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Everyone has had a pretty terrible day at work. Whether the perfect storm of things going wrong or just a job that is grueling in general, certain days tend to be worse than others. But some workplaces are so insanely bad that the only option is to simply run. 

A netizen asked “People who quit a job on the first day, what happened?” and ex-employees shared their worst workplace horror stories. From outright lies during the hiring process to literal health risks, these tales underscore how bad some jobs can get. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote the most shocking, and share your experiences below. We also got in touch with employment expert Jonathan Javier from Wonsulting to learn more about red flags.

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

Not exactly first day, but about two or three weeks into a job at an AT&T store (do NOT recommend), it was getting towards closing time and my manager asked me to take the trash out. Mind you there was a hellacious thunderstorm going on and the dumpster was behind the store in an unlit area that ran alongside a ditch.

In spite of my protests regarding safety etc, he said "do it now", so I did. Well, I wound up slipping and falling into the ditch and badly breaking my ankle. I had my phone on me so attempted several times to call him, but he was with a customer and couldn't be bothered to answer. I was able to drag myself into the store, soaking wet, muddy, and with bone sticking out of my foot, and was promptly attended to by the customers. My manager started admonishing me for ruining his sale, and corporate called because they saw me on the sales floor and told me to get up because I wasn't representing the store appropriately.

Thankfully the customers happened to be HR directors for some large company and told me that my injury would be covered by Worker's Comp. I was too young and inexperienced to know this at the time. They left the store in disgust after they called me an ambulance.

I stupidly returned to the store a few weeks later, in a huge cast, and intended to return to work. I was greeted with a write up for "not following safety instructions" by the same manager who ordered me to take out the garbage in the first place. I told him to go f**k himself, left, called an attorney and wound up with a nice settlement. F**k AT&T franchises!

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SheamusFanFrom1987
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hopefully that POS manager would never be able to find work in town again for that sh*tty stunt!

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#2

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 I was working at Zara. They didn't do advertising at the time and instead are very particular about how they set up the store.

My last hour was being screamed at by the woman in charge of the store's appearance for not folding clothes fast enough (she was screaming at all of us. Imagine an hour of a woman standing on the top floor alternating between "Let's go, people!" And shouted insults). We finished 15 minutes early. Which means we got paid less for doing what the screaming lady wanted.

Then we were asked to clock out for a "team meeting". We did and the woman screamed at us so much she drove herself to tears.

The woman who hired me apologized on my way out and I told her I wouldn't be back. I didn't even pick up my check. Nor have I ever, ever, ever bought anything from Zara ever again. Even secondhand, I won't do it. I have like a PTSD reaction to that store.

BaseTensMachine , Liza Summer Report

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FrogMan
FrogMan
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ll never buy anything from Zara now, either. I mean I never have,.but now I DEFINITELY won’t.

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#3

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 2nd day: sweating my a*s off in the kitchen on a hot summer day. Asked for a glass of water and the owner made me pay for it. Finished my shift and never went back.

bigfatgeekboy , Rene Asmussen Report

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Ripley
Ripley
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That has to be an abuse of basic human rights, let alone employee rights . . . surely.

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Bored Panda got in touch with Jonathan Javier, CEO and founder of Wonsulting, an organization that focuses on helping people find the right job for them. We wanted to hear his insights into red flags to look for when starting a new job or just evaluating a job in general. He shared a few good examples.

“When they're unable to "unblock" you: The goal of a manager or team leader is to help their subordinates but also, if one of their team members is stuck, to get them "unstuck". This can range from guiding or helping them problem-solve. When they say "no feedback from me" mentality. Managers who want their team members to grow will give feedback proactively to their subordinates when they see something that needs to be improved; many bad managers will say constantly "no feedback from me" or "you're doing awesome!" but when performance reviews come into play, you're then given the "you haven't done well in XYZ."
#4

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Was 19 in the late 90s. Got a job at Miami Subs and showed up to work the first and heard the Manager Screaming at a couple of 16 year old cashier's. Said nope not for me. Told the girls they should quit too.


Actually ended up giving them a lift home. They lived close to my friend's house. Fast forward and one of the girls and my friend are married with a couple kids and live in the same town. Small world. 😆

Defiant_Network_3069 , Afif Ramdhasuma Report

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Mad McQueen
Mad McQueen
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Worked for one in the early 90s in Ft. Lauderdale. First day weighing ham. Ok that was strange task. Second day was night shift on a drive through with no training. Saying one sec with every item that was ordered an holding a finger up. They had a camera to show the cars us taking the order. Third day was at a register and was not trained to make floats or shakes. They made me pay for the shirt I had to wear so I sent my roommates in the next day a they stole all the toilet paper. I never went back.

