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Wherin I Went Incredible Hulk in the Back Room (Subway Story)
This is a story I never posted here because shortly after it happened I was so angry that I wasn't emotionally ready to relive it by typing it out. Now that it's been a year and my Subway PTSD is waning I can now share this with everyone.
On a side note since it pertains to this post, I am on the Autism spectrum (either Aspergers or classic Autism (still working on an official diagnosis but it's harder to get one as an adult, plus it's expensive, but I exhibit nearly all of the characteristics including speech delay as a baby) and I am prone to meltdowns that are triggered by highly stressful situations or anything that gives my brain sensory overload. I can't filter certain emotions or process them like a normal person can. Added with my difficulties in social situations, working at Subway was extremely hard on me all around.
This happened about a month or two before I was "fired" last early March. So probably January because I remember it was before the "Febru-ANY" $5 Dollar Footlong Hell(TM) started up again that all Subway workers loathed so much.
It starts with me showing up for my 4 to close shift. I noticed it was slow (thank God) and that morning shift actually did their shit like they were supposed to, so I thought it was going to be an easy day. I was wrong.
Our soda fountain drink dispenser was acting up a few days prior and I now saw that there was an out of order sign taped to it so it wasn't working at all that day.
Manager (bitch) was still there because she needed to tell us about the soda machine problem. Once my co-worker who was to be my closing partner showed up she brought us together to tell us about the broken soda machine and what we were to do regarding customers who wanted fountain drinks.
She specifically told us that we were required to sell customers bottled drinks instead and that we HAD to still charge them the bottled drink price (bottles are more expensive) so it doesn't throw off inventory. Although I could understand the frustrations of having to pay the bottled drink price it was only a 40 cent or so difference and not something that people should get their panties in a twist over. This is what manager told us to do and that was what I was going to do so as to not get in trouble.
Manager told my co-worker to hang up a new sign outside the store for one of our new promotions. As he went out to do this I was the only one in the store and that's when my first customer shows up.
It was a woman and I make her sandwich for her. At this point everything was going normally but at the end she told me she wanted a meal. That's when I told her that our fountain drink dispenser was out of order and that we could only sell people bottled drinks today.
The following convo ensues: (to the best of my memory)
SC: So that means I am getting charged the fountain drink price, right?
Me: Unfortunately we have to charge the bottled price. Our manager JUST got done giving us specific instructions that we had to do it this way.
SC goes apeshit. She starts getting furious and bitching about how she's not going to pay the bottled drink price, blah blah bitch moan.
Me: I have to charge the bottle price because Manager told us, and if I don't I could get in trouble. It's not my rule, I'm just doing what manager told us to do.
SC: Then you need to call your manager RIGHT NOW!
Me: Manager just left to go home, I'm not going to call her when she was JUST telling me we had to do it this way 5 minutes ago. She will say the same thing.
SC: I'm not paying for the bottle blah blah call her now!
I didn't want to but I called her anyway, but I was starting to unravel mentally and go figure, manager didn't answer her phone. Just as I expected.
I told her Manager didn't answer her phone. She continued to throw a fit over a 40 cent difference. At this point I was going into brain meltdown "fuck it" mode, and just let her have her stupid bottle for the price of a medium fountain drink, but not without telling her exactly what an entitlement whore cow she was.
(What I said to the best of my memory)
Me: Fine! Just take your damn bottle for the fountain price! But I want you to know that I can't stand the thought of rewarding people for bad behavior and the next person in line who DOESN'T throw a fit over the extra bottled price will end up having to pay the bottled cost, just because they act like a decent human being. But you threw a fit and now I guess you are getting your way, congratulations!
Then the SC tried to play the (Oh but I work in a shitty job too, I know how it is! *But I'm still going to be an EW anyway*)
SC: I work as an RN so I know how it is! (in that "I'm trying to relate to you" voice) but I'm not paying extra for this blah blah
Me: Whatever, just take your bottle (really starting to lose it at this point) because I'm just a minimum wage loser who's trying to follow Manager orders and I have to put up with this:
(At this point co-worker comes back into the store because he's done putting the sign up. He is witnessing the ending of this confrontation)
SC: I'm an RN so I know how you feel! (Again with the fake sympathy, if you really knew how it was you wouldn't be acting like this you stupid c**t)
I rung her up, gave her her change, and immediately went to the back room right around the other side of the register, in which the huge long stainless steel prep table (with veggies washing sink next to it) was against the wall on the other side.
