This is long, so I will try to make it as concise as possible.
I have been interning for a women’s outerwear company comprised of two women since May- I graduated from college in July. Right after I graduated I took a job with a childrens’ wear company, that was supposed to be a design position, and on day one they said “actually we’re going to make you the book keeper.” They barely trained me and I had a feeling they were going to fire me since I kept making clerical errors… because I studied design, not accounting and they acknowledged when I left that they, “didn’t have time to work with me.” Anyway- they were paying me a decent amount of money though, so I took a semi-expensive apartment that I could afford on that salary.
So…I took a part time retail job at a store that wasn’t doing very well and couldn’t give me enough hours. Then, in October, my internship said they could give me a full time position at slightly less than my desired monthly salary, but they would give me time to do other things on the side.
Reality: In October I literally had TWO days off the entire month. I am not exaggerating. I was working with them during the week, and I sell our overstock at a market place over the weekend. So I told them, enough is enough, either you pay me more, or I’m only doing the market. Woman One says she’s going to slash my salary in response, that she never wanted to pay me in the first place. Woman Two says that’s not fair, I should get some days off, have a chance to get another job and they’ll keep me at my current salary until that happens. W2 tells me privately she’ll pay me out of her own pocket if W1 doesn’t agree, but W1 does so it’s fine.
I get another job and W1 is pissed! I reiterate to her, you slashed my salary…now I am only doing the market place and that’s it…sorry! She finally says that’s fine.
Now here’s the main issue with W1. She’s been having all these marital problems and has moved in with W2. She’s been taking her personal issues out on W2 and I. I have no idea what W2’s opinion is- they’re friends and W2 is hosting W1 in her home…W2 has indicated to me though that she’s only doing this outerwear stuff as a favor, and she’s told W1 off for behaving like a brat (presumably out of stress from her home problems).
W1 is fine about 75% of the time but she has a major attitude problem. I don’t want to make her sound 100% bad, because she has thanked me for my work, etc. but she throws fits about the most bizarre things and will start screaming and yelling if I do something, then she’ll want me to do something else, and forget what she’s already told me, and tell me off for doing it wrong- even if it’s something that can be easily fixed (she’s done this to W2 as well). She’s also from a very wealthy background and believes she’s the “social better” of most people and is constantly rolling her eyes and acting rude to service people, etc.
Today she acted pretty appalling, which is what made me think it’s time to look for something else. Long story short, she came to the market place with some new merchandise for me- she came an hour late after the market started getting crowded, so it was kind of awkward to begin with. But she came up to my table while I was standing to the side talking with another vendor…proceeded to roll her eyes and make faces at the vendor who was watching my table…so that vendor’s now looking at her like, “What the hell is that lady’s problem?” and W1 has the nerve, when I come back to the table, to say all the vendors are staring at me, because I asked upon approaching the table if we needed to sew labels on our coats! She says everyone’s staring at us because now they know they’re not hand made and I need to stop shouting things out like that. Then she proceeds to yell and snap at W2 and I…vendors are still staring…when they finally leave, those vendors inform me that my boss has a major attitude problem and when I tell them she thought they were all staring at me, everyone of them said they hadn’t heard what I said at all…that W2 was acting incredibly paranoid and “wigged out.”
One of the vendors was telling me that she wouldn’t put up with crap like that…but on the other hand, I need to consider that I’ve worked with them for 6 months now and I shouldn’t burn my bridges. And she’s right. Also money is a concern which was the point of me mentioning my apartment…this is a major source of support for me, although I do have a second job…I just can’t support myself on it. I just feel guilty because she’ll be like this then she’ll be nice…I’m thinking that I should get another job lined up, then have a chat with them and either take the other job or if they apologize, keep this one. I suppose I’m just looking for validation. My friends and family are sick of hearing about these two women.