I Walked Out

[customersruinmylife]

To everyone at Customers Suck, I wish these stories were made up, I truely do. All of these stories have taken place since Wednesday, so I will just divide them up like that.

Wednesday

I have been off work for ten days, I come back, sit in the office and have a chat with another manager over what has happened while I have been away. I look on the camera and notice that the bar is getting busy, so I step out to help my co-worker.

Me: Who was next please?
Customer: Hi there, could I have...

Next thing I knew, Psycho Bitch jumps in.

PB: EXCUSE ME!! I THINK YOU'LL FIND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WAS NEXT!!!111!!!
Me: Oh, I'm sorry, I've just come from the back room so I don't know...
PB: WELL YOU SHHHHHOULD! TAKE MY ORDER NOOOOW! I MUST ORDER NOOOOW!!

The customer I first went to mouthed "Just serve her" to me.

Welcome back to work customersruinmylife!!

Death Returns

We haven't seen much of Death, but there he was, wandering around. He walked up to the bar, bought a pint of cider, but returned a few minutes later. He barged up to co-worker. It just so happened that it was the same co-worker that threw a pint over his head a few weeks ago.

Death: This doesn't taste right.
CW: Oh? What's wrong with it?
Death: It just doesn't taste right. Give me my money back.
CW: OK but you can give me the pint back.
Death: So you can throw it over me again? No! I'm keeping it and I'm getting my money back!
CW: No you're not. It's one or the other.

Death turned around and walked off. He returned after finishing his pint.

Death: I'm getting my moneys worth back!

Next thing we knew, he was running off with our muffin display! We shouted "HEY!!" and he dropped it. It was decided at that moment he was banned for life.

That was Wednesday.

Thursday

MOVE!

A concerned looking girl walks up to me.

CG: Hi there, ummm, me and my friends are having a meal, and this drunken old couple have come and sat with us. We have no idea why, we don't know them, they have just sat themselves at the end of our table. We asked them to move, seeing as there are plenty of other places to sit, but they just said "No, we're fine here!". We carried on eating, and now they are swearing at us, telling us to fuck off and everything.
Me: OK, I'll come over.

I walk over. I see three girls trying to eat their meals, and a couple, probably in their late fifties sat with them. The couples faces are VERY red, probably from drinking all day.

Me: Guys, these girls were here first, can you move to a free table please?
Woman: No, we're fine here.
Man: Yeah, we're not moving.
Me: No, it's not fine. There are plently of other places to sit, there is a table right there.
Woman: THESE GIRLS DID NOT RESERVE THIS TABLE, SO WE ARE NOT MOVING!!
Me: Did you reserve this table?
Woman: NO! BUT WE ARE MAKING A POINT! THESE LITTLE SLUTS SHOULD LEARN THAT THEY CAN'T SIT WHERE EVER THEY WANT!
CG: EXCUSE ME?!?! WE WERE HERE FIRST!! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A SLUT YOU HAGGERED OLD C*NT!

Woman stood up, looking as though she was going to strike Concerned Girl.

Me: OK, you are going to have to move. This is NOT ON.
Man: NO! NO! NO!

He bellowed so loud that all my co-workers ran off the bar thinking there was a fight going on. So I now had a captive audience of co-workers and customers.

Man: YOU WILL HAVE TO CALL THE POLICE TO GET US MOVED! WE ARE NOT MOVING! THEY DID NOT RESERVE THIS TABLE! SO WE ARE SHARING IT!
Woman: AND IT'S TOO LATE! WE'VE ORDERED FOOD FOR THIS TABLE NUMBER!
Man: SO WE ARE NOT MOV-

I had had enough of them shouting at me.

Me: SHUT UP! I AM CANCELLING YOUR FOOD AND YOU CAN GET OUT RIGHT NOW!
Woman: YOU CAN'T DO...

At this point, a random customer appeared from no where and jumped in.

RC: WHY DON'T YOU TWO OLD JUNKIE FUCKERS FUCK OFF?!?! EVERYONE IN HERE IS LOOKING AT YOU. FUCK OFF, FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!

I could have kissed RC. The woman stormed out of the pub, but the man was still there.

Man: You're going to have to call the police, because I am not going.
Me: Fine!

I got my phone out. As soon as he saw it, he bolted. Customers were booing him as he ran out the door.

It still baffles me. I swear, if I EVER see them again, I might spit on them.

You think THAT warrents the police??

Not FIVE MINUTES after the crazy couple, a crazy lady came up to me.

