I had made the mistake of working for K-Mart… not once, but stupidly twice…
The first time I was in an old fashioned K-Mart that still had a deli and canteen. I worked the deli section. One day I was very ill. Running a high fever, sick to my stomach… just not nice. I rang in to call off sick and was told I was the only one who could work that day… could I not come in? Was I that ill?? Being the loyal worker I dragged my butt to work. After a couple hours I began feeling worse, occasionally throwing up (in the front of the store, in the sink at the deli, as quietly as possible - yes ICK!). Told my manager I had to go home. She asked me to stay just a bit longer. Finally after nearly a whole shift I told her I was leaving… no ifs or buts about it, turning around to throw up in the sink… Went to doctors in hopes of being seen. She took one look at me and said to get into her office. As I stood, I fell over… She called an ambulance for me. They suspected my appendix was on its way out and rushed me to surgery.
I got called at the hospital by my boss asking when I was coming back to work. Needless to say I told them to take their job and shove it where the slushy don’t shine…
Vowed never again - no working there, no shopping there, tell everyone about the incident…
About ten years later I was desperate for a job… yes desperate…
A new K-Mart had just opened up (living in a different state). I was hired within 5 minutes of speaking to the manager. Was working in the ‘cash cage’ where all monies are handled for the entire store, so had little contact with customers. I managed to get the store’s first award for customer service despite this. Anyhoo… the store manager was a young buck in his late 20’s, like to have fun with his employees, lack structure etc. One incident involved a co-worker. I messed up his hair (jokingly) and he proceeded to break my wrist in some funky Marine hold… joy of joys. My boss used to love to intimidate me. He would sneak up behind me and scare me, or slam baseball bats down on the desk next to me until I cried. Once even put a gun in my face menacingly, laughing all the while. When I threatened tell the regional manager, he laughed at me. The next day he had the store security guard question me for hours about some ‘lost money’ from the cage. After several hours if intimidation and questioning, tears and swearing I had no clue what he was on about, did the money finally magically appear. The final straw was a couple months after this incident I got pneumonia and they refused to let me take time off. I let my general manager know what I thought of his managing abilities and walked out…
Needless to say…
May K-Mart burn in HELL!!!