Toilet paper is very important (Long and Lame Rant)

The BBQ Pit
1

After 9 years, I might quit and/or get fired over toilet paper.

I work for an idiot who’s losing his mind.
2 summers ago one of the drain pans on one of the air conditioners in The Bar rusted through. This led to the Great Flood of 2002. It was a mess. My assistant, 2 of our sound techs (who aren’t even officially on the payroll) the Owner, the then GM, the supposed mainentance guy and myself all spent hours and hours cleaning up the mess that the flood was. At the time my boss had a ‘maintenance gyy’ who he paid in Seagrams 7. No sense paying real cash money to fix a problem, right? Being that this kid wasn’t a real maintenance man, he used some ‘Southern Engineering’ to fix this leak, stopping the flood. I’m actually a little impressed that whatever it was he did actually worked for 2 years, especially as much of the year as we use the AC.

What’s the problem? His “fix” only lasted 2 summers. And that’s a problem because . . .

Directly below said AC is where we’ve *always * kept our toilet paper and paper towels. The rigged drain pan eventually gave out a week and change ago. I told the (new, real) maintenance guy about it last Tuesday. My asst. manager told our (new) general manager about the problem last Thursday. Nobody did anything until this Wednesday.

So the maintenance guy goes to work on the AC. 2 cases of toilet paper are soaked because the AC leaked. The maintanence guy calls the owner to tell him that TP is lost. So, I’m the manager, and this must be all my fault.

The owner calls me at 1pm on Wednesday, knowing full well that I’m asleep at that hour, as I don’t get off work until 3:30 or 4 AM. He doesn’t say hello, he just immediatly starts cussing at me.

“We lost 2 Cases of Fucking Toilet Paper” “You better get the rest of the Mother-Fuckin’ Toilet Paper moved” “I told you not to put any God-Damned Toilet Paper there 2 years ago, when we fixed it the last time” (For one, he never told me that. For two, we have no other realistic place to keep cases of toilet paper and paper towels, and three, if they’d have actually “fixed” the problem this conversation wouldn’t be happining.) “I better not see any GodDamned Toilet Paper on any Fuckin’ invoices anytime soon.”

This is toilet paper, not lettuce. It’s not going to go bad. Yes, 2 cases were lost because they got wet, but they wouldn’t have gotten wet had the AC been actually fixed the first time.

So, that was Wednesday. After that phone call, after the cussing out, I was ready to quit on the spot. Had that been in person I probably would have. But, instead, I moved his “Mother-Fucking” toilet paper and figured I’d just sleep it off.

Until this (Thursday) afternoon. He calls again and tells me that I and my assistant are to me him at The Bar tomorrow (Friday) at 1 PM. This is going to be nothing but an ass chewing session. If this was just about TP I’d take it. But this guy has been on my shit for a year for everything he can find to be on my shit about. I suppose that’d be OK if I was doing a bad job, but his bar is making money because of my crew. We have the best margin in the company. 4 months ago a bar 3 times our capacity opened 3 blocks away (that’s close, in this town) and we’re still making money. I’m doing a good job. I’m not just patting my own back, I’m really doing a good job.

I understand that he’s mad about losing $ on now un-usable TP. I’ll even accept that I should have moved it at 1st sign of the AC problem. There are many different scenarios here, and I’ll buy that in some of them it’s my bad. OK. That being said, if a customer talked to me that way I’d toss his butt out of the bar forever. The kicker? If a customer talked to me that way and I booted him, my boss would back me up! Yet, it’s OK for him to talk to me that way.

I’ve been with this company for 9 years. I’m ready to walk over toilet paper. He’s ready to see me walk over toilet paper. He’s out of his head, or else I am.

Thanks for letting me vent. And, if any one can tell me how to spell maintenance, please let me know.

2

Go over and TP his house. :smiley:

3

Give the TP to the guy you pay in Seagrams. Every country needs one person who’s paid with gin and toilet paper.

4

If you lose your job, you really truly should.

hehe, I’m laughing at just the thought of it!