CL: There are two people at the table next to me and they are swearing! If they do not stop I am CALLING THE POLICE!

I went over. It was just two guys having a conversation. They were not loud, they were not drunk, and they were not aggressive. They were just swearing in their private conversation.

Me: Guys...can you keep the language clean?
Guy: Uhhh...Okaaayy.

I walked away and heard one of them call me a "conversation Nazi".

You ate it all?

Another crazy lady walked up to me.

CL: Excuse me, but the wrong meal was brought to my table.
Me: OK, I'll come over and sort that out for you.
CL: ITS A BIT LATE FOR THAT! I'VE ALREADY EATEN IT ALL!
Me: Oyyy.


I can keep this arguement up for hours

After all that, I went back on the bar to get away from the crazy customers on the floor. The bar was just as bad. An old guy obviously tried to jump the line.

OG: I will have...
Me: I'm sorry, but these girls were next.
OG: You're going to serve me next.
Me: No I'm not. I'm going to serve you when it's your turn. And I count ten people ahead of you.
OG: You're going to serve me next.
Me: No, I'm not.
OG: Yes, you are.
Me: No, I'm not.
OG: Yes, you are.
Me: Quit the Jedi mind trick. No, I. AM. NOT.

That was Thursday.

Friday

Friday had only one event. Death came back.

Me: Right, you are not getting served, can you please leave?
Death: What?!?! What for??!
Me: You tried to steal our muffin display.
Death: I was going to pay for it!
Me: Was that before or after I shouted at you and you threw it all over the floor?
Death: Uuuuhhh...
Me: Get out.

Saturday

I worked the morning and it was a nightmare. The delivery was over two hours late and showed up two minutes before I was due to open. I had no choice but to delay opening by an hour so I could get it in. There was already a line of old men outside. One of them actually stamped his feet when I put a sign up explaining why I wasn't opening.

I eventually got the pub open. The guy who stamped his feet stormed up to me.

SC: I want to know why you didn't open in time! I had been waiting for two hours for you to open!
Me: I put it all on the sign. I had to get the delivery away.
SC: That is not good enough. You could have still let us in!
Me: Absolutely not.
SC: Whhhhyyy?
Me: I have to think of my own safety and security. Are you seriously suggesting I let the public in this place and leave the bar unattended while I bring the delivery in the cellar? Leave all the full registers on their own, leave all the drink unattended so anyone could help themselves to it?
SC: You should have some faith in people.
Me: Sir, this job has destroyed all faith I have in people.


And that was the past four days! I had a serious talk with my boss. She is on holiday for the next two weeks, and when she gets back, I am cutting my hours down from 45 to 16. That should help.

[customersruinmylife]

Yep, got an interview for a teaching course, it's a week today, and, just by chance, it's my day off next Thursday, so I can attend without any of my bosses finding out! Woo!

I won't bullshit though, I believe my chances of getting in a very, very slim. I don't have the experience they are looking for, but I am hoping to blag my way in

If I don't get in, it doesn't matter because I can try again at Christmas, meaning I can spend the next three months getting the experience they are looking for from me. But still, there's a tiny, tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel now. The ball is rolling. It might take a while, but I am outta there!

[customersruinmylife]

I've mentioned this in a previous thread. We have had problems with people bringing dogs into the garden, believing that the garden somehow doesn't count as part of the premisis. It happens at least two times a day, customer walks in with Fido, is told the dog is not allowed, and creates a scene because their precious little puppy would never hurt a fly. We also have several notices informing the customers that dogs are not allowed. We actually positioned one of the signs so that when a customer entered the pub from the garden, they had to push the sign to get the door opened.

On Saturday, I was working behind the bar and a co-worker came up to me.

CW: Customersruinmylife, there's a guy with a dog in the garden.
Me: Great.

I went outside, and a guy, probably about in his mid-fifties, is sat with a very mean looking pitbull. It snarled as I approached him.

Me: I'm sorry, but no dogs are allowed.
SC: What?!?! Where am I supposed to put my dog on a hots summer's day! I'm not locking him in the car!
Me: I am sorry, but they are not allowed. This is part of our pub, people eat and drink out here. Dogs are not allowed.
SC: Fine, I'll finish my drink, and I'll go.

So that was Saturday.

Fast forward to yesterday.

I walk into work, the the manager is looking extremelly stressed.

Me: Whats up with you?
M: Dog attack in the garden today.
Me: What?? What happened?

He told me the tale.

