Movie theater manager demands workers have availability 24/7, sees school as only valid conflict: 'I DO NOT accept you not being able to work a day because you want the day off to rest'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Mar 28, 2026 10:00 PM EDT

Managers love to exert control in areas where they do not deserve to. It's up to the employees to draw boundaries around their personal space and time. This can be difficult to do, especially when you're young. You assume that you have to do whatever your manager says just because they're your manager. It can take a while to develop a thick skin. 

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  • A woman hands a ticket to a customer with popcorn at a movie theater
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • Manager from my work:

    CINEMARK to aacce Ꭷ All, Good afternoon, I putting everyone's availability to show as open, which means you can work anytime and any day. By this Friday you all need to adjust your availability to be set to what you can work. As far as not working a day or certain time, there is really only 1 reason that I accept and that is because you are in school. If you are going to college, then I need your school schedule to verify. If you are in high school, then I need to know what school you attend.
    via impasse602
  • I DO NOT accept you not being able to work a day because you want the day off to rest. When updating your availability you will need to put a comment in the notes as to why you need the schedule the way you do, I will let you know if it has been approved or not and if we need to discuss further. am < Reply all → Forward
    via impasse602
  • Unprofessional, controlling, aggressive and intrusive if you ask me
    via impasse602

  • When you're dealing with management at work, you have to strike a balance between asking for what you want and working within their demands. No job is perfect, so you're probably going to have to compromise to some degree, but you can find your way to make it into something you want. You can communicate your wants and needs, and hopefully something will come through. But this only works when you have a manager who is open to critique. The best managers are, but not all managers are the best managers. When you're working retail or any other service industry job, you are sometimes put in positions where you're likely to be taken advantage of. It's demanding work, and it doesn't always give you what you want in return. Not only do you have to deal with demanding and sometimes entitled customers, but you have to deal with a hectic schedule that you might not have a ton of control over. This can be a difficult place to be. And if you're avoiding conflict, then you might end up taking on someone else's pain for no reason. 

  • Commenters gave their two cents on the story.

    donthugmeormu... Lmao when retail managers think high school and college kids won't just find another retail job
    via donthugmeormugme
  • Nicolehall202 This person takes themselves way too seriously
    via Nicolehall202
  • Harrigan_Raen As someone who was a manager, and had to do scheduling with ~20 staff all with their own differences. You either make it work, or hire more. Telling someone they have to work when they are unavailable is setting future you up to be understaffed.
    via Harrigan_Raen
  • A concessions stand at a movie theater
    via Raymond Yeung

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

  • Green-Inkling Just because i can work any day, does not mean i will work any day. I gave my availability. You can either accept it or have me for no days.
    via Green-Inkling
  • Stov54 I mean "prior commitments" should be more than enough. If they ask, it's personal.
    via Stov54
  • doomerunicorn Some things never change. The less they pay you, the worse they treat you.
    via doomerunicorn
  • af_cheddarhead Sounds like a manager wants to discuss my resignation.
    via af_cheddarhead

  • That's what happened in this story, where a worker learned the hard way that their boss was not the kind of person who should be in charge of managing people. They approached the problem of scheduling incorrectly, and expected way too much out of their (likely minimum wage) workers. What they failed to understand is that retail work is not all that hard to find, and people will go to a different boss if theirs is unreasonable. Nobody wants to work with a manager who doesn't respect them or their time. But that's what was coming up here. Keep scrolling to read what happened in this story and see what you think.

  • Kirshalla Nope. I am available on these times and days. Don't like it, fire me so I can get unemployment. And having to provide a class schedule or state where you go to HS? Nope, you aren't entitlement to that information.
    via Kirshalla
  • Time unavailable is also because I have schoolwork to do outside of class times too. (2hrs per credit hour taking)
    via Kirshalla
  • dominiqlane Dude is either trying to make people quit or get fired. I wonder how HR would react if someone forwarded this. Especially if people were hired with specific availabilities.
    via dominiqlane
  • Rambler330 Please mark me unavailable for all days. Reason: I am not putting up with this crop.
    via Rambler330
  • spacejam2 Nah, I would forward this email to anyone above your manager's paygrade, even if you think they won't care. Just start putting the spotlight on how ridiculous it is. That's unbelievable.
    via spacejam2
  • MasterOutlaw Doesn't sound like the manager understands what availability means and that it doesn't matter what they "accept". If you can't be there, you can't be there. The reason doesn't matter and is none of their business. They also don't need to know your college schedule or what school you attend. What, are they going to call your professor to ask if you were in class?
    via MasterOutlaw
  • Flapjack_Palmd... Retail managers never cease to amuse. I worked retail, waited tables, and bartended for a long time before getting a job in IT. Every manager made it seem like the job was life or death when, no, it really wasn't lol. They all had the same mentality, it's all hands on deck all the time.
    via Flapjack_Palmdale
  • Meanwhile if I need to take a week off of work just because with less than a month's notice at my MSP that supports multiple high- earning clients, i can do so with no justification. We're also shortstaffed but my boss makes it work, bc that's part of his job. This manager is a loser, big "we're a family" energy.
    via Flapjack_Palmdale
  • Creed_of_War What's the point of setting up your availability if your manager just resets it? I worked for years at a place and finally got one set evening off so I could plan to meet people and experience non-retail life. My manager reset it and
    via Creed_of_War
  • then denied me when I put it back in. I applied every where and skipped out when the first one gave me a job offer. I put in a two weeks notice and within that time they fired someone else on the spot after a customer complaint. I retracted my notice and left.
    via Creed_of_War
  • Soggy_Schedule... When I was in high school, everyone wanted movie theater jobs because you got free movie admission. Even though the job only paid minimum wage after a
    via Soggy_Schedule_9801
  • 90 day "training period" where they paid you even less. Because of the free movies, there was still never a shortage of workers. That was like 1996. Wonder if the jobs are still as sought after.
    via Soggy_Schedule_9801
  • Krispykid54 This is the same guy who would say "Employees are just not loyal" This guy can Off. I remember go F when I was younger dealing with these type of bosses, this is how these guys feel important and powerful.
    via Krispykid54
  • Grioden This manager is clearly in over their head. In high school I worked custodian/front desk for a large gym. The manager called me while I was having lunch in the high school cafeteria wanting me to come in immediately. Umm... no b school. I'm still in high
    via Grioden
  • The best part was that cellphones were not supposed to be even out during school hours and the vice principal (who also moon-lighted as a personal trainer at said gym) saw me and demanded I turn over the phone. I just said "No problem. It's Mary by the
    via Grioden
  • way. Maybe you could explain to her why I can't immediatley leave to cover a shift." The expression he made was priceless followed by "H I no he can't come work for you! He. Is. In. High. School. What the h l is wrong with you?" I got the phone back after lunch was done.
    via Grioden

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antiwork workplace-stories job bosses coworkers movie theater working time off workplace toxic-work-environment
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