17-year-old provides two week notice for fast food job, doesn't turn up for last shift after manager's reaction: 'I don't need to go to a job I hate anymore'

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jun 5, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Does every job deserve a notice period?

It is a reality of the modern working world that most employees are going to encounter a role that they can't wait to leave at least once in their lives. It could be argued that there are more bad workplaces than good in many industries, and that begins to take its toll on your peace of mind if you stay in them for too long.

One of the groups that is most prone to suffering unfair treatment in the workplace is young people who do not have a lot of work experience. There are certain sectors that see teenagers as cheap and easily replaceable labor. They also believe that they are easier to manipulate because they don't know any better.

Of course, this is often far from the case. Even the most naive of employees only has so much of a threshold for a miserable working environment, and it is only a matter of time before they look for somewhere new to get a paycheck. The only thing is that trying to leave these kinds of places can be almost as painful as the experience of working for them. Still, it's an important lesson to learn.

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  • A representation of a young female fast food worker serving an ice cream cone
    via Grace Anne Bobadilla

    A representation of a young female fast food worker serving an ice cream cone

  • A 17-year-old had been working her second ever job in a fast food restaurant since last year, but it was becoming clear that it was time for her to leave. Her manager was mean and difficult to work with, and she was disgusted with the standard of hygiene that she saw in the kitchen.

    As a shy, nonconfrontational person, she found that the easiest way to give notice was to leave a letter on her boss's desk. After this, they had an altercation that led to her ending her shift and not coming back. However, she was worried that she had not done the right thing.

  • Am I wrong for not showing up for my scheduled shift the day after I put my 2 weeks notice in?

    So for some context, Im 17F and I got my second job at a fast food restaurant last summer. When I first got there, I was working morning shifts so I didn't really see any other teens except for one. So I was mostly around the older crew, and they were very nice and welcoming to me. Please note throughout this story that I'm very
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • introverted and quiet and I have a hard time talking to new people. The downfall started when school was back in session. I started getting night shifts and I met all of the teens I worked with. All of them were nice to me except for one girl at the start, but she stopped doing it. This is also around the time I met the night shift
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • manager, let's call him Lee. Lee would criticize every new person that came in. He yelled at me for bringing too many nuggets bags to the front one time (btw we actually needed them because we were about to get slammed). He genuinely did not like me, and I had no idea why. I was always kind to him even if he wasn't kind to me. I just thought
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • it to heart. As more people started coming in, his attention focused to other people.
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • Mostly everyone would not use their gloves which is just utterly disgusting because why? I remember I was wearing gloves when I was working the fries station and my GM said "why are you wearing gloves you don't need gloves for the fries station" Well sorry if one accidentally touches my hand I wouldn't want someone eating that.
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • A representation of a young female fast food worker cleaning a metal counter
    via Grace Anne Bobadilla

    A representation of a young female fast food worker cleaning a metal display case

  • The general manager would dig his hands into the ice machine where peoples ice for their drinks are used. There was always drama with that staff as well. It's like every time I clocked in something was going on. That was the one thing about being quiet and to myself, I never got involved in anything and I was the bystander of most of the arguments.
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when an off duty team member came to the job and got into a fight with a team member that was on duty. The authorities were called and that's when I realized after all of the drama, r de managers, and unsanitary behaviors, I needed to plan my exit.
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • I decided to write my two weeks notice, print it out, fold it in half, put my GMs name on it, and put it on his desk. As I mentioned before, I'm a shy and timid person and I have a lot of anxiety so this was really hard for me to do. The GM wasn't there so I just left it on his desk. Lee ended up coming into the store and he went to the GM's desk to sit like what he would usually do.
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • I still think to this day that Lee read my two weeks notice because after he came out of the office, he was looking for something to yell at me for. I had to get more fish filets because we ran out and we needed 4 of them. He then proceeded to yell "NO NO DONT DROP THEM YET". He repeated it again and I just had enough so for once in
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • my time there, I actually spoke up and yelled back. I said "OKAY I HEARD YOU!" After that he got quiet and didn't talk to me for the rest of the night. I clocked out, didn't say goodnight to him like I usually would, even if he was r de to me.
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • I had a shift the next day and I was really thinking, I don't need to do this anymore, I don't need to go to a job I hate anymore. I had anxiety about it the whole time leading up to it, and I decided to block all of the managers and never show up again. AITAH?
    via Great_Scallion7883
  • 172
    via Grace Anne Bobadilla

    A representation of a young female fast food employee operating a beverage dispenser

  • Nyssa_aquatica NTA. Two weeks is a courtesy you generously extend them as part of mutual respect. It can certainly be revoked when they prove unable to accept or give courtesy or respect.
    via Nyssa_aquatica
  • Lactating-almonds I didn't even read the details. 17 yrs old at a fast food joint? F em. Those jobs are a dime a dozen. They don't give a crop about you. If you dropped de d while working their main concern would be clocking you out so they
    via Lactating-almonds
  • don't overpay you. Your job would be posted before your funeral. Don't look back don't feel bad NTA
    via Lactating-almonds
  • Ok_Snow_2551 I once walked out mid shift just to make a point. You probably have grounds for a personal grievance the way you were treated. They got off lightly. If they try and withhold pay you can probably file a complaint. You have 90 days post leaving to do so
    via Ok_Snow_2551
  • Practical_S3175 Just don't use them as a referral in the future. It's not professional, but it's also a job that's not important to you.
    via Practical_S3175
  • Litmanen33 It's fine I'm sure they'll cope for 2 weeks
    via Litmanen33
  • War-Carr Young lady, you did the right thing! Don't feel guilty about anything. It's sad that there are idiots like Lee working at restaurants.
    via War-Carr

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Tags

teenagers workplace bad bosses fast food
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