The same SC I threw out on Saturday returned with the dog! I guess being thrown out once wasn't enough. Manager went over to him and told him the dog was not allowed. Customer said the exact same as what he said on Saturday. Manager told him to finish his drink and go.

Then...the gardener arrived. Gardener was happily watering the plants, and had to go near the dog. The dog snarled. The next thing the gardener knew, the dog was sinking its teeth into his leg! The gardener actually had to RIP the dog off his leg and basically throw it across the garden.

Of course, in typical SC fashion, the customer was more concerned about his dog and shouted at the gardener. The gardener was in complete shock, and staggered back into the pub, and calmly asked a co-worker for the first aid box. Co-worker screamed. His leg was COVERED in blood. Co-worker had to drive him to the hospital.

Manager went out the back, and saw that the SC and Ripper had fled. He called the police, letting them know what happened, but for now, the SC has got away. The manager described the SC and there is no doubt in my mind that it was the same one I threw out on Saturday, so he knew the dog was not allowed.

A new rule has been put in place. If a customer comes into the garden with a dog, they go IMMEDIATELY, we take the drinks out of their hands and pour them on the floor. The signs have become even more prominant, so there is no excuse for an SC missing them. Of course, we all know they don't read signs, so this is gonna be fun!

The gardener is OK though, he's gonna have to take a few days off, but should recover.

[customersruinmylife]

I don't know if it's because I am leaving, but I have noticed a sudden increase in sucky customers over the past few days.

Pasta Bake Bitch

A dumb looking blonde walks up to the bar.

SC: Hi there, can I order the pasta bake please?

We go through the motions, where she is sitting ect ect, and I complete the order. All is well...until about eight minutes later.

SC: Can you cancel that pasta bake please?
Me: Oh, I'm pretty sure it's just about ready. Why do you want to cancel it?
SC: I've ordered pasta by mistake. I don't like pasta.
Me: You ordered a pasta bake when you don't like pasta?
SC: I know, I didn't realise...I would like to order something else.

I look over and see a co-worker walking out of the kitchen with her food.

Me: Well, if you want to order something else you are going to have to pay for it.
SC: Can't I just swap for something else?
Me: No, that food is going to get wasted now.
SC: Oh...I guess I'll have to eat it then.

A co-worker cleared her table.

CW: And how was your pasta bake?
SC: Lovely thanks!
Me:

You want me to ban HER??

We have a group of ladies who come in for breakfast about two or three times a week. One of the ladies is heavily disabled, and the other two ladies are her carers. The handicapped lady can't really control what she says, and occasionally lets out the odd, random yell or scream. It startled me the first time I saw her, but she is actually a really nice person, and so are her carers.

Then we have one of our old men regulars. He is rude, and is one of the reasons I hate opening the pub, because he is always outside, waiting to get in before I even enter the pub! Upon seeing the handicapped lady and her carers enter, Old Man walked up to me.

OM: You need to ban her!
Me: Why?
OM: She cannot control herself in public! Have you heard her when she yells?

At that point, the handicapped lady yelled.

OM: See! You need to ban her!
Me: You are suggesting I ban someone who cannot help who they are??
OM: She is dissssssturrrbing meeeeeeee!!!

He walked away. I couldn't reply, because I wanted to throttle him. A few minutes later, Old Man leaves. One of the carers walks up to me, looking upset. The carer and me are on a first name basis.

C: Customersruinmylife, that...man...he just walk up to *handicapped lady* and told her she had no business out in public! He was so brutal...

Carer looked like she was going to cry.

Me: I just...I just don't know what to say.

I have passed on this story to all the staff and other managers. All are disgusted. There is no way he's getting served again!

Lazy?!?!?!?!?!

It's a public holiday in the UK this weekend, and that means that there are a lot of arseholes out and about.

A lady was asking a co-worker about making a booking. He didn't really know what to tell her so he passed her onto me. I was stood at the bar with the lady, organising the booking (she was really nice) when I hear what sounds like a barking sound.

SC: OW! OW! OW! *clicks fingers*

I look over, and see a rather irate looking man looking at me.