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#5

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 I worked at Home Bargains and did my first shift on a Saturday, I was off on the Sunday originally, and they waited until 11pm on the Saturday to call me and not ask me but tell me to cover a Sunday but the conversation went as followed.

“Hey we’ve changed the rota and you’re working tomorrow 8am-5pm.”

I was busy on the Sunday as I had family commitments since I assumed I was free being my day off.

“Oh I can’t work tomorrow I have plans.”

“Well that will go down as an unauthorised absence if you don’t turn up.”

“Alright then I quit.”

“WHAT?!”

I then hung up and never went back.

Lochan2468 , Jack Sparrow Report

Final score:
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UncleJon_TheMadScientist
UncleJon_TheMadScientist
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12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not the first day but I had something like that happen when I was working at a pizza place. The schedule went up on Tuesday and I was scheduled for Thursday off Friday and Saturday then on for Sunday. Well I showed up for my shift Sunday and was greeted by the manager with "where the hell were you yesterday?" I said I was scheduled off. He said we changed the schedule Friday afternoon, I asked if they had called me (this was long before cellphones) he replied "why the hell would I do that, it's YOUR responsibility to come in or call in EVERYDAY to check for schedule changes" knowing that NONE of that was ever said or even hinted to when I was hired, or during the first 3 months working there I replied " with stupid RULES like that I'd have to stop by or call in EVERY day at closing or at opening tocheck for changes... SCREW YOU I QUIT"

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#6

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 I worked at a daycare for one day. They put me in the 3 year old room with two other staff members. The staff members were so mean to the kids.

They yelled at one child for “being late”, as if she had any control over that. They made another child cry by telling her she was going to be sent to the directors office for asking to use the bathroom during outside time. They also bragged to me multiple times about how the daycare didn’t have cameras and “never will”. Then they both fell asleep at nap time. I never went back and told my sister in law to pull her baby from that place.

Edit: for everyone concerned- this daycare closed a few years ago.

nannerbananers , cottonbro studio Report

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JenniB
JenniB
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The daycare may have closed but those witches are working somewhere else with kids I'm sure...

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“When the manager delegates a project to you without any guidance. Managers who continuously delegate without giving guidance on the project they delegate are the ones who set up their subordinates for failure - if you see this from your manager, this is a huge red flag,” he shared with Bored Panda. 
#7

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Worked in a menswear shop for a single shift.

In my interview they told me I would work a probation period which is totally normal. The day of my first shift arrives and I find my supervisor very lazily going through procedures and training which is a red flag. He was skipping over stuff, kind of rushing it and very clearly didn’t want to be there.

I go to sign my contract and I notice it says “temporary” on the top. I told them the job was advertised as “permanent” which is illegal. He said “no we offer you a permanent contract after you complete this probationary period. We use a temporary contract as a form of probation”. Second major red flag but I stuck with it because I needed a job.

Finally, I get out on to the floor and am talking to staff. I find out that this company hires young students, sets them really high targets for their “probation” and tells them if they hit them they get to stay. Inevitably 99% don’t hit these targets and are let go after 2-3 months. I was being trained by someone whose job I was taking and it was her last day.

It basically means they get the max amount of work out of you and fire you before you slow down/start asking questions. The lady training me said that they also do it to make workers compete with one another. There’s no talking on the floor and loads of employees have petty rivalries because they’re all desperate the keep their jobs.

I rang up the next day and told them I’m not coming in and they can fck off.

Far_Dot_5937 , Anna Shvets Report

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Michael Largey
Michael Largey
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You gave them a probationary period exactly as long at they deserved.

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#8

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Joannes fabrics - first day an old lady slapped me for cutting her fabric too slow. I was like "peace. This isn't the job for me".

Edit: to everyone asking - no - I did not stab or cut her in retaliation. I put the scissors down, walked to the managers office, and told her I quit (and why). The manager understood and said something that equated to "sometimes it be like that." I didn't think to file charges, I honestly just wanted to get out of that situation as fast as possible.

juliekitzes , cottonbro studio Report

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Brittania Kelli
Brittania Kelli
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was 17 and worked night shift at a grocery store. I got held up at gun point and after the cops left they reopened the store and put me back to work. I was crying my eyes out begging to be let to go home but was the only cashier. My mom called them when I got home and made it very clear that I was never going back and they should consider themselves lucky that I said I didn't want to sue them.

