I got fired from my job today - here's a long-ass post/release of steam

[PhillyB]

It's a semi-long story. Here's the short version.

Backstory: I've been at my job seven years. I bartend at an extremely busy (usually) bar in the Sheraton Four Seasons in Greensboro. I pull ridiculous hours and have for five of those seven years. Since the beginning of 2011 I've been pulling 40 hour a week minimums, usually about 70, and during busy season often 80+ (last March I put in 350 hours.) I get my ass kicked on the regular, but I enjoy it and it's become an extremely lucrative. Not only do I handle massive volume (I had a $6000 sales night by myself last week) but my longevity at a place where businesspeople arrive annually, I've become something of an establishment at the place. People seek me out to spend money with me instead of taking it elsewhere and as a result I make very, very good money.

Last March I made $11,000.

Fast forward to yesterday. The Southeastern Theater Conference is in town. Huge group, 4000 people, a bunch of teachers, stage production managers, actors and actresses... massive group. Absolutely massive. I've been bartending them for the past couple of days with great success. Great group, they love me, I love them. Well yesterday this dude shows up, looks like total poo, string-ass hair, balding, can't dress himself, fumbles his way to my bar and sits down. I'd seen him yesterday when he griped at me for not having bagels on my bar menu and that that was the only thing he could eat, and then stormed off to leave the hotel. But he asked for a food menu, so I gave it to him.

"I'll take the taco salad," he said, after a moment, "and let me get chicken instead of beef."

No problem. I put it in, let him know it'd be a good 20 mins because the kitchen was getting crushed, and then lo and behold it showed up at the bar five minutes later. Nice! I handed it to him, and two seconds later he shoved it back at me.

"I can't eat cheese," he said. "I didn't read the menu. I won't eat it with cheese."

Whatever. I apologized, told him I'd get a new one up on the fly. Same way, no cheese. Told him I'd take care of the first one for him. So I get this new one out on the fly (which generally doesn't happen in a kitchen that slammed) and delivered it to him. I was getting my ass kicked by this point, so I let him have at it and proceeded to sling bottles for the next thirty minutes. Finally I saw him stand up in my periphery and after I closed someone else's tab out I moved over and asked if he was ready to close out.

"I've been standing here for ten minutes waiting," he harrumphed.

No he hadn't. "Well I can go ahead and take care of you now," I said cheerfully. "You wanna just put it on that card?"

"Actually I'm not paying for it."

Oh god. "Was something wrong with it?" I asked.

"No, I didn't eat it."

I looked down. He ate the whole outside of the taco shell and scooped out about 20% of the center. He also drank his entire drink. I told him he had to pay for it, and he refused. Then I told him again he had to pay for it, and I wasn't charging him for the original one, but he ate part of it and drank the drink, so... pony up. Nothing doing.

So I called security, who called my manager, who told security he couldn't come to my bar, who told me it was up to my discretion. So I told the guy he had to pay bill and if he didn't my only recourse was to call the police, who would charge him with a class III misdemeanor for refusing to pay for goods and services (no idea if that's true, btw.) At that point he got shocked and offended and asked why I would do such a thing, and finally someone else from the group (who didn't know him) stepped in and offered to pay for the meal. I tried to prevent him from doing it - not his problem - but he insisted. I thanked the guy, gave him hist beers for free for being so gracious, and the asshole, not even bothering to thank the guy who bought them, just looks at me and sneers and goes "haaaaa!"

I kept my composure but I gave a very deliberate, quiet, and under-toned monologue. Basically I told him in no unspecific terms that he should be ashamed of himself for representing his organization like that and that I was embarrassed for him for not realizing how he looked in front of his peers. He harrumphed again and slunk out and the bar thanked me profusely and apologized for this guy's behavior. And that was the end of it. I proceeded to do $4000 in sales by myself that night, made an ass ton of money, and looked forward to today. Then today my grossly and infamously incompetent beverage director, 70 years old, shaped like a tree, a product of the Nixon administration and completely out of his game (not to mention shaped like a tree) sat down and said he was firing me for not respecting the chain of command (huh?) and then finally for talking meanly to a customer.

