Customer gets me fired (from my old job)

[BowserKoopa1]

Now that I am settled in to this new job, I can tell the tale of how I was fired at my old job. I can tell you that I certainly should not have been fired.
Basically I was on final notice and was doing everything I could to stay out of trouble. After my last day that I worked, I had 2 days off and hung out with friends, spending a little bit of money not much, but I probably spent just a little bit more than I usually do. I came back to work after those 2 days off, and its then that they conveniently decide to tell me that I had been let go. Sure woulda been nice to know this ahead of time so that I would know not to spend anything when I went out with friends
Getting to the story now, I found out why I was fired. A very stupid lady had said that I was argumentative with her, and that I scared her 3 year old child. I think the manager also told me that her child was possibly scarred for life and that when she went with her kid to another grocery store, the kid shied away from the cashier.
First, I have been working for 19 years now, and I know better than to argue with a customer. Put simply, I will not argue with a customer, period. But we all know there are fucked up people out there in this world who will get upset with us over absolutely nothing, when we know we haven't done a thing wrong. What's that you say? Maybe I was and didn't realize it? Bullshit, I know the way I am acting with customers. If any problem had arisen, I would call a sup to handle it, not stand there and argue with the customer. Again I know better
Second, I don't know how I scared her 3 year old child, but this is complete and total bullshit. I am friendly with kids and say hi to them, even comment on how cool the new toy they just bought is. Its not like I go around making scary faces. The only thing I ever did was very nicely ask the kids not to play with stuff at my register. In my time at the store, only 1 person took offense to this, nobody else cares and they actually watch their kids. Its possible I did this, and I guess this stupid bitch thought I was being mean to her child. And as for saying that I may have scarred her child for life Ok people, its a 3 year old little girl, and they're going to be afraid of dumb little things that we as adults take for granted. And I'm 100% positive that I did not "scar the child for life" Don't fucking accuse me of that kind of shit! If the little girl is this scared, what does the mom do when Halloween rolls around? She thinks I was scary to her child? Wait'll the kid sees things like witches, zombies, etc, things that really are scary.
Anyway, I lost my job, and I had to go back to delivering pizzas. Excellent money and good tips, except for the tiny little fact that it costs me around $200 in gas every month So thanks stupid bitch for getting me fired.
Good news is, manager did say I was rehirable in 6 months, so if I'm not happy with my current job, I'll reapply. However, I think they just told me this, but what are my actual chances of being rehired? We'll see what happens.

[EricKei]

From experience -- If they make the "re-hirable" offer, either (a) They have to do so for anything short of a termination due to gross incompetence/criminal activity/harassment, and have no intention of rehiring you. or (b) they actually like yo, and low-level management was forced to fire you because you were already on thin ice for whatever reason (maybe someone just didn't like you...I lost a job that way last year).

PS on the pizza job -- If the store does NOT pay you a commission or reimburse you for gas in any way, you can claim the gas money on your taxes. Keep track of what you spend, even if it's only in a notebook with dates/costs.

[eltf177]

Given the way you were treated do you even _want_ to go back?

[camjuniper]

It is so wrong for management to side with customers before they've even heard the other side of the story. I wish I could say I can't believe it, but having been on the receiving end of a rather harsh scolding without getting my say, I sadly, sadly, do.

I'm so sorry you got fired by one bitch's idiotic ravings.

I'd say if the new job doesn't work out or even if it's going okay, but you still liked your old job better go ahead for the reapply in 6 months--you never know.

[BowserKoopa1]

What had happened at this job was, I basically had too many customer complaints on me, and I guess management got to the point where they either could or would not believe me. Funny thing is, I went almost the first year without any writeups, and had only a couple of stupid customer complaints, such as a guy who was upset because I was getting over a cold and he saw me cough. So I really don't know what the hell changed after that.
The thing that really pisses me off the most is the fact that she thinks she can actually try to accuse me for supposedly scarring her little girl for life. I think she's obviously full of it and does not know anything about this. The worst I ever did, if I actually did it, was nicely tell her child not to play with things at the register, and no, I was not mean about it either. The kid will get over it, I was not mean or rude to her. There are going to be people out there who really will be mean to her child, and she'll probably think her child is messed up for life too.

[Merriweather]

I wouldn't worry about the child if I were you, I seriously doubt that you had the least impression on her - more likely, you told her not to play with something (or even just said hello), the child barely even noticed you, and the mum later went into the "did the mean person scare you? how horrible, it's ok, we won't let them do that again" etc etc until the mum basically convinced her it was something to cry about & be afraid of.

I've seen over-dramatic mums like that all the time - kid falls down, isn't even phased about it, til the mum gets so upset the kid feels it must somethng horrible and only then begins screaming their head off.

[taxguykarl]

Do look into unemployment. I agree with eltf177: After that kind of treatment, do you really to be back working for that two-faced backstabber?

[TechieGirl87]

I really hate it when this kind of shit happens. Management is likely to side with customers almost every single time. There are exceptions but I honestly think the likely reason you were let go was because you were on thin ice with them anyway. I hope things work out for you in the future

[Deserted]

Anyway, I lost my job, and I had to go back to delivering pizzas. Excellent money and good tips, except for the tiny little fact that it costs me around $200 in gas every month

Just to put that in a little bit of perspective, I spend $200 on gas in about 7 days of driving a cab. (That's in a Prius. If I was driving a van or a Crown Victoria, it would be 3-4 days.)

[Jester]

She thinks I was scary to her child? Wait'll the kid sees things like witches, zombies, etc, things that really are scary.