5

You know, that bar down the street might be hiring. And if you can present to them a unified crew with a lot of experience, they might jump at the opportunity.

And if you can all go into the TP meeting with resignation letters, effective yesterday–oh, how sweet that will be.

Daniel

6

On preview, LHOD beat me to the punch.

So, yeah, what he said.

7

You’ve spelled it right. And I think you should write your letter of resignation on toilet paper. :smiley:

8

Especially if they’re written on–you guessed it–toilet paper! :smiley:

9

Wow. I don’t know that I’d even go to the meeting. I think I might call him at 3:30 AM and just scream obscenities as loudly as possible. Then I’d get a good day’s sleep.

10

Yikes. Is this job really worth this?

11

Just out of curiosity, how much toilet paper is in a case?

12

I’ve got an idea! Write a resignation letter on toilet paper!!!

13

Anywhere from 12 to 96 rolls, depending on the brand, and what size they make their cases.

14

Where I last worked, the boss was like that. I have far too many stories that involve him cursing out the office supplies, throwing swords at his employees (this was a newsroom, not a ninja academy or anything like that), and yelling at people not even in his employ for being out of town for funerals because it inconvenienced him.

That said, one of his employees accidentally flushed a decorative wooden fish down our only toilet, making it impossible to use more than once every twelve hours. The boss had a plumber in dozens of times but never figured it out (nor questioned where his decorative wooden fish went).

Even after me and the other guy quit, we never told him.

I guess the moral of the story is: if the boss treats you like dirt, wreck his bathroom any way you can.

15

Thanks for your support, and good ideas for use of the TP. :slight_smile:

I went to the meeting. He had calmed down, so this meeting ended up being what everyone of his meetings is. Bitch and moan at us because the bar isn’t clean enough, and accuse the bartenders of stealing. I was still angry enough that I just kept my mouth shut for most of it, lest I fly of the handle. Luckily, my assistant manager, bless his heart, is an incredibly calm guy and said the things that needed to be said. There was no cursing or firing or quitting.

So, I have until Wednesday to clean the place up (it’s not that dirty, it’s just a very old building, underground so it’s musty, and it’s small enough that it gets cluttered). The boss says he’ll fire the entire staff if it’s not clean enough at that time. Yeah, right. So, we’ll clean the nooks and crannies and his partner will flip out when she see’s how much labor we’ve used.

Whether I keep the job, I haven’t decided. But, the honeymoon’s certainly over, and I think I’ll start looking for something else, just in case.

And, these cases of TP have 48 rolls and cost around $50 each.

Thanks again, ~S

16

Hie thee to Smart & Final, man! Twenty rolls for twelve bucks!

17

You should order 20 cases of TP two days before you quit (or whatever amount of time will have it in the “irrevocably already shipped” mode)

18

First, you guys should look for a Costco or Sam’s Club in the area. We go to Costco and get the huge packs of TP which last us for 6 months or more and they only cost about $10-15 (I can’t remember how many rolls, but I think they have 24 or 36).

Second, if he is constantly on your case, you should have started looking way before now. I second what LHOD said about the bar down the street. I have never worked anywhere where my manager/boss shouted or cursed me out. If that happened I’d be out of there faster than he could say “Get me some TP, stat!”

19

See post #7. What, am I invisible?

20

IM (very) HO

It isn’t you, it isn’t the TP, it isn’t the bar. This guy has something else in his life that’s bothering him. Something major, or at least major to him. Something he’s unable to address, so it’s either something he can’t do anything about (illness?) or is unwilling to confront (lover?, parents?, drugs?).

He’s venting over little stuff, because he can’t vent over the big thing. Unless this other, hidden situation resolves itself, I wouldn’t count on things getting better. He needs counseling, but – let me guess – he’s the type of guy who would never seek psychological help, right?

Sometimes a good ass-kicking will straighten out someone who has their head so far up their ass, but it’s more likely he’s on a downward spiral. Don’t let him take you with him – get out soon.

Been there, done that, got fired, in a much better job now. BTW, one of the other guys I worked with — died. From working his ass off while sick, trying to appease a crazy boss. GET OUT!