question of "I don't like this individual or want to be flexible with them” but if the shift starts at a time, that's when it starts. You can't start changing it for one specific person when it affects everyone.
    via u/KennyLagerins
  • 20
    wastedpixls That's probably his reason, but you CAN adjust things if you want. The other option is that the owner covers 30 minutes until he gets there. There are options here to ensure coverage for the shop and that OP gets there from school at an appropriate time.
    via u/wastedpixls
  • 21
    KennyLagerins Not really. Because if you change for the new kid, then you have to change for everyone and all of a sudden you have an unmanageable schedule full of gaps. Having a plan that the manager covers is a bad use of their time and a bad plan. Managers should cover when there is an unpredicted need, but not as a normal course of action. It's something I've struggled with through my career projection bc I was so used to just jumping in and getting it done.
    via u/KennyLagerins
  • 22
    digital121hippie Ok boomer
    via u/digital121hippie

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