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#9

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Got a job with a major hotel brand. Was supposed to handle their small lounge area, serve the occasional wine/beer. I was 18/19? During my training, the manager dude (mid 30's) was walking me through showing me how stuff works. He was super friendly and joking a lot. But also a bit touchy feely: hand on shoulder, back pats, etc. Then, when we were alone in the kitchen, he reached out his hand and rubbed across my abdomen. I was wearing a light summer dress, super thin material. He basically touched right above where my panties were straight up to my belly button and a bit above. I can't remember why - it was part of his joking around. But it made me so uncomfortable. I didn't say anything. Just awkward laughed. He smiled and stared at me. And then kept up his jokey schtick. I did not return. I heard later he was in rehab.

adiosfelicia2 , Christina Morillo Report

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Beanz' Mum
Beanz' Mum
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A knee in the cohonas (spelling?) is what he needed.....

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This of course begs the question, how do toxic, incompetent, and downright horrible people actually end up in positions of power? “When I was working in corporate, it was not only a mix of politics and exceeding your OKRs; it was also about having a great relationship with both your manager and skip manager. If you have these relationships and are able to play the "Politics" game, you have a better chance of being promoted. If this happens to you, be sure to upskill and continuously learn in the field you're in as well as your leadership skills.”
#10

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 I was on my last day of training as a caretaker for individuals with special needs. I am a 110lb woman, after training when I was due to start the next day they informed me my patient would be a 200lb man who sometimes “acts out and gets physical”…. Blocked their number and never came back lol.

Low-Marketing-9015 , Los Muertos Crew Report

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Mrs.C
Mrs.C
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Knew someone who did that job. They had to have 2 grown men caring for an individual like that at all times. 99% of the time they hung out with the patient, watched TV, and played video games. The other 1% of the time he was a violent flight risk. No way a woman should be in that situation.

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#11

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 I got hired for the local Taco Bell.
On my first day it was a busy Thursday night and everyone was stressed and yelling at each other. I was asked to come in at 3 but never told when I was supposed to leave so I asked, because if I was going to be there for a long time I also wanted a break. The person in charge wasn’t even a manager and they told me they didn’t know what to tell me because they don’t have a manager right now to make schedules. She mentioned they were open until 3 am and asked me how long I would stay. I got really sketched out so my next question was about how they were counting for my labor since I was new and wasn’t in the computer yet, and there was no manager on site to input my labor manually. She had no idea what I was talking about. I never walked out of somewhere so fast in my life

No_Significance6785 , Mike Mozart Report

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Nightshade1972
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So they were basically expecting you to work for free, all night?! Eff that noise!

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#12

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Back in the early 90s, I needed a summer job. Applied and got hired at Target. My first shift was something like 5-10 which got me the usual 15 minute break. No problem. Then I find out that we can't leave until everyone has cleaned their area of the store. When you finished your area, you had to help others. There were two people who were slow as s**t (likely to get the extra few hours of pay) and we all ended up "helping" them. I didn't get out until almost 2am. Of course, had I been scheduled 5-2, I would have gotten another break and a lunch. I didn't go back the next day.

TeacherPatti , Mike Mozart Report

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Jeremy James
Jeremy James
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends your local laws, but you may have been due overtime pay for any time worked over that meal break threshold.

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Lastly, Jonathan shared some parting thoughts about what to look out for and keep in mind. “Some of the most important parts of your day-to-day job? It's not only what the role consists of, but the relationship with your manager. Your manager can either make or break you; I see many employees leaving companies solely because of the disconnection between themselves and their managers.”

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#13

The attorney I was supposed to be working for didn’t want to give me the employment paperwork and kept delaying. Finally he asked me how I felt about being a 1099 employee instead (I was supposed to have a w4, salary, full benefits) and he tried to “sell” me on why it would be better for me.

He was a solo atty and I was going to be his para/everything. This guy had no idea how the computer or printer worked, was using an old system, didn’t know what to tell me as far as passwords went and said I was smart and could figure it out.

He had an intern who was in college working for him and she was there the day I started, and she was trying to be polite but during the day she opened up a bit and told me she’d been working for him for 3 weeks and he still hadn’t paid her anything, and wouldn’t have the convo when she tried. I asked her candidly if I should run and she said yes, leave and don’t come back.

I had another offer on the table that I had declined to take this job. So I did something super uncharacteristic of me and called the other job from the bathroom, asked if they’d filled it, and begged for the job and told them I made a mistake. They re-extended the offer and I finished the day and never went back. She texted me the next day and said she also didn’t go back and wasn’t planning to.

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#14

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Not a job, but a first time interview. They disguised the job as just a normal sales position but when I got to the interview it was a group interview no one told me about and there was basically about 15 of us young kids in there that basically had to fight for this job. Mind you it turned out to be one of those door to door salesman jobs selling who knows what, but I left in the middle of the interview because I immediately knew it wasn’t for me and the receptionist at the front got out of her chair to stop me from leaving and said “you’re going to be throwing away your life if you leave kid” to which I didn’t reply and I continued walking out. That company no longer exists to this day.