SC: ARE YOU ACTUALLY GOING TO SERVE SOMEONE TODAY???
Me: I am just helping my customer at the moment. One of my co-workers will get to you in a minute.
SC: YOU AREN'T DOING ANYTHING!!!
Me: I am helping a customer at the moment, and it's not even busy.
Co-worker: I'll serve him now customersruinmylife.
SC: NO! I WANT HIM TO SERVE ME, SEEING AS HE ISN'T DOING ANYTHING!
Lady: He is in the middle of helping me, actually.
SC: HE'S NOT DOING ANYTHING! FUCK! FORGET IT! I DON'T WANT TO DRINK HERE ANYMORE!
Me: That's fine with me.
SC: YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A LAZY BASTARRRRRRRRRRRRD!!
Me: Lazy bastard? I was here at 7am bringing a delivery in. What were you doing at 7am?
SC: I AM GOING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT YOU!
Me: Complain all you want, I couldn't care less.
SC: I'M LEAVING!!

I put on the most cheerful tone of voice I could.

Me: Bye! Byeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I was sorely tempted to blow him a kiss as well. He just about had a fit and ran out the door. The lady I was helping was in stitches laughing.

Three weeks tomorrow until my last shift EVER!!!!!!!

[customersruinmylife]

OK...this should go in Cursing Out Co-workers...but at the time, the co-worker was a customer, and now she is no longer a co-worker due to her actions.

I will refer to the co-worker in question as Stupid Bitch (SB). I don't know SB very well. She only works part time, usually really early in the day and the occasional weekend shift, so we haven't worked together very often. She seemed friendly enough, however someone did tell me that she has a bit of a temper on her, especially when she gets a drink in her.

It was a sunny day, and SB had been in the pub drinking with another co-worker. I will refer to him as Idiot Co-Worker (ICW). They had been in a fair while, and SB was getting more and more drunk. She stumbled up to the bar.

CW1: Customersruinmylife, I think SB has had enough.

I turn around and see SB swaying where she is stood. She is wasted. But CW2 is already in the middle of serving her.

Me: Are you OK there SB?
SB: Yeaaaahhhh....I'mmmm finnneee...
Me: OK, but make this your last drink, OK?
SB: K!

She gave me a thumbs up. I thought all was well. A few minutes later, she returned to the bar with ICW.

SB: Sambuca please!
Me: I thought I told you no more SB?
SB: Fine...what...cannn...I...haaaavvvvvee?
Me: Water. And lots of it.

I gave SB and ICW a glass of water. ICW found the whole thing funny. I carry on what I'm doing, when I hear:

SB: Fucking wanker...who the fuck does he think he is refusing to give meeeee alcoohoooll!

SB and ICW walk off. But a couple of minutes later, they return to the bar to drink their water. I walk up and down the bar serving, and all I can hear is: "Wanker!" "Fucking bastard! I want served!" "Fucking retard, refusing me alcohol!" I lost it and walked to the end of the bar.

Me: I am NOT putting up with this. I wouldn't take this shit from a customer, and I am certainly not going to take it from staff. Now can you move away from the bar? I am sick of listening to you. Go home, and go to bed.
ICW: Oh leave off it customersruinmylife!
Me: Don't you start! If this is how it is going to be, then NO STAFF are getting served at all. You can all leave and go somewhere else.
ICW: But you're leaving! What difference does it make to you?
Me: I am getting insulted, and you're pissing me off. I might be leaving in a week, but at the moment, I am still in charge, and you guys have just successfully got the staff banned tonight.

I walked out the back into the office. I had to cool off. I was going to let the whole thing slide, and not mention it to my boss, until this happened.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

I open the office door, and SB is stood there.

SB: WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARRRREEEE??? I'LL GET YOOOU FUCKKKING SAACCCKKKED!

She was that drunk she lost her balance...and fell into the cellar.

She landed in a massive heap, on top of several crates and bottles, smashing several of them. She attempted to stand, but slipped on the mess she had made, and fell over again. I lost it, and screamed at the top of my voice.

Me: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU PLAYING AT!?!?!?!

I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the cellar, and dumped her at the end of the bar. No co-workers had noticed she had stormed behind the bar except for ICW, who was giggling. His giggling stopped as soon as I dropped SB, and the bar was left in complete silence. SB piped up again.

SB: YOOOUUU'RREEE FUCKKKINGGG SAAAACCCKKKEEDD! JUSSSTT YOU WAIIT TILLLL I TELLLL *BOSS* WHAT YOU DDIIIID TO MEEE!

ICW didn't say a word. He picked her up and walked out. All the staff stopped what they were doing, and just stared. None of them dared look or say anything to me. I told a co-worker I was going in the office, and under no circumstances was anyone to come to the door and bother me. I sat down, and wrote an essay, pretty much everything I am typing now, to my boss.

