New hire lies about their experience and berates colleagues, so the vice manager takes his behavior up with corporate: ‘The ego of a lifetime’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Dec 17, 2025 9:00 PM EST

If you're willing to lie on a resume and stretch the truth in an interview with a potential employer, at least know the things you say you know. If you don't, you're setting yourself up to be caught red-handed.

At the end of the day, it shouldn't be who you know, but rather what you know, that lands you the job. The job market is as competitive as ever, from white-collar positions to customer-facing roles. Most job seekers who lie on their resumes just want to get their name in the basket, but usually have a grasp on the position they're applying for and what the role entails. 

PSA: Don't be like the new hire in this next story. He is hired based on having managerial experience in a retail environment, which usually goes without saying that he knows how to use a register, stock items, and perform other tasks a retail employee might have assigned to them. As soon as his foot is in the door, he begins to exert power over all of his colleagues, even those who have been working at the establishment for much longer than he has. Little does he know that there are eyes and ears all around, and word travels fast. Scroll to read.

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    older worker pointing at a sign looking angry
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    "Nightmare Coworker thinks he's untouchable, slips up"

    So I'm currently working for a rather large discounter as a cashier and stocker. This means that we have minimal staff to keep the store running (2 min., 3-4 on busier days).
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    This means that each worker not only has a higher workload, but also means that everyone except the first register needs to do multiple things throughout their shift.
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    The one responsible for the organisation of tasks is the most senior full time employee, internally known as the "vice manager".
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    (Names and exact jobs and titles have been changed for privacy obviously) Recently we've fallen into a staff shortage due to our previous store manager getting promoted, and their replacement along with 2 other co-workers quitting due to medical issues and/or moving to a different city.
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    This meant that regional was scrambling for new hires and onboarded quickly, skipping most of the formal onboarding process, which for me included about 8 (paid) hours of E-learning courses.
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    Two of the three new hires are not noteworthy in the slightest, but No. 3, let's call him John, certainly was a character.
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    John is a ~25 year old toxically friendly non-native part time worker, that also works at a fast food chain across town as his second job.
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    When John was interviewed, he not only lied about previous experience, as he claimed he worked for one of our sister organisations so knew "all the systems", but also lied about his availability, given his other job.
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    This lead to the interviewer from regional saying that he is eligible to be a vice manager.
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    When he started due to the rushed hiring and lack of store manager, he didn't do any of the e-learning.
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    This is critical, since several of those (Register 101, Health and Safety, Conflict Resolution, Youth Protection) are legally required to be allowed to work a register.
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    Since we didn't know that he hadn't done those before at our sister store, he was allowed to operate the register, which he was unsurprisingly very bad at.
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    Anyways. On day 2 of working with us, I had him as my second cashier, and he was already gossiping about that shift's vice manager, saying how she was bad at her job, and that "she couldn't make it at [fast food place]".
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    Then he complimented our most senior full time employee saying "wow you did that really well despite being ...
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    you know." Then he started actively spreading minor rumors about certain employees hating certain other employees, all whilst having the Ego of a lifetime.
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    If you asked him anything, he'd claim to know it, then tell you something completely wrong.
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    He'd casually state that he was the fastest and most orderly and best at facing, etc.
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    etc. etc., all whilst his cash register performance (digitally tracked) was severely under the quota. (Note that our quota isn't hard to hit.
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    Once you've been at the register for a month or so, you'll hit it and there's no repercussions for it unless you're under it consistently.
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    Most exceed it by ~30%). This underperformance is why he was then subsequently denied the ability to be a vice manager of a shift, since at that point it had also come out that he didn't work in our sister store, but worked in a bakery in the same building as one.
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    Then I was once again paired with him for a shift a few days ago. This is now month 3 or so of his employment and he is universally disliked as a gossiper, underperformer and fake nice coworker.
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    Whilst everyone is still professional, he isn't on a friendly basis with anyone, as everyone knows about his gossiping and weird self congratulatory compliments.
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    That day I find out that he's handed in his two week notice, and what does he do?
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    Underperform even harder. At one point during the day, his register crashes. When this happens, that register is out of commission for a good 10 minutes, due to the automatic reboot sequence.
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    a display of an electronic cash register on a table
    via Alexander Mils For Unsplash+
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    The current vice manager then came to the register to see what's up and initiate the restart.
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    I tell him "You could go outside and put the carts in the pen. They've been messy for a few weeks now." to which he responds, not to me but to the vice manager.
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    "This dude doesn't have shit to say here." to which the vice manager responded "it's still a good idea, come on let's go outside." (At this point they had a talk outside that I didn't witness, but got a transcript of later) John: "This clown doesn't have shit to say here.
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    I'm practically doing your job." VM: "He's been here for way longer than you, and if regional walked in when you were just sitting there, it'd be your a ." John: "He just wants to boss me around, that st." VM: "No he suggested something that needs to be done anyways, and that he can't do as first register." John: "He obviously just wants to boss me around.
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    I'm way higher than him in the hierarchy. He's just a cashier. I'm untouchable. They can't fire me I already quit.
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    I can do what I want, and that idiot can't make me do shit." VM: "Calm down, then come back in and go back to your register, end of discussion." After that John looked visibly angry at me the rest of the day.
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    Now do note that John was 90 minutes late that day, after calling in that he'd be an hour late 10 minutes before his shift started.
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    Anyways, I went to the VM after that to talk with him about John, where I found out about the conversation in rough strokes.
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    Then I didn't see John until the end of the day, but what happened during that time is going to end up with a severe whooping next week.
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    John wanted to go 5 minutes early to catch the next public transit time, which was exactly at close, whilst we usually take ~15 minutes to close the store(paid).
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    Due to the VM being sick of John, he agreed, but changed his schedule so he wouldn't be paid the 15 minutes after close.
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    Then John called the VM, who was in the store talking to a co- worker[Dora] that had come in for shopping late in the evening.
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    Dora had at that point told John that he could restock the bottled water, since there was still time.
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    VM: "Hey John what's up?" John(on speaker): "Yeah I'm done with the register. That stupid c*nt Dora just told me to restock the water.
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    Who does that b think she is?" VM(stunned): "Uh, yeah. I'm gonna come get your register locked up.
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    be right there." Now, obviously, Dora heard that. She didn't say anything so John didn't know she heard, but told the VM that she'd stay after close to talk to him.
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    I don't think I've heard any co- worker use any curse words or insults ever, so this is a major out of bounds.
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    During close, she asked us if we were okay with being listed as witnesses, to which we agreed and she Isaid that that next Monday, so in a few hours, she'd be contacting corporate to see if she can "Make him exit a little faster and on fire." This is getting interesting...
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new hire work experience resume entitled coworker
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