An Open Letter To The Woman Who Got Me Fired

Dear Woman Who Got Me Fired,

I can't deny that you've crossed my mind often since the day I encountered you. I was already having trouble when you came into my workplace and started throwing your adult temper tantrum. You were angry because there were security tags on the thong flip flops that your daughter wanted to try on. The flip flops were a couple of sizes too small for your daughter's feet, but both of you thought the tiny security strip was the reason your daughter's size eleven feet weren't fitting in a size eight or nine.

I was a few aisles down, putting some men's shoes to put on clearance, but I could hear you yelling. You were ranting about how your daughter couldn't try on shoes because the company I worked for thought you were stealing. Yes, it was as if you thought those security tags had been put on just to hinder you and you alone. I knew dealing with you wouldn't be pleasant, so I avoided you for as long as I could. I even considered going hide in the ladies' room because you were so vile.

When I finally saw you, you were flinging the sandals to the floor as if you were a volleyball player who was spiking the ball. I could feel my body tensing up as you turned your hateful glare to me and began yelling. I politely explained to you that the shoes were secured because they had been being stolen and corporate requested that we bind them together. I also informed you that we weren't supposed to remove the tags unless you paid for them, which was store policy at the time. You began cursing at me, and I knew nothing would make you happy.

I would also like to point out that this exchange happened during the start of the pandemic. You wanted your daughter to stick her barefoot into a shoe that she wasn't going to buy during a pandemic. I've always thought of it as disgusting when someone put their bare feet into a shoe, but somehow Covid-19 makes that ten times more disgusting.

Jobs were also scarce during the start of the pandemic, so I was trying my best to hold on to the one I had until I could find another. I was constantly stressed about my job because of my manager trying to get rid of me. He wasn't trying to terminate me for anything that I did, but all the management staff was angry that I reported a man I worked with for trying to force me to date him. I didn't get a chance to find another job before you went to the front of the store and continued your rant, but this time you claimed that I was rude.

I have often wondered how someone can believe their first-world problem is worth ruining someone's life. I was working at that job because I needed it, not because I wanted to or enjoyed it. Towards the end of my stay at that dreaded job, I was making sure to be kind to every customer and going out of my way to do more work than any of my coworkers. I feared that I would be homeless if I lost my job, but the shoes you didn't even buy were worth me losing my job.

So why am I writing this letter to you, when I know you don't care that you hurt me? I'm hoping that those with a similar mindset to you will read this and decide that a minor inconvenience isn't worth anyone's job. I'm hoping that people will see this and show empathy towards those working retail and stop complaining about things beyond the control of those workers. I'm hoping the next time you think about reporting people (to obtain a discount or some other benefit) you think about their family. I found a new job, but someone else might not be so lucky.

Sincerely, 

The Woman You Left (Temporarily) Jobless