After the shift, my co-workers and I sat down, and apparently it wasn't just me she went for. She called CW1 a fucking slut. She walked up to a gay co-worker and said he was worse than a peadofile, and even bothered the boss' son!

So, that happened on Thursday. I was in quite early on Friday, and Boss called me into the office.

Boss: I want you to witness this.

She called SB.

Boss: Hi SB, I am just calling to tell you not to come in to work tonight...or tomorrow night...or next week...in fact don't come back in at all...why, you ask? Well why don't you ask customersruinmylife, CW1, CW2, ICW, my son, and pretty much every single customer who was in the pub last night.........Oh! You can't remember anything of last night? Isn't that handy! Well, I'm sure you'll have great fun trying to piece that together! Goodbye!

She hung up.

Boss: I've already had words with ICW. He is suspended for the weekend. He thought she was joking around...the idiot. My son already told me what happened last night and...I am so shocked I can't describe how angry I am. It is exactly like you said. We take enough shit off the customers in here. We WILL NOT take it off the staff.

Staff are banned from drinking in the pub for a month. ICW isn't very popular at the minute.

I am very glad I am leaving next week! I can't be bothered with the fallout of this.

[customersruinmylife]

Well, that's it! I have had my last shift! And what was most annoying about it was that I didn't have an SC event! I had 5 years of bartenders rage ready to take out on any SC's I encountered, and then they all went and behaved themselves!

Feeling a lot of mixed emotions at the minute. Two years ago I thought I wanted to work in bars forever, despite the SC's. I loved my job, but as soon as I went to management level, that's when it all went downhill. The shit that came with it just wasn't worth it. And when I had to leave my bar and move to the pub I just quit, well, that was like going into a war zone! The SC's were out of control and none of the other managers seemed to want to do anything about it.

As I was cashing up on my last shift, I overheard a co-worker talking in the glasswash area:

CW: I don't want customersruinmylife to go! We finally get a manager who gives a fuck about the well-being of the staff, and takes the time to get to know us, and he gets driven out! It's just not fair.

I'm going to keep posting on here, so don't worry. There are some stories I haven't told yet!

[customersruinmylife]

I've got a new job...and it is at the pub I have just left!

The teacher training is going very, very well, I absolutely love it, however, I am not getting paid for it. I will not get any kind of income until January when the course starts. I saved up quite a bit of money, and that would normally get me by, but with Christmas coming up, my funds are going to be a bit stretched.

My girlfriend, who works at the pub, was talking about this to a co-worker. She's a bit worried I am going to end up overdrawn and with huge debts, and to be honest, it was making me worry a little bit. But I left the pub not only because I wanted to start my teacher training, but because I absolutely could not stand working with the drunken customers anymore. My old boss overheard this conversation.

Not to sound too bigheaded, but I am quite a good cook. At the pub, if a cook called in sick or they were busy, I could go in and help out very easily, and it was a blast. I was away from the customers, free to say what I wanted and had a laugh. My old boss called and offered me a job in the kitchen, part time of course.

I am very tempted to take it. None of the reasons why I left were to do with bad management or anything. It was because of the horrible customers. Now I have been given the chance to earn some money, do my teacher training and get away from the customers! And best of all, I won't be a manager anymore! No responsibility!

Anyone here have any views?

[customersruinmylife]

A new manager started at the pub this week. This guy is basically my replacement, and has apparently been working in pubs for 25 years. He has been brought in from another pub in town, and my God, he has left an impression.

I'm going to divide this up into days. Remember, I only work at the pub part time now, so most of the incidents I heard were from other people. I will call the new manager NM.

Monday

So NM starts at the pub. Boss gives him a tour and introduces him to the staff. Boss has to leave, so she leaves him with another manager for the rest of the day. The manager she left him with is not much older than me. He is in his mid-twenties, hasn't been managing pubs for all that long, but he knows what he is talking about. NW is in his late fifties.

Apparently, during the whole day, NW spoke to the manager like he was five years old, constantly saying things like "Now look here, young man..." and always seemed to call him "Boy". Now, this doesnt sound like much, but he did it ALL THE TIME. Manager was getting very irritated being spoken to like he was a naughty child.

Later in the day, a co-worker who works in the kitchen came in. NW follwed him into the kitchen and introduced himself.

NM: Now, I just need to ask...do any of you in this place KNOW HOW TO WASH PLATES?

CW laughed, thinking it was some sort of joke to break the ice. It wasn't. NW was deadly serious.

NM: YOU are getting a crash course with me on how to wash up!

