I have start with this. We had a customer today that was such a psycho bitch, not even my manager could make her happy AND said manager was calling her psycho. Behind her back of course.

Just a couple of rules of retail:

If you or your spouse EVER worked with our company for five minutes or more, we don't actually care. This does NOT give you special privileges. WE don't get special privileges, you sure won't as an EX employee or employee spouse.

Screaming at the highest manager we have "Do! You! Have! Anyone! Who! Is NOT! Stupid!?" also not getting you special privileges. In fact, in MY store, it is liable to get you thrown out. You can say this to ANYone else, but my manager does not allow ANYone to slight her.

Stepping in front of people who have been patiently standing in line will get you asked to step back. That is just rude! No I will NOT open a special register just for you. Just don't even ask.

Okay. I feel better.

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I walked into work to be told two of my closers had called in. No one was called to replace them. No one even tried. Not that we have that many people who COULD have worked, but some effort would have been nice.

Of the people who HAD come in, none had been given their breaks, even though it was marked on my board that they had. So I had PISSED cashiers to work with. AND when two of them asked if they could switch places to positions they were more comfortable with, they were told no. Even though it would have been better to have happy workers and would not have hurt to say yes.

Okay fine.

So I get everyone calmed down, argue with my fellow supervisor to get people to lunch when THEY would like to go instead of later, and manage to keep the customers moving through even though I had half the people I needed.

(Resource Management!! Hooah!)

Evening comes and I am down to one person per position. Fortunately, the flow of people has slowed enough that we manage okay. I put my lot guy on a register, I am that desperate, but it's a trade, because later, I help him do HIS job. He was much happy to stay in the AC for a bit. I was happy to get away from the people. It worked for both of us.

Then I walk in from pulling carts and my front door closer is barely in check. I can see she wants to cry. The instant change in my demeanor was all it took. She starts sobbing. I grab a basket of trash and start walking her to the back like we are just doing our job, nothing to see.

Her boyfriend has apparently been calling her and is on his way to come beat her up. At her work. AND he has threatened the man who answered the phone. He calls while I have her in the back and my manager for the evening, a burly attractive felllow who takes no crap, is listening to this guy threaten to come down and kick HIS butt. And My manager wantst o know WHY he has some guy calling him foul names.

So I explain that apparently this guy is on something and has struck his girlfriend before and she upset him when she told him she could not talk on the phone while at work. And my own personal fear jumps out. This manager starts ranting about the HR guy hiring the damn white trash. I hung up.

He wasn't talking about me, but I will be damned if I am going to listen to this man who I THOUGHT was half decent judge my cashier for her man's actions. Yeah. She could leave him, if she ... okay.. not getting on that soapbox. Anyway. I hung up before she could hear her boss call her names.  It hasn't been so long since I was her. Only *I* had small children depending on me.

Eventually the police get called and my manager makes a complaint. The cashier did as her boyfriend commanded and left work. Like a good little abused woman, she went straight into it. I garuntee he will take a little something while she lays there and lets him so he doesn't hurt her too bad to let her work.

If she even comes back. She may not.

I wanted to tell her to come home with me. I wanted to help her. But all I could see was me, back when I believed that was what I deserved. And I knew, she'd call him and the drama would come to my house. And I can't allow that.

I feel very selfish.

But my girls are sleeping soundly.