I was in a full blown meltdown and just grabbed the prep table and ripped it from against the wall and then slammed it really hard back into the wall. The table is heavy as shit, plus there were full boxes of supplies like sauce packets and other things under there but it didn't even phase me. Co worker walked into the back room right after I slammed it back into the wall and heard the tomato slicer and the veggie slicer fall onto the floor from the bottom. He picked them up and put them back under the table while looking at me like I grew a penis on my head. I was halfway out of it and lurched over the prep table with that glazed look on my face and started to get tears running down my face. Not actual crying but where the tears are coming out anyway.
Not sure if SC heard or knew what happened. I'm sure she heard the slamming because the wall was just to her left, but she ended up leaving without another word. To this day I don't know what her reaction to it was as she never sent in a complaint.
I feel bad for freaking CW out because I could see he was scared shitless, but I was still in the middle of my meltdown. I paced around for a second and then went further in the back room where the manager desk was on the opposite side of the dish washing sink and took the desk chair (had wheels, typical computer chair) and threw the whole thing against the wall in a rage. All of the years of frustration at Subway customers, management injustice, and everything in between was coming out from me in that moment. One of the wheels on the chair ended up popping off but I was able to pop it back on. It was all on camera, even, but apparently owner wasn't watching in his bat cave at home at that moment because I never heard anything about it.
I slowly came back to where CW was and I just simply said: "I'm better now." and slowly regained my composure while he kept a bit of distance.
When I was more calm I was able to explain to him what had happened and that when I get like that I'd never take it out on him or anyone else who would happen to be in the crossfire.
CW told me he had no idea I had pulled out the prep table and slammed it back against the wall, he just thought the tomato slicer and veggie slicer fell out because I bumped into them or something. Then he asked me how I was even able to move the table at all. I shrugged and told him "I just did it..."
I admit I'm in good shape but even so it wouldn't be easy to do. I'm sure any other past Sandwich slaves here could attest to that. But that woman just set me off. First customer of the day and she embodied almost everything I hate about the human race, and I was so angry that I had to give in to her and let her get her stupid little way just to make her go away.
On a side note since it pertains to this post, I am on the Autism spectrum (either Aspergers or classic Autism (still working on an official diagnosis but it's harder to get one as an adult, plus it's expensive, but I exhibit nearly all of the characteristics including speech delay as a baby) and I am prone to meltdowns that are triggered by highly stressful situations or anything that gives my brain sensory overload. I can't filter certain emotions or process them like a normal person can. Added with my difficulties in social situations, working at Subway was extremely hard on me all around.
This happened about a month or two before I was "fired" last early March. So probably January because I remember it was before the "Febru-ANY" $5 Dollar Footlong Hell(TM) started up again that all Subway workers loathed so much.
It starts with me showing up for my 4 to close shift. I noticed it was slow (thank God) and that morning shift actually did their shit like they were supposed to, so I thought it was going to be an easy day. I was wrong.
Our soda fountain drink dispenser was acting up a few days prior and I now saw that there was an out of order sign taped to it so it wasn't working at all that day.
Manager (bitch) was still there because she needed to tell us about the soda machine problem. Once my co-worker who was to be my closing partner showed up she brought us together to tell us about the broken soda machine and what we were to do regarding customers who wanted fountain drinks.
She specifically told us that we were required to sell customers bottled drinks instead and that we HAD to still charge them the bottled drink price (bottles are more expensive) so it doesn't throw off inventory. Although I could understand the frustrations of having to pay the bottled drink price it was only a 40 cent or so difference and not something that people should get their panties in a twist over. This is what manager told us to do and that was what I was going to do so as to not get in trouble.
Manager told my co-worker to hang up a new sign outside the store for one of our new promotions. As he went out to do this I was the only one in the store and that's when my first customer shows up.
It was a woman and I make her sandwich for her. At this point everything was going normally but at the end she told me she wanted a meal. That's when I told her that our fountain drink dispenser was out of order and that we could only sell people bottled drinks today.
The following convo ensues: (to the best of my memory)
SC: So that means I am getting charged the fountain drink price, right?
Me: Unfortunately we have to charge the bottled price. Our manager JUST got done giving us specific instructions that we had to do it this way.