NM dragged CW to the sink, and showed him how to clean a plate. Yes that's right. He actually showed him how to do the washing up, and apparently used the most patronising tone he could. This was also while the kitchen was having a little rush, so the food orders were getting delayed because of this.

NM: ...and then, when you have cleaned it, put it into the dishwasher, and push this button. Did you get all that?
CW: Uuhh...yeah.
NM: Good. Any questions?
CW: Umm, well no. But just so you know, I have worked here for five years. I know how to wash a plate.
NM: Yeah...right.

NM walked out the kitchen. CW was stunned.

Tuesday

Nothing much happened on Tuesday apparently. Except for that he was working with the same manager as the day before. Again, he spoke to him like he was a little boy. Manager had to go vent with a member of staff.

Remember, this is a member of management, bitching about another member of management to a member of staff. He was that annoyed.

Wednesday

NM had his first shift on his own. A day shift. A co-worker who was working on the bar on Tuesday night was also in. He called her into the office.

NM: Hi, I am NM, the new manager.
CW: Oh hi, pleased to meet you.
NM: I noticed you were on shift last night...
CW: Yes I was.
NM: Well, I have to tell you, I am quite frankly disgusted with the standard of the close last night.
CW: Oh...may I ask why?
NM: There was some broken glass in the yard. WHY was this not taken care of?
CW: Oh, I wasn't anywhere near the yard last night, I was responsible for cleaning the bar area...
NM: That is NOT what I am asking! Why was this not taken care of?
CW: Well, I didn't know anything about it...
NM: Then WHY didn't you check?
CW: Well...I would have thought it would have been a manager or supervisors responsibil-
NM: No! You should have checked!
CW: But I was taking care of the bar! Usually a member of management checks the yard when they lock up.
NM: Do not answer me back!

He handed her a broom and dustpan.

NM: Get out there and get it cleaned.

It was freezing cold, windy and it was raining. CW is a very timid girl, so she did as she was told, but I swear, if it had been me, that broom would have been up his arse.

Thursday and Friday were his days off.

Saturday

It was 5:45 and me and two co-workers walked into the pub. We were due to start at 6pm. We walked behind the bar and headed for the back room where we could get changed and ready for our shift. It was also quite busy when we entered, and there were quite a lot of glasses everywhere.

NM: Oh, nice of you to join us!
Me: Oh...hi, I don't believe we've met...
NM: Never mind that! Can't you see we are busy?! There are glasses everywhere! Don't you people know how to wash a glass? Would you like me to teach you??
Me/CW1/CW2:
NM: Right! Over here! The three of you!

NM then proceeded to teach us how to wash a glass, in the exact same manner he had used to teach one of the cooks how to wash a plate.

NM: And that is how you wash a glass! Got it?? Good! Now do something useful and wash the glasses! We are busy!

The three of us walked into the back room as quick as we could.

CW2: Who the fuck was that? He didn't even introduce himself! Why is he shouting at complete strangers?

NM's shift ended. A different member of management burst into the kitchen, with his hands buried in his face.

M2: I am so glad that ARSE HOLE has gone!! Oh my God! I have never met such an infuriating man!

Sunday

A member of barstaff's bus dropped her off half an hour before her shift was due to start. She made herself a coffee and headed for the back room.

NM: No, no, no! You can start now!
CW: Huh?
NM: Put the coffee down and start right now!
CW: Are you going to pay me for starting right now?
NM: No-
CW: Then no!

CW shut herself in the back room. She had never met him before either. Apparently NM left a note behind for the manager taking over to look out for the "troublemakers" in the pub.

And that was his first week!

Boss has been off all week, but I think words are going to be had when she returns. I just don't understand how someone could be that rude on their first week!

I have got my first full shift with him tomorrow. I don't normally work Monday nights, but I am covering for someone who is on holiday. Basically, I work in the school all day Monday, and then I am going to have to go straight from the school to the pub, so I am not exactly going to be in the mood for someone being rude to me!

[customersruinmylife]

I mentioned in my previous thread that the new manager hadn't made a good impression on the pub, but I hadn't encountered anything sucky yet. Well, I just did, not even five minutes ago.

A co-worker who works in the kitchen was whining that she was working tonight. She really didn't want to and was meant to be going to a friends birthday party. I would have worked the shift if she had swapped with me, but she just wanted me to do the shift, meaning I would only have one day off this week, and that is NOT including my days at school. So I refused.

About five minutes ago, I get a phone call. It is new manager!

