Manager demands worker send her coworkers home early during the holiday weekend, yells at her for doing so: 'I asked 2 people to leave at 1:30pm. We close at 5:00pm, and from 4:30 to 5:00 we got slammed.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Apr 15, 2026 7:45 AM EDT

She did exactly what her boss asked her to do, and she got punished for it.

There's nothing more tedious than working a retail job when there are no customers to speak of. If you've ever worked one of these positions, you know that employees are often encouraged to make themselves busy with whatever they possibly can. They are instructed to restock merchandise even if the shelves are as stacked as they can be. They are forced to look busy, even if that is the furthest thing from what they are. If there are no customers in the store, is it really a crime to sit at the cash register and read a little bit to pass the time instead of trying to fill every rack with as many hangers as possible? Establishing such a policy would probably help with employee retention, which is how you know that most employers will never do it. 

If your business is overstaffed for the number of customers who actually come in, your employees might appreciate being sent home early so they don't lose brain cells staring at the wall for 4 hours. If you send home employees early, there is always a chance that a bunch of customers will come in as soon as they leave, but that's the risk you take when you intentionally understaff your business! If you send your employees home because you don't want to pay them what they deserve, then you're just as bad as the boss in this story.

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  • Young female florist with tablet working in her flower shop arranging houseplants
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Shop clerk works by herself after sending her coworkers home, per her boss's request. 

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

  • I got yelled at for sending my coworkers home early, even though that's exactly what my manager told me to do.

    So I (21F), work at a small retail store. We were closed Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. so naturally, everyone is going to the shops on the Saturday.
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • My manager does not work weekends, so I was put in charge for the whole day. I was given clear directions, that if we were quiet, I NEED to send people home early. (the company is crazy
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • strict about our "wages to sale" and we were all getting paid public holiday rates).
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • It was approximately 1:00pm and we were quiet the entire morning. Usually, our busiest hour is 12-1, so I decided that if we were quiet from 12-1, the rest of the day was likely to be even less busy.
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • I asked 2 people to leave at 1:30pm. We close at 5:00pm, and from 4:30 to 5:00 we got SLAMMED. It was honestly comparable to Christmas eve busyness.
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • People gathering at a Christmas market
    via Kevin Dowling

    A busy Christmas market during the holiday season.

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

  • The store was not in it's best state, but I did all of the necessary closing tasks and left at around 5:15. (I need to emphasise that we DO NOT get paid after 5:00pm, NO EXCEPTIONS.
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • So most of the time, I am out of the door by 5:01). Like I mentioned before, we were closed on Sunday (we are also closed Mondays), So I came back to work on the Tuesday.
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • I was opening with my manager and she was whinging about the state of the store. I was telling her that I sent people home early as per her request, but we got extremely busy at the end of the day, I
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • even showed her the sales report. I'm not sure if she had a bad easter or something but she ended up yelling at me for sending people home early, and that I
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • Woman with curly hair looking angry and frustrated
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A manager yelling at her employee for doing exactly what she asked her to do.

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

  • should have known better than to send home 2 people at the same time. I told her it's not a big deal, I will happily fix up everything within the next hour (we were quiet as
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • h I), and by 10:00am the store will be pristine. I did just that, but she was still with me the rest of the day. Things have gone back to normal, but I never got an apology from
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • her. Now I have some resentment stewing within me. yay retail!
    via u/Equivalent_Taste9188
  • nonitoni You close at 5 yet can't be paid after 5? How does anyone do closing duties?
    via u/nonitoni
  • elixyne So let me get this straight. She told you to send people home early if it's quiet. You sent people home early because it was quiet. Then she yelled at you for sending people home early because it got busy later. Make it make sense.
    via u/elixyne
  • Glittering_Focus_... Don't tolerate your manager yelling at you. They can say what they need to say without yelling.
    via u/Glittering_Focus_...
  • moogiemomm You saved the company 7 hrs, they should be grateful for that alone as you managed it well.
    via u/moogiemomm
  • indigohan It's bad management, the manager should always be on the most difficult and the most expensive days. If you are stuck being on those days for that extra $8 a week, it's totally unfair.
    via u/indigohan

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easter manager retail work coworkers angry weekend busy holidays yelling
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