Hardware store owner demands employee pay for damage a customer caused: ‘Nothing I did caused it’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Nov 21, 2025 3:00 PM EST

When you work in customer service, you need to expect the unexpected; There are plenty of store owners and arrogant managers who are just waiting to exert power over you. Management will try their hardest to break the rules, hoping that their subordinates will not catch on to their illegal practices and methods of conducting their business daily… What they don't know is that with every passing moment, another customer service employee gains their wings and gets the heck out of their respective toxic work environments.

It's a no-brainer: Employees must be mindful of the merchandise they sell. In most legal systems, an employee is not responsible for covering the cost of broken merchandise, whether the damage was caused by a customer or if the employee themselves caused it. Of course, you should always refer back to your employee contract and set of rules, but you're usually in the clear.

This story illustrates that in the wake of a customer's damage to merchandise, you must remain strong against a boss who insists you must cover the cost. The employer here demands that their employee pay for half of the damage caused by a customer, which amounts to $200, but the employee believes this is illegal. What do you think? Would you pay for the damages in this situation? Or, would you insist that the customer cover the cost?

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boss workplace-stories bosses Professional At Work work reddit story toxic-boss workplace Horrible Bosses reddit thread bad bosses Reddit
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