NM: Hi customersruinmylife, I was just wondering if you could come in a couple of hours early tonight.
Me: Early? Wh-
NM: *interupting* Yes, come in at 5 instead of 7. That would be great! See you!
Me: Hang on! I'm not working tonight.
NM: Yes you are.
Me: No I'm not.
NM: I think you are.
Me: Well I'm not.
NM: Are you sure you're not mistaken?
Me: Yes, because I write my hours down in a diary each week, and I don't work Fridays because I have my placement in school all day.
NM: .....
Me: So, I'm not working tonight.
NM: Well...we need someone in tonight because CW has called in sick.

He was talking about the girl that was bitching about wanting the night off.

Me: So you were aware she was meant to be working tonight?
NM: Uhhh...
Me: So you just outright LIED to me to try and trick me into working???
NM: Uhhh.....
Me: You do know I am part time right? I am already working five days this week and you just tried to make me work six??
NM: Well...we still need someone in the kitchen tonight. We have a booking.
Me: Well I'm not working.
NM: You have plans then?
Me: No! I just don't want to! *click*

He has tried ringing back twice. I refuse to pick up. I'm so angry

[customersruinmylife]

When I do an evening shift, my bus home is due at eight minutes past the hour. If I miss that bus, then I am waiting until after 11pm for the next one, and it's a half hour journey home. This is a major pain if I am on my school placement the next day, so it's pretty important that I get the first bus. The bus stop is right outside the pub, so I have eight minutes to get changed and go for it.

So food has finished, and the clock has struck the hour. I am done. I walk out the kitchen, to the back room, get changed and am heading out. All of a sudden, I hear:

NM: Ah-hem! Customersruinmylife, wait a moment!
Me: What is it?
NM: I have some customers ordering food. If you could go back in the kitchen and make it, that would be great.
Me: But the kitchen's closed! I've turned everything off!
NM: Oh, well, I thought you wouldn't mind...
Me: ...going back in and cooking food while I am not getting paid? I've got to go get my bus.

I started to walk away.

NM: Now, customersruinmylife, let's not be unreasonable.
Me: I have a bus that is due in less than 5 minutes. It will take 15 minutes for me to get everything turned back on again. NO. I have to be up at 6:30 for my placement. I am not waiting around until 11pm for the next bus.
NM: But you're the only person on tonight who knows how to run the kitchen. You can't let the customers down.
Me: If the customers could read, they would know what time we stopped serving food at. They should not be ordering, and you shouldn't let them.
NM: Well I've already told them yes and rang the food through. Here's the ticket.

It wasn't a simple run of the mill order. Four meals with sides, and it would have required me to turn everything back on, and unwrap loads of things.

Me: Nope, not doing it. I'm finished, and I'm going for my bus.
NM: But the customers...
Me: You will just have to go and tell them no.

I walked out. I heard him call after me. I am livid.

[customersruinmylife]

So, as some of you may know I am currently trying my best to become a teacher. Unfortunately, I am not on a course at this moment in time, and will not be back at university until 2011. This is because I did not apply for any courses until I was absolutely certain that I wanted to teach, and by the time I had decided, I had missed the deadline.

So for the past few months, I have been volunteering at the school. Going in two days a week, working with the kids, helping the teachers, just so I can make my CV look good when I do eventually apply. I also absolutely love it, and have never cared that I was not earning money doing this.

So I go into school yesterday, and the head (principle) pulls me into her office. The first thing I think is "Oh God, they're getting rid of me!" because each time I saw her in a corridor she would ask "So how much longer are you going to be with us then?"

So we sit down at her desk, and she asks me what my plans are for the next year. I tell her about how I am not going to be in unversity until the latter half of 2011, so I was basically hoping to carry on what I was doing until then. She leaned over and asked me:

"Would you like a job here?"

I stammered a lot, and just blurted out "Yeah!"

They are going to pay me for, well, basically doing the same thing I have been doing over the past few months! She said that everyone in the department speaks very highly of me, and they believed I should be getting some money for what I'm doing.

I now do three days a week rather than two, and the wage is £3 an hour more than what I earn at the pub! And it is about a million times less stressful! I am staying at the school until the end of the school year (July) and then they will review if I can continue for another year after that, but she says that is just a formality and I should have no problems.

I walked out of the office, and I had tears in my eyes. I was just so happy!

However...I am not earning enough money to quit the pub just yet. But I can certainly cut my hours in half!

[customersruinmylife]

That's right ladies and gentlemen. I have finally had enough. Congratulations management, you have broken me.