When I realized his mind was made up I unleashed a five-minute tirade ripping seven years of frustration with his gross incompetence to shreds. He fumbled around and I turned on my heel and walked out, after seven years.

Besides the ignominy (I've never been fired from a job in my life) and the deep frustration with the unplanned nature of all this, I'm basically screwed financially. This job enabled me to cover the costs of two master's degrees, raising a child, the maintenance of a household economy, some property investments, and a comprehensive plan that involved traveling and professional development this summer as I begin transferring towards a career. There is no good time to get fired, but man, this is possibly the absolute worst. I can't possibly replace that kind of cashflow, nor cover the enormity of the expenses garnered by the plans I've laid.

fug

[Jangler]

I'm so sick of 'the customer is always right' not only are they never right, but some are fycking assholes for thinking they are always right. 

[ladypanther]

That absolutely sucks.  Ant lawyers in here?   Does this company have any disciplinary procedures outlined in their policies and procedures? Is there an appeals procedure?

[PhillyB]

I've never known anyone who got fired getting their jobs back. There is no real protocol, they just cut your head off when they're ready. I could tell stories of days of unbelievable corruption and thievery among the highest echelons of the company that would make your blood boil. In all likelihood there is absolutely nothing I can do to fight the system (if they've determined mouthing off at a customer is a fireable offense, and that what i did constitutes mouthing off at a customer, i admitted the monologue verbatim, so...)

at this point i've shifted to being furious at myself for blowing it, but what i said could not possibly have been more benign given the circumstance

[Kevin Greene]

No other good bar prospects in the area?

How long until that Master's degree can be used to pay the bills?

[pstall]

Sorry to hear man. That's a rare gig to get rewarded for your hustle. 

Take a few days to collect yourself and rest. Get recharged and refocused on the future and see what you want to do.

[Ja Rhule]

 

It's sucks to lose a gig like that... lot's of tax free income but with your experience you should have zero problem finding a new job just as good if not better.  Don't worry dude.

[pstall]

I would take no more than 2 wks, if you can afford, and just gather my thoughts and write down what i want to do. With all that you have going on a mental shorr break might  be what the doctor ordered. You already pretty much know what you want to do.

I miss my day trading days because my current role, no matter what extra i  do. The pay is static. So i toil for the machine for one annual bonus. Which is shredded with taxes but oh well.

[Davidson Deac II]

Getting fired sucks, but fwiw the one and only time I got fired, the next job I got paid significantly better and had a far better environment.  Hopefully you will have a similar experience. 

[Kevin Greene]

51 minutes ago, ARSEN said:

 

It's sucks to lose a gig like that... lot's of tax free income but with your experience you should have zero problem finding a new job just as good if not better.  Don't worry dude.

Obama is not going to be happy to hear about all this tax free income. What'dya declare Philly, 45k?

[pantherclaw]

Whether your in customer service or not, assholes today will do/say ANYTHING to get someone fired from their job if they feel slighted at all. 

It sucks losing a good paying job you enjoy. Been there, done that. Wish I could say that I bounced back well from it, but Im still digging out of the hole it put me in.. cept it doesn't feel like I'm gaining ground. 

Anyways, God wouldn't close a door, if he wasn't opening up another for you. 

Take Pstall's advice. Take a couple of weeks. Pray on it. 

 

[stankowalski]

People like to bitch about unions but this is a perfect instance where a union would have been a benefit.  The company can basically fire you for anything they want unless you're in a union.  Unfortunate for you Philly but it sounds like they are the one's losing out.

[Squirrel]

Been there and it's tough. Just remember you will bounce back from this and hopefully in a better position.  

[Doc Holiday]

If it makes you feel better, I'm currently considering if I want to quit my current job and and say financial consequences be damned. been working in a jail and towards a promotion for 2 years that I wanted only to find out last week that due to Agency Politics I was basically wasting my time. so yay on 2 years wasted.