Yeah, if the kid is this scared of a retail cashier, just imagine what a shock to the system it's going to be when they grow up and have to deal with real world scary things, like acid rain, traffic accidents, drug addicts, politics, bills, collection agencies, runaway trains, plane crashes, earthquakes, tornadoes, quick sand, pot holes, sink holes, gopher holes, assholes, tax cheats, religious intolerance, sexism, sexual harrassment, unemployment, layoffs, negative campaign ads, cheating athletes, cheating spouses, welfare cheats, influenza, rabies, drunk drivers, permanent disfigurement, unsafe carnival rides, exploding household appliances, embezzlers, liars, users, abusers, solar flares, gas leaks, food poisoning, anal warts, rats, bats, feral cats, Lindsay Lohan, defective seat belts, religious extremism, Cleveland, concession stand prices, stepping in dog shit, workplace favoritism, cancer, mud slides, hurricanes, beached whales, movie spoilers, "Batman Forever," skinheads, crackheads, Parrot Heads, nepotism, melting polar caps, pollution, municipal corruption, injustice, Snooki, pop-up ads, computer viruses, AIDS, random gun massacres, hostage decapitations, mass cult suicides, serial killers, tsunamis, global warming, swarms of locusts, bubonic plague, impalement of non-believers, terrorist attacks, thermonuclear war, and the WRATH OF GOD!

Bowser, look what you've started!
This child will be a nervous wreck before they're halfway through grade school!

I seriously doubt that you had the least impression on her - more likely, you told her not to play with something (or even just said hello), the child barely even noticed you, and the mum later went into the "did the mean person scare you? how horrible, it's ok, we won't let them do that again" etc etc until the mum basically convinced her it was something to cry about & be afraid of.

Or the three year old had a sudden fright from who knows what, maybe even the cashier, and freaked out for half a second, and then was just fine the next. Toddlers are unpredictable....they may walk up to an alligator and pet it, and then run screaming, terrified of a picture of puppies. Because, you know, they're TODDLERS.

[MoonCat]

Holy crap Jester, I think you hit just about everything scary in the whole wor---Oh, wait. You missed one.

Honey Boo Boo!!!!!!!

[Jester]

Oh, I'm sure I missed a few. I mean, when you stop to think about it, the world is a scary place with lots of things to be fearful of. Just off the top of my head, there's frost bite, religious extremism, building collapses, El Paso, the Kardashians, tooth rot, industrial waste poisoning our water supply, beach erosion, parachute failure, stuck landing gear, tire blowouts, spoiled cheese, assless chaps, broken condoms, vindictive exes, guillotines, Rush Limbaugh, brain tumors, anaphylactic shock, electrocution, morbid obesity, botulism, anthrax, Wal-Mart greeters, tyrannical dictators, being a Cleveland Browns fan, rusty nails, gang violence, wardrobe malfunctions, hydrochloric acid, anorexia, musical piracy, medical malpractice, being tarred and feathered, overrun levees, biological warfare, Somalian pirates, falling down the stairs, hypothermia, ruler-wielding nuns, high blood pressure, dehydration, Los Angeles traffic, demonic possession, bar fights, soccer hooligans, trucks jackknifing, lions, tigers, bears, oh myyyy, being lost, home invasions, erectile dysfunction, Howard Stern, foul fucking language, financial scams, counterfeit concert tickets, Tonya Harding's friends ("Wwhhyyyyyy?!?"), watered down drinks, toys with choking hazards, leaky diapers, hanging chads, being buried alive, witchcraft, witch hunts, Witch Hazel on an open cut, Tetanus, kangaroo courts, butt fumbles, picture messages from Brett Favre, internet girlfriend hoaxes, point shaving, bad acid trips, strikes, lockouts, lousy tippers, assault with a deadly weapon, elevator disasters, suffocation, "Twilight," fratricide, accidental castration, entitlement whores, unjust firings, hostile takeovers, pay cuts, forced retirement, heart attacks, nervous breakdowns, and THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!!



And these are just the things I come up with on a lazy day off.

[wolfie]

Yeah, if the kid is this scared of a retail cashier, just imagine what a shock to the system it's going to be when they grow up and have to deal with real world scary things, like acid rain, traffic accidents, drug addicts, politics, bills, collection agencies, runaway trains, plane crashes, earthquakes, tornadoes, quick sand, feral cats,<MR SNIPPY WAS HERE> and [I]THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!!

Jester, please be careful what you post! While I (and probably most of us) can handle most of the items you listed, some of them will scar US for life.

[gerund]

Oh, I'm sure I missed a few..

You missed - panthers, being stuck in a lift, clowns, hallucinating while driving, avalanches, being caught in public without your pants, constipation, big dogs, little yappy dogs, crocodiles, sharks, bombs, being caught in the light cycle race in Tron, time travel paradox, mud slides, salt in the nasal cavity, bullying, someone who forgives me, rejection by old girlfriends, old people who smell of pee, the next "Star Wars" movie being done by Disney, testicular cancer, brain aneurysm, heart attack, big hairy spiders, little poisonous spiders, huntsman spiders, snakes, blue ringed octopus, old ladies with a hairy mouth kissing me, pain, root canal work, being caught downloading movies from torrent, breast cancer, bowel cancer, colostomy bags, my internet connection going down while I'm typing this message (actually happened just now), entropy, the earth falling into a black hole, falling up the stairs, Y3K bug, end of Unix time ticks, ticks, fleas, STDs and death.

I have experienced some of these. Others, not so much.

[Jester]

Gerund, I did NOT miss mudslides or heart attacks, and while I did not mention STDs as a general group, I did mention AIDS. But nice additions, nonetheless.