MackAttk123 , cottonbro studio Report

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Ben Churchill
Ben Churchill
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had something like this happen years ago. We weren't necessarily all competing for the same job, but it was a large group interview and we all found out that this would be commission only, and after hearing more and more information, a lot of us in the group started talking and realizing this was some kind of pyramid scheme and about half of us just walked out.

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#15

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 It was the second day on the job not the first but close enough. I had left another job to go to this new company with the promise that I wouldn’t have to stay late. I was told I would be working basically a 9-5 which I was perfectly happy with. That day I didn’t get off until 10 PM. I texted my boss as I got off and said they wouldn’t be seeing me again.

_phish_ , Mizuno K Report

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“Be sure to vet the manager during your interview process to see if you'd enjoy working with them, and ask questions to see what their leadership styles are, for example, are they hands-on/hands-off? What leader do they look up to / have similar principles to?” You can read more about finding a career that works for you on the official Wonsulting website, and if you want to read more job horror stories, check out Bored Panda's previous article on the topic.

#16

I was washing dishes at a nice Chinese/ Asian place in college.

They used little dabs of bright red sweet and sour sause on the walls of the kitchen to tack up notices. There were little filthy dark red smudges *everywhere*. But that was just kind of gross.

Even though the owner was ethnically Korean, he had grown up in Kansas City. Most of the kitchen staff were ethnically and culturally Chinese and most spoke little English. They just called me "Boy". So did the owner.

The last straw of my one-shift tenure was when we were closing, one of the staff handed me a plastic bucket which I had used earlier as a mop bucket, and he told me, "Boy! Wash this." I gave it a quick rinse to get most of the gray sludge out of the bottom and handed it back to him. The owner literally cuffed me in the back of the head and yelled "You want us to sore vegetables in that? It's still filthy!". I responded, "No, I never expected it would used for anything other than mopping." His slow, deliberate response was, "That's. Why. He. Told. You. To. *WASH*. It. When someone tells you to wash a bucket, you *WASH* it, *BOY*!"

I took my apron off and dropped it where I was standing and told him he should be surprised if I *didn't* report him to the department of health (which I did), and walked out. They were put on probation by the health board due to my complaint and they closed a few months later for good. It had been open a decade or more. I don't know if I had anything to do with getting it shuttered, but I was sure glad when it closed.

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Binky Melnik
Binky Melnik
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I Watch a lotta Korean TV, and am absolutely SHOCKED at how many people in the workplace are slapped, punched, and even wrestled to the ground where they’re hit more. I hafta assume this is normal in Korea because it can’t just be something that’s done on TV shows, can it? (If an actual Korean can confirm/deny, I’d sure be grateful!) (And as unlikely as it is, I’d REALLY appreciate it if you’d say “It only happens on TV,” because I’ve seen some broken bones!)

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#17

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 No one told the staff I would be there. The shift manager seemed annoyed that she would have to train me. It was a dog boarding/daycare facility, and they were SLAMMED. The manager left me alone in the play yard with about 15 dogs that I didnt know for morning potty break (she admitted they werent supposed to take that many out at once, and not all of them were daycare dogs). I had one dog trying to scale the fence the whole time, a group of three dogs kept growling at each other, and one kept howling and sturring everyone up at 5:30 am. When she wasnt back in 10-15 minutes, I coralled everyone back into the building and another staff member helped me get everyone back in their kennels.

I went to find the manager and overheard her in the kitchen complaining to someone about "getting stuck" with me today. I ignored it, asked what to do next.

After morning walks she showed me where the daycare only room was. Before and after daycare hours, dogs waiting for their owners would be put in kennels. The room had like 40 nice size kennels, but the floor was also lined with wire crates and dogs were just shoved in them. There were some kennels and crates with multiple dogs in them and when I asked she admitted that bot all of them were fur siblings, they just didnt have enough kennels for everyone to get their own.

I left on my lunch break, didnt tell anyone or call to let the superviser know. Id previously managed a daycare/boarding facility for about 2 years, and it infuriated me to see the way this place handled peoples pets.

gaylien_babe , Blue Bird Report

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#18

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 I was hired as a cook at a Huddle House. On my first day I learned that they lied about which shifts I'd have in the interview, I'd be expected to basically run the restaurant alone on graveyard shift after only a week of training, and this place was violating health codes left and right.

kylegilliscomedy , Tima Miroshnichenko Report

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MarieTDr
MarieTDr
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I got a job in a Psych facility as a nurse. I had 3 days of orientation. Fourth day I had to do a double shift. I worked it alone overnight. I actually gave them two weeks notice when I should have quit on the spot. Got a good job afterwards.