This happened about...thirty minutes ago, so it is all pretty fresh and raw.

I am working another horrible kitchen shift. I am on my own, I haven't had my break and food tickets are building up.

Where was the manager? In the office.

Where was the kitchen supervisor? In the office.

They have been in there for the majority of my shift. I asked a member of the floor to go and get one of them to help me. They returned with KS, who looked at the tickets, and simply shrugged them off and returned to the office. I called him back, no luck. No one was going to help me. More and more food was building up, and the orders were starting to get complicated, as we had groups of customers who wanted substitutions and allsorts. Steak meals are coming through, and the grill has stopped operating for some reason. I am on my own and I am busy, and I don't have the time to figure out what is wrong with it or attempt to relight it. I am getting more and more upset. I am in tears.

I thought to myself "Wait til Boss gets back from her holiday and hears about this!"

And then I thought about all the other times I complained. All the other times I reported wrong-doing from the management and staff, how I pleaded for backup with all these things, and how she promised she would get them sorted. And nothing changed. Despite her saying that things like this would stop, they carried on, and I have been putting up with this crap for a year.

I am tired of it all. I am so fed up of busting my balls for minimum wage, only to be told by a smart assed manager that I am not working hard enough. I am fed up being walked all over, being stuck on the same shitty shifts with the same shitty treatment. I am fed up with people who earn 50p more an hour than me treating me like crap. They are not better than me

So that was it. That was all I needed. I dropped whatever I was holding, and walked out the door. I walked straight into the back room and got changed. I got a few bemused looks from other members of staff. I returned, and saw that the bar was full of people with menus. I turned to co-worker.

Me: CW, you might want to let these people know that there is no one to cook their food. I am done, I have had enough, I am not letting them treat me this way anymore.

CW walked right up to me.

CW: And I do not blame you one little bit. Good luck.

And I left.

[customersruinmylife]

I've shed a lot of tears over the past couple of hours. I believe I'm just in shock. I don't regret it at all. The only thing I do think about is that September may be a little bit of a difficult month until my new job pays me.

I just feel so angry about it all. I feel angry at myself for allowing it all to continue so long, and I am angry about the fact that these people are in charge of people's jobs! They are driving the staff to breaking point, I was just the first one to snap. Last week alone I witnessed three co-workers break down and cry over the actions of a manager. How can this be allowed to continue? I wish they were part of a large coporation or something so I could report them and go above their heads, but I can't.

I'm actually surprised it was me that went. I have had a feeling that someone was going to walk out for weeks. The staff are so unhappy, it is service with a scowl not service with a smile.

[customersruinmylife]

Or... hes going to call you 5 minutes after you shift asking where you are.

You were 100% right! I got two voicemails. I refused to pick up my phone because I was around all the kids from school who were getting their exam results, and I didn't think it would be a good idea to answer the phone and let all my rage out in front of them. One voice mail asked where I was. The other said "Customersruinmylife, please call me, I think we need a word"

I never called back. I did think about it, but when I went to dial the number I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The thought of it made me feel ill.

I don't know a lot about what happened aftet I left. I haven't spoken to any of my co-workers that were on shift, but I do know one thing. Apparently, right before I walked out, the kitchen supervisor and the manager were about to ask me to stay later, because the kitchen supervisor wanted to go home early!

If they had made it to that kitchen five minutes earlier, blood would have been spilled.

[customersruinmylife]

I have a little bit of an update. I decided to go into the pub to put in a letter of resignation. That way, I will always be able to say I quit, and that they didn't fire me. I was really stunned about what greeted me when I walked in.

Everyone simply said to me "Hi, how are you?" ect. They all treated me like it was a completely normal day, and I was just walking in to do my shift. Everyone that was there was not on duty when I walked out, including the manager. Not one of them knew what happened, including the manager. He had been off for the past two days, and he had no idea that I had walked out, so me telling him that I would not be back was a bit of a surprise for him!

It really looks as though the manager that was on on Monday night has tried to keep what happened quiet. We don't think he wants Boss finding out why I left. I explained what happened to the manager that was there, and told him that I had quite simply had enough. The job was not worth the money or the stress anymore.

"Well, I could have a word with M, and maybe we can dust this whole thing over, and you can still continue to work here." He said.

I told him that too many false promises and I was tired of the solution to everything being "I will have a word" I didn't want words. I wanted actions, and I told him that I would not be returning to work.

"Fair enough. I understand what you are saying, and I am sad to see you go like this"

I walked out the pub...with a smile on my face.