Retail worker accused by their boss of stealing for simply taking their lunch break: 'I told her if it’s unpaid, that time is mine'

Retail is one of those jobs where it never seems like a good time to take a break, there's always something to be organized, sorted, cleaned, tidied, put back out on the floor and never enough time to even do those tasks with evey customer that wanders into the store staring daggers into the back of your head all with the constant threat of a complaint being laid if you forget to turn around and smile at even one of them. 

It doesn't help that your store has been "temporarily" understaffed since you started working there two years ago, and despite record sales figures and foot traffic, there has somehow never been an increase in staffing levels. 

Yeah, it's a hard and unforgiving line of work. 

Your weekends are spent simply trying to recover from the stress of the work week that has just passed. You can't even begin to summon the energy to do the things that you actually enjoy doing; actually, you can't even remember what it was that you used to enjoy.

And there's always some manager lurking just around the corner waiting to jump down your throat should you let up on the gas for but a moment, even if you're taking a well-deserved (and legally required) break. 

This retail worker barely had time to sit down and take their legally-mandated, unpaid 30-minute lunch break before they were confronted by a manager for "stealing time," going on to tell them that they were expected to show more "dedication" to their role. 

Author image for Brad Dickson Brad Dickson
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customer support customer service workplace discussion employment issues antiwork workplace-stories talesfromretail jobs employee employment-discussion job retail karen-customer work customers karen-customers employees overworked-employees workplace Horrible Bosses tales-from-retail employment in the workplace
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