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#19

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Data entry- I was temping and I had specifically said "NO data entry". The second assignment I got was all & only data entry. (I'm dyslexic, me doing data entry is bad for everyone)

Cynidaria , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Ralph Watkins
Ralph Watkins
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds like the federal govt. I worked at the VA & we had an operator with a speech problem. He sounded like Elmer Fudd. He had applied for a paperwork position due to his speech issues. I also knew some over at the Social Security Administration who had her throat crushed in an accident. She could barely speak & when she did, it was just above a whisper. They put her answering phones & hounded her for now speaking loud enough.

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#20

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 It was a start-up advertising agency. My first day I came in and they asked me where my laptop was. They had never told me to bring it and I thought it was very odd they wanted me to work on a personal device. Luckily I did have it on me due to my classes I was taking nearby. They didn't have me sign any employment paperwork and my direct supervisor was nowhere to be found. Another employee seemed confused about what to do with me so she had me go on the company website to review it and learn about some of the work they'd done. So I did that, expecting someone to come eventually and give me some actual training or direction. An hour or so goes by and no one did. I asked other employees who again just looked confused and said they didn't know. I waited for another 2 hours and when lunch time came I just took my stuff and left. I never got paid for that day but I didn't care. It was just so weird.

ThatKinkyLady , Yan Krukau Report

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#21

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Worked at a nursing home where they charged the elderly residents extra on their bill to have a bath as opposed to a shower. Quit on the spot

NurseSweet210 , Yan Krukau Report

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#22

Started bartending at a country club during a break from college, not my first bartending gig.

I’m minding my business, getting the regulars drink preferences down when the waitress in the dinning room starts yelling at me. She proceeded to yell at me on and off my entire shift. Not about her tables drinks, just about everything I was doing, like a mean boss.

A customer ended up telling her off, complaining to management and leaving as he said he just wanted a quiet beer after a long day, not listen to me get berated.

After my shift management told me they planned to make her a manager soon, so we needed to work it out. I quit on the spot and walked out.

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JP Purves
JP Purves
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sure, make the crazy server with anger issues the manager. That will work out great for everyone.

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#23

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Turned out the ‘company’ was not registered business and has no license to operate. They also threatened us we’d have to pay them an amount if we quit during the 60-day training period.

Few months later, they were shut down.

Low-Whereas8182 , Andrea Piacquadio Report

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Ralph Watkins
Ralph Watkins
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My wife was applying for a part time warehouse job. Manager met us in the parking lot. Started to interrogate us. Why would a white girl want to work here? Do you speak Spanish. My says she speaks Italian but she understands Spanish. The manager told her she should go back to Italy. My wife is from Kansas. We left. This was a warehouse for major retailer. It was obvious they put the add in the paper & the manager only wanted certain people there. We saw others pulling up for interviews. 2 weeks later DHC, ICE, & other federal agencies raided the place. 85% of the workers were illegal immigrants, including the nasty manager. It was most likely her attitude that made someone drop a dime on them.

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#24

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Technically didn't quit the first day, but I was forgotten. Worked at a famous Dutch theme park and was scheduled for 1 day. Showed up that day, worked the whole day no problem and had quite a bit of fun. Waited to be called in again and 4 years later I still haven't been called in once. I still have the uniform and guide book.

Edit: just realized this happened twice to me actually. Also worked voluntarily at a ranch once. Was excited about it and asked if I could keep working there. Never heard from them again (I wasn't rejected, they wanted me to send them a mail so they could have my contact details).

MonstrousElla , Prime Cinematics Report

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dandylilah
dandylilah
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm confused... why didn't you just call both times? must not have needed a job that badly.

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#25

Omg like 20 years ago I applied for a position at petcetera. First day the manager runs me quickly through morning duties.. then hands me the keys to the safe, the front doors etc and just leaves ( he was meeting a girl for a lunch date) I was not trained on cash or anything. The ONLY other person in the building also grabbed a jacket and left. I locked up and slipped the keys in the overnight box.. never looked back. Company went out of business.


Edit: I did call the SPCA about the cats/etc left in store and how it was my first and last day.

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#26

It was a split shift. 2 hour lunch, 2 hour break, then 4 hour dinner service. The entire lunch shift the owner sat in a corner table and would yell demands (go fill water.. etc) I was already planning to do. Then he told me (after shift started) that the tips are pooled with all staff including him. So I never showed up for the dinner service.

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Scott Rackley
Scott Rackley
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pool with other servers. Legal. Pool with other servers and owner. Very illegal.

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#27

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 I took a phone sales job once. It was cold calling people to sell tickets to a country western show to supposedly benefit the local police department. The foreman had me sit next to somone named Joe and said “ now you watch Joe for a bit, and see how he turns the no’s into yes’s “

First call Joe starts his speech and then slams down the phone and shouts “F**K!”

Second call is pretty much the same and he instead shouts “F*****G B***H!” while slamming down the phone.

This goes on for about 3 more calls and then the manager comes over and says “Ok, so you see how it’s done? Let’s get you started.”

I made about 4 calls and then asked if I could take a smoke break (even though I didn’t smoke), and left and never returned.

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FrogMan
FrogMan
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Check out the documentary “Telemarketers” on Max. What an absolute shitshow that industry is.

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#28

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Was sent by a time company from Berlin to Austria for a job. On arrival , they told us to build staircases. I'm a painter.

whiteknight0111 , Shelagh Murphy Report

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Paul Pienkowski
Paul Pienkowski
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Man, don't make Austrian painters mad. Remember what happened last time.

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#29

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 I was having a real tough time finding a job out of college in 2009 in a difficult economy and finally found an outside sales position selling copy machines and office equipment to small businesses. During the interview, the manager said it would be a salary position plus commission but when I showed up for my first day they said it was actually 100% commission and there was no salary.

I sat down at my new desk and my name was spelled wrong on my name plate. The training on my first day was riding along with my boss as he called on offices. He took me through a bikini barista drive thru stand for coffee and dropped a couple sleazy lines to the barista. Once the work started he proceeded to get shut down immediately by the receptionist at every office we went in.

The next day I told him I wouldn’t be coming back in and wished him luck.

Clearyjim , LinkedIn Sales Navigator Report

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SheHulk
SheHulk
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I looked up "bikini barista drive thru stand" and now know something I wish I didn´t.

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#30

Wife was working at a local chain coffee shop (the type with drive up windows on each side). This one was a popular chain that had kind of gone corporate. My wife had 5 years of experience at less popular stands, but still knew what she was doing. On her first day they made her the "cup" girl. When a order was made, she grabbed the correct size cup and handed it to the "syrup" girl who put the flavorings in it, then handed it to the barista, who pulled the shots or poured the energy drink, who then handed to the cashier who put a lid on it and then to the customer. She asked if it was normal for people to be put on a specific duty for the shift and they said yes. She told the manager that it wasn't going to work at the end of her shift. She said she wants to make coffee, not work in an assembly line. Even though we were hurting for money as this was early in my career, I was proud of her for knowing what she wanted and what she wanted out of a job. 6 years and a few stands (due to moving around and COVID) later and she is still the best damn barista I know. It's honestly a nice perk to have someone who just knows how to make drinks. She is quite creative and I thank her experience not in that assembly line for that creativity.

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Biytemii
Biytemii
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's very normal in chain coffee shops to be more of an assembly line, especially if there is a drive through. It helps keep things in order and keep people from running into each other while making coffees. It also keeps the drive through timers as low as possible because thats always the most important thing for those places. I always loved working slower shifts for the reason that I could do the whole order myself from customer interaction to making the coffee to handing it out. I appreciate how ur wife feels I always preferred doing it all myself instead of the busy morning shifts when you have to really follow the line assignments

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#31

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Was sorting at a recycling center. They had no dust masks and I could not breathe. I left to go to the hospital when they would not call for medical help.

Never came back.

que_he_hecho , Artem Podrez Report

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#32

The summer after my senior year in high school (this was 1991), I was hired to do fundraising for an environmental nonprofit. I was a dumb kid and didn't really ask much about the job or the pay (which I assumed would be minimum wage)...I was just happy to land a job doing something that would help a cause I cared about. The job entailed being loaded into the back of a station wagon, driven out into a random neighborhood surrounded by farmland 45 minutes away, and dropped off by myself to knock on doors soliciting funds for said nonprofit (there were others in the car with me, I assume they were dropped off at similar neighborhoods). I was given nothing but a little can to collect donations and a handful of brochures. I had no training and knew nothing about the organization. There were about 40 houses in this neighborhood and since it was midweek/midday, hardly anyone was home. One old man invited me in and peppered me with questions about the organization that I couldn't answer. As dangerous as it was to go with him, I was just grateful to be out of the heat and off my feet for a while. Six hours later I was picked up and in all, I had about $4 in donations. I was told my pay was 25% of that, or $1. Needless to say, I was one and done!

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#33

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 I took a part-time 3rd-shift (night audit) position at a hotel. I had worked in hotels for over a decade by then but at the time I was in another industry and just wanted a side gig.

I showed up, started my computer training (which I had been through several times before with the same brand) and ended up looking over the schedule while taking a break.

They had ONE full time 3rd-shifter and three other employees for the front desk for the other two shifts. 4 people total, plus the manager. That's a huge red flag for as large of a hotel as it was, I could already see 7am rolling around and my relief not showing up, making me late for my full-time job.

