Hello ripoff report readers... I am here to tell my story, in hopes something can be done, about these people.
I was your average american jane; Working paycheck to paycheck to support my family. I did everything in my power, to be the best employee I possibly could, for the place I worked. Yet I was fired without warning. Should I have been fired? I will tell you the facts, and let you decide.
The entire time I worked for this company, I was never late, except once... *I had worked until midninght, and then had to turn around and be back at work at 5A.M., in this week I had worked crazy overtime, my body was exhausted, and I simply could not wake up, I didn't even get out of my uniform that night* I was late, but I still came in, and still opened the store on time.
I called In sick one time, well within the company policy for call in, and had my doctors note ready in hand when I returned. I was the one they knew they could depend on, I always came in when called in, always took on extra work and completed it, always went above and beyond.
The reason they gave for firing me was a cash shortage in my drawer. They knew, well beforehand, that I have an issue with discalculia *dyslexia with numbers and math* I transpose numbers, and have issues with math in my head. I had three shortages in the 8 months I worked there; the first, was when I first started and was trying to learn how to switch money between the gas pumps.
I transposed a number, and put too much on the pump. I did not willfully do anything wrong, it was an accident. They took the money from my paycheck for it. It was under 10 dollars. The next shortage was lottery. A customer asked for a lotto ticket, which i printed, and then changed his mind. This automatically put my drawer short, I tried to sell it to other customers, but no one would buy it. So once again, I had the money for the ticket taken from my check, and it wasn't my fault.
The death knell was recently, I apparently gave back too much change *because I know I didn't steal it, and they know I didn't steal it, in fact the night this shortage happened, I won the perfect 100 customer service award, and THE COMPANY HONORED ME by handing me a hundred dollar bill that night* I had caught myself in the past, trying to hand back too much change, but focused intensely on not doing so.
It takes a supreme effort of will, to be a cashier, and have the math issues I have. I could honestly understand if they let me go, because of these shortages, if I wasn't doing anything to try and make sure it didnt happen. I could understand if they let me go, for breaking company cash handling procedures, but I wasn't, and I have that in black and white, from the secret shopper audit performed by the company, saying my cash handling skills were perfect!
I think I was fired, for reasons other than, what the company has chosen to put down for me. I had recently stumbled upon an article, written by the VP of the company. I believe this article was meant to be funny, but it is anything but funny.in it, she mocks impoverished employees, describes their love lives, