Where do I start? This is gonna be a post of probably the most incompetent manager that I’ve witnessed in my job at this specific retail store, let’s call him Mr. H.

A piece of background info of me is that I have been working at this store since the end of 2018.

I guess the beginning of his time at the store would be the best place to start. Back in March of this year, 2021, our assistant manager prior to Mr. H had transferred to another store in our company. Within a week later, our store manager had begun to show around our new assistant manager, Mr. H, introducing him to everyone who was on shift at the time, which would include me. Mr. H had asked me what type of work I did around the store, to which I replied that I’m one of the younger employees that have been there the longest, and that I can work at any part of the store, but I was initially hired as a cashier, and that’s my main task when on shift. I mentioned that while I typically work weekends and on night shift, when I am on semester break or between semesters, I am available on weekdays as well, and that I ask to take morning shifts or mid-shifts on those days just to keep myself from losing my sanity of working all night shifts throughout the week. Mr. H seemed to have acknowledged what I said, and that was the first interaction with him, and he would have started working with us the following week. The next day, I had let our store manager know that the following week was spring break and that I was available for extra shifts from Monday through Thursday, and specifically only asked for any open morning shifts because like I said, 7 straight days of night shift would make me lose my mind.

The Sunday of spring break I come in to work my usual night shift, and I check the work schedule right before clocking in and see the most infuriating change to my schedule, 6 days of night shift. SIX. DAYS. out of the seven days in the week… Ridiculous. I clock in, mood soured instantly, I see our store manager and Mr. H, now, you might know where this is going but at the time I went storming up to my store manager and asked what the hell was going on. Surprise! He didn’t know either, and I asked him then how was my schedule changed to add the extra night shifts, and he told me that Mr. H was responsible for the schedule starting this week. I instantly put Mr. H on my “don’t fuck around with me” shit list in my head.

Side bit: I love reading about zodiacs, and this moment I was whole-heartedly following through with my sun sign, Virgo.

Mr. H had apologized about the mistake when we brought it up to him, but I was intensely suspicious of him from then on. If he can’t listen to a simple request of adding in extra shifts for the morning for me, what else could go wrong with him around? I honestly did not care if we didn’t have extra morning shifts that week, I would’ve been fine if my manager said we didn’t have it, I just knew that typically we would occasionally need the extra help unloading the truck shipments during the weekdays. God, there’s so much more to his incompetence it kills me to even work with him. Under his scheduling, between March and now, in October, I have worked 2pm-10pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 12:30pm-8:30pm Sundays. I spend 24 hours of my weekend at my job, but it kills any possible sudden plans anyone wants to make with me. Every chance I’ve spoken to him about at least giving me shorter hours goes right over his head. It’s so I can do errands without having to leave my house super early, or to be able to do anything after work without having to double-check if the place is closed. I had dubbed him “Mr. Copy and Paste” because of how nobody’s schedule ever varies, and he does not listen to anybody’s change in schedule until we have to scold the man like a child. Prior to his sudden entrance, I had no problems working night shifts with our ex-assistant manager, he at least considered giving me morning shifts on Sundays to counteract the night shifts I took on Fridays and Saturdays, and didn’t overload me with the same long ass shifts every week like Mr. H. This is just the tip of the iceberg of Mr. H, and we haven’t even gotten to the micro-managing part yet. Oops. Next time.

At a job I used to be able to somewhat enjoy, to be fair it is retail, it’s become so mundane, even working with my co-workers I’ve befriended hasn’t made me think of the job as I used to. The customers don’t help either, during the pandemic, the bad ones become like devil spawns with how crappy our management manages their outcries, this particular manager will never be by our side of the issue, even when we’re on the right.