I texted the manager right then, 3am, and said this wasn't going to work out.

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#34

I worked at a coffee shop and nobody knew about me, so on my first day nobody was assigned to train me and nobody really wanted to. When I would ask a question, they would just say to read the ticket on the cup, and when I would mess up they would berate me in front of the customers. It happened a few times but one time i really remember was when I made a lady's coffee and one of the girls working said very loudly "wow you really f****d that one up" and just handed it to the poor woman who definitely heard but didn't want to say anything so she ended up paying for this coffee i f****d up. I felt bad and overwhelmed and as soon as it was time to leave I booked it and never looked back. Also one girl was very racist and i think she thought i was a safe person to be openly racist around bc im white but it just made me extremely uncomfortable

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#35

I got hired at a *Dog hotel* as a customer service rep, and during the interview process they didn't fully cover everything you would be doing, nor did I get a full tour of the facility. On my first say we started training and it sounded all good, until they said that my job wasn't dealing with customers at all. My job was to watch the dogs for 8 hours a day, and basically be a professional c**k block to make sure the dogs weren't humping each other til their owners came and got them. My job also consisted of picking up their s**t by hand, with gloves of course. At the end of my first day I told my boss that this is not the job for me. And informed them that if they would have disclosed the actual responsibilities of my position, I wouldn't have wasted their time with the interview or training.

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#36

I joined a small firm as a software programmer and quit on Day 4.


My mother came down with a bad case of food poisoning and was admitted to a hospital. I kept her company all night in the hospital, and the next morning called the company HR guy to ask if I could take a day off, since my mother was still in the hospital. He screamed at me over the phone, and threatened to fire me, so i told him to f**k off and hung up.

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Kelly Scott
Kelly Scott
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12 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unless you died, there are very few businesses that would let you have a day off after only your fourth day. And even then, if you were in your coffin, they'd still tell you that you had to rise from death and show up for your shift or risk being fired.

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#37

You may think that I am exaggerating but Venezuela is the land where everything is possible and not exactly for good things.

A few years ago, I was hired to help run the account of a store that sold online through Mercado Libre (basically the same as Ebay) I was excited because it was in a mall so it would be a nice store I figured, silly me, I had to go through the basement to get to a sort of warehouse that had been converted into something like a store. If you are claustrophobic you couldn't work there.

The owner wanted us to work non-stop, just a few minutes for lunch and we had to do it in the same store and there was no water to drink, we had to respond to the customer in less than 2 minutes after the message arrived.

I wanted to leave that same day but I needed the money because things are really difficult here. When I was about to leave, the owner told me not to forget to bring my own toilet paper because everyone uses their own and he was not going to buy it.

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#38

K-Mart back in the late 90s. I showed up to my first day and they had no idea who I was or why I was asking for my assignment, or someone to shadow, or you know, anything that a normal first day person would have done, having never done it before.

Turns out they forgot to schedule me, then when I didn't show up to the store after the computer training (because my schedule was blank), they did my separation because I guess I was a no call no show to a no shift?

They told me to go back to the office so I could get "rehired" but I declined. I didn't want to work somewhere so disorganized.

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#39

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 When I was around 14 I worked for Dickie Dee Icecream (think Canadian Good Humor) for ONE DAY riding a bicycle/cooler. You were paid a commission based on what you sold, but you had to pay for your dry ice. Long story short, you had to ride that thing all day in blazing heat to make virtually no money. This was the in the mid 80s, I hope this is illegal now.

Robbie-R , Florian Lehmuth Report

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#40

Worked for a pain management clinic. They didn’t let me take a lunch or any type of break, told me I couldn’t wear protection in the x-ray room because that was “only for patients and the doctor,” and then told me that a lot of the time the doctor is out so I could just write out the scripts and forge his signature. Obviously I didn’t go back.

Edit to address questions: yes, the X-rays were real. There was a tech and I saw them take images. Yes I reported them. Yes unfortunately they’re still in business. Same doctor, same location. I won’t name them of course. Their google reviews are mixed, pretty much a solid split between only 5 star ratings and 1 star ratings

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#41

After some years working in Five Star Hotels I got it in my head that I wanted to work somewhere where I myself would like to be a guest. I somehow thought the atmosphere would be so much nicer and friendlier.
After so much time I thought I had a stomach of steel and that nothing would face me.
I found a job in a super cute tiny little bistro, they served lunch and you could buy artisan cheese, handmade pasta and stuff.
Everything was nice until I had to go in the storage room for something...
Let me just say it was the most disgusting experience of my life, I took my stuff and said bye.