SC goes apeshit. She starts getting furious and bitching about how she's not going to pay the bottled drink price, blah blah bitch moan.
Me: I have to charge the bottle price because Manager told us, and if I don't I could get in trouble. It's not my rule, I'm just doing what manager told us to do.
SC: Then you need to call your manager RIGHT NOW!
Me: Manager just left to go home, I'm not going to call her when she was JUST telling me we had to do it this way 5 minutes ago. She will say the same thing.
SC: I'm not paying for the bottle blah blah call her now!
I didn't want to but I called her anyway, but I was starting to unravel mentally and go figure, manager didn't answer her phone. Just as I expected.
I told her Manager didn't answer her phone. She continued to throw a fit over a 40 cent difference. At this point I was going into brain meltdown "fuck it" mode, and just let her have her stupid bottle for the price of a medium fountain drink, but not without telling her exactly what an entitlement whore cow she was.
(What I said to the best of my memory)
Me: Fine! Just take your damn bottle for the fountain price! But I want you to know that I can't stand the thought of rewarding people for bad behavior and the next person in line who DOESN'T throw a fit over the extra bottled price will end up having to pay the bottled cost, just because they act like a decent human being. But you threw a fit and now I guess you are getting your way, congratulations!
Then the SC tried to play the (Oh but I work in a shitty job too, I know how it is! *But I'm still going to be an EW anyway*)
SC: I work as an RN so I know how it is! (in that "I'm trying to relate to you" voice) but I'm not paying extra for this blah blah
Me: Whatever, just take your bottle (really starting to lose it at this point) because I'm just a minimum wage loser who's trying to follow Manager orders and I have to put up with this:
(At this point co-worker comes back into the store because he's done putting the sign up. He is witnessing the ending of this confrontation)
SC: I'm an RN so I know how you feel! (Again with the fake sympathy, if you really knew how it was you wouldn't be acting like this you stupid c**t)
I rung her up, gave her her change, and immediately went to the back room right around the other side of the register, in which the huge long stainless steel prep table (with veggies washing sink next to it) was against the wall on the other side.
I was in a full blown meltdown and just grabbed the prep table and ripped it from against the wall and then slammed it really hard back into the wall. The table is heavy as shit, plus there were full boxes of supplies like sauce packets and other things under there but it didn't even phase me. Co worker walked into the back room right after I slammed it back into the wall and heard the tomato slicer and the veggie slicer fall onto the floor from the bottom. He picked them up and put them back under the table while looking at me like I grew a penis on my head. I was halfway out of it and lurched over the prep table with that glazed look on my face and started to get tears running down my face. Not actual crying but where the tears are coming out anyway.
Not sure if SC heard or knew what happened. I'm sure she heard the slamming because the wall was just to her left, but she ended up leaving without another word. To this day I don't know what her reaction to it was as she never sent in a complaint.
I feel bad for freaking CW out because I could see he was scared shitless, but I was still in the middle of my meltdown. I paced around for a second and then went further in the back room where the manager desk was on the opposite side of the dish washing sink and took the desk chair (had wheels, typical computer chair) and threw the whole thing against the wall in a rage. All of the years of frustration at Subway customers, management injustice, and everything in between was coming out from me in that moment. One of the wheels on the chair ended up popping off but I was able to pop it back on. It was all on camera, even, but apparently owner wasn't watching in his bat cave at home at that moment because I never heard anything about it.
I slowly came back to where CW was and I just simply said: "I'm better now." and slowly regained my composure while he kept a bit of distance.
When I was more calm I was able to explain to him what had happened and that when I get like that I'd never take it out on him or anyone else who would happen to be in the crossfire.
CW told me he had no idea I had pulled out the prep table and slammed it back against the wall, he just thought the tomato slicer and veggie slicer fell out because I bumped into them or something. Then he asked me how I was even able to move the table at all. I shrugged and told him "I just did it..."
I admit I'm in good shape but even so it wouldn't be easy to do. I'm sure any other past Sandwich slaves here could attest to that. But that woman just set me off. First customer of the day and she embodied almost everything I hate about the human race, and I was so angry that I had to give in to her and let her get her stupid little way just to make her go away.
Don't feel bad, I know from experience how working fast food with an imbecilic manager and SC's can turn ANYONE into a rabid wookie. At least you were not the only one making ''roast beef'' and ''ham n' cheese'' sandwiches for a tour bus load of elderly people.
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