I don't like this. At all.

[Eireann]

As most of you know, I worked at a thrift store owned by my friends. I still do, but now I'm only there on Sundays, because they found someone whom they can pay less. Working on Sundays has been fine for me, though I would have preferred to work there more often.

Well. They had to cut her hours last month because the store wasn't making enough money, so she asked if she could work this Sunday. And they gave it to her!

A lot of people know that I'm only there on Sundays, so I wonder if part of the reason why she'll be there is so that they can reap the benefits of people coming in to shop under the impression that I'll be there, and then they may end up buying things, so the store will earn more money and the other employee will earn less than what I've been earning on Sundays.

These people have been very nice to me in many ways, but something about this just reeks.

[Amina516]

It reeks to me too. Im Hoping you have other means to make some $$.

[Flying Grype]

You did say in the first paragraph that you don't get as many hours because they hired someone who will work for less. That's the same as the store earning more money and the other employee earning less (and netting a bigger take for the store).

They've made a business decision -- even if you draw more customers, they may think that they can make more money by having a lower-paid employee rather than you. They may be wrong or they may be right. You don't know and it's probably not your place to ask.

Look for other work, and if you want to remain friends with these folks, cut your losses. Ask them how it's going with the new girl and let them know that you're not going to work for them anymore (before they just passively fire you by cutting your hours down to nothing). It's the bigger and more honourable thing to do if you're dealing with actual friends.

[Eireann]

I've been working there on the basis of my business license, so I'm not a regular employee. I don't know what sort of deal they have with the other person. I do know she makes less than I do, because one of the owners told me. So it's not a question of being fired.

I had a very good business idea, which I shared with both owners, and they approve of it. I'm not at all sure, now, that this idea will come to fruition, and I'm not at all sure if I want to be in charge of it, as I had planned. Maybe that's why they've been dragging their feet and not giving me a definite answer on it.

I just want to be able to feel one way about this, either grateful or upset. Grateful because they gave me work when I needed it and they've given me (free) quite a few items from the store, or upset because they're more interested in paying less money to someone else than in having me work for them.

[PepperElf]

Well. They had to cut her hours last month because the store wasn't making enough money, so she asked if she could work this Sunday. And they gave it to her!

So you only work one day a week and they gave your shift to someone else who whined about having her hours cut?

[Eireann]

Yep, the other employee asked to have my shift, and they gave it to her. They didn't ask me if it was all right, of course; they just gave it to her.

She's their favorite. I've had to deal with them singing her praises more than once. I'm tired of being the one they rely on only when they can't find anyone else. And this latest stunt may just be their way of phasing me out entirely - after all, there was some time when I wasn't working at the store at all, because they'd hired her and she got all the shifts I used to work. The Sunday shift was a more recent development.

Maybe I should just hand in my keys and say, "Since you're more than willing to give my shift away without asking me how I feel about it, I'm sure you can figure out the scheduling with one less person."

[eltf177]

Maybe I should just hand in my keys and say, "Since you're more than willing to give my shift away without asking me how I feel about it, I'm sure you can figure out the scheduling with one less person."

This...

[Marmalady]

Maybe I should just hand in my keys and say, "Since you're more than willing to give my shift away without asking me how I feel about it, I'm sure you can figure out the scheduling with one less person."

That was more or less what I told the motel when they gave nearly all my hours to someone else.

[It's me]

I had a very good business idea, which I shared with both owners, and they approve of it. I'm not at all sure, now, that this idea will come to fruition, and I'm not at all sure if I want to be in charge of it, as I had planned. Maybe that's why they've been dragging their feet and not giving me a definite answer on it.

Can you take your idea and implement it somewhere else?

[Eireann]

Can you take your idea and implement it somewhere else?

I wondered that myself, but it would really require me being affiliated with their store, and they just aren't willing to do what it takes to implement it. I think this is because it would involve working with me.

[Eireann]

Also, is it me, or is it highly unprofessional to ask your employers if the other employee's shift can be given to you because you didn't have enough hours? If I were in charge of someone who did that to me, we'd be having a little chat about the inappropriateness of trying to get someone else's hours.

[Marmalady]

Personally I wouldn't dream of asking to take someone elses hours away from them. Sure, I'd ask if more were available, if we were very busy, but not to take them off someone else.

[Eireann]

Yes, I can understand approaching the other employee to ask if you could work one of his/her shifts, but not going straight to the owners and asking. I think she knew they'd give it to her, right away.

I had wondered if she was the one stealing the bottles of water I left there each week. At one point, I even wrote my name all over the bottle of water, but it was gone the following week. Now that she's gone behind my back to get my shift, I'm as sure as I can be that she was stealing the water. I don't envy the owners, with an employee like her - maybe this is the kind of employee they deserve; I don't know.

[Pixilated]

*snip*
I just want to be able to feel one way about this, either grateful or upset. Grateful because they gave me work when I needed it and they've given me (free) quite a few items from the store, or upset because they're more interested in paying less money to someone else than in having me work for them.

I'd say you are justified in feeling both. Hang on to the gratitude and try not to let the 'upset' take over, but acknowledge that this is over. Then you can either hand in the keys immediately, or at least start looking for another job (if you haven't already) and just wait out your time here until you find it. (And frankly, if it were me, and a prospective employer asked, "When can you start?" I'd probably smile and say, "When would you like me to start?" Wouldn't worry too much about two weeks' notice ...)

[Eireann]

I've been promised the shift next Sunday. I was called in to do something on Saturday (I'm the one who is generally in charge of this particular aspect of the store), so I went in, did the work, scored some stuff, got some food, and went home. Yesterday, I was promised next Sunday's shift. So, who knows what's going on?