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#42

When I was a teenager and needed some spending money I saw an ad for a warehouse that needed boxes moved. It was minimum wage, but I could work for a few days and get some real cash in my Jeans pocket.

Well, they wanted me to haul fiberglass insulation around. I waited until the guy finished giving instructions on how to do the job and as soon as he was out the door I wasn't far behind.

I had done construction work a couple summers before and had to staple that s**t up between 2x4s. You couldn't pay me enough to work with that stuff again, and they were going to trick me for minimum?

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David Paterson
David Paterson
Community Member
11 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fair enough. Without good protective clothing, and I mean expensive good, fibreglass insulation itches like h*ll.

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#43

“Alright, Then I Quit”: 30 Jobs That Made New Hires Quit On Day 1 Landscaping guy wanted me to do cold calling of customers who all had bad experiences and try to convince them to pay for services they didn't need or have, like aerating a zeroscaped lawn. He also wanted me to do all of his accounting in Quicken.

3shotsb4breakfast , RDNE Stock project Report

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#44

I got a job at a call centre which i thought was 411. When they had us answer the phone, we had to say hello this is “411 directory assistance“
Turned out the Direct Assistance part was included in their company name and had nothing to do with the 411 we all know.

Got gaslighted into working for a literal scam.

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#45

Completely Indoor doggie daycare in Texas.
This was my first day/orientation/full facility tour.

Agreed on salary prior to hire, and they tried to backtrack and pay me less when I came in for orientation and paperwork. Manager got annoyed, but hesitantly agreed to it in writing.

Ventilation in the daycare play area (with a wading pool the dogs were free to play in) was subpar, the cleaning techniques were minimal. For example, they let a dog with an eye infection into general population to play with the others, one was in a boarding suite, completely covered in poop, along with everything in his suite. When I asked if they wanted my help to clean said dog/suite, I was nonchalantly told they would just wait until afternoon shift started (aka it's someone else's problem).

I lasted maybe an hour. I was sent on my first 15 min break before the morning rush started.
Got in my car, and drove home. Sent them an email stating why I wouldn't be back.

HR and I had a very lengthy conversation a few days later. As far as I know, that place is still in business somehow.

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#46

I needed a second job to supplement my income after a roommate moved out, leaving me high and dry on how I was going to make rent. One of my customers from my first job was the hiring manager of a call center. Said it wasn't sales, just helping people with their gas bill questions. Went, got hired, and had a four hour training before being put on calls. When I got to the actual call floor, it was a zoo. Half the employees looked like they were in another dimension. We couldn't go to the bathroom without requesting it from the line manager and we were queued. People would go in the bathroom and be in there for more time than needed. Like is everyone pooping? Go to the bathroom to do #1 and it stank of burnt plastic. Quickly figured out that people were doing drugs on the job. When the shift was over, I went to my car and some new coworkers kept asking me for a ride. I obliged for two mid 40s ladies. They had me stop here, there, and everywhere. I decided that I was not going to be working in that environment and called to say I quit the next day. I was kind of insulted that my customer thought that was some place adequate for me. Made me do a lot of internal reflection.

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#47

I worked for this small lawn care outfit in Baton Rouge. So you know it was hot as hell. The first thing the guy did was drove to the store left me in the truck with the truck running to go inside and get snacks. I thought to myself this place can’t be all that well organized. so then we went to go cut yards and we cut this gigantic apartment complex. They said they would pay me per yard and they counted the apartment complex as one yard. So for a 12 hour day I made $36. I never went back.

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David Paterson
David Paterson
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No way. Here lawn care is $70 to $100 a yard. And no more than three apartments to a yard.

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#48

My wife got a job selling art. She was supposed to show up Monday morning at 9. She did, and noticed that everyone in the office was drinking beer. At 9 on a Monday. She then found out that she was going to be cold walking into offices to see if they wanted to buy their s****y paintings. Which were actually prints. She walked out after an hour.

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#49

I got a job waiting tables at a small pizzeria. I got every single order wrong, everyone was mad at me and I was only 16.

I quit and never worked in a restaurant again. To be honest, it was probably a good thing because I could never cut it as a server. I was a cocktail waitress once and even that was a disaster. I have short term memory issues. Even if I'm writing it down I can screw it up between me hearing it and writing it.

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MarieTDr
MarieTDr
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12 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel for you. I've a lot of scholastic awards and learn easily, but my short-term memory is non-existent. Always has been.

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#50

Tech job at Blackrock. The job expectations for being on call were completely misrepresented during the interview process. I was told one weekend a month for on call, arrived on the first day and it was one weekend a month of actually working (not just on call) plus on call two other weekends. Told my supervisor this wasn’t what I signed up for and I wouldn’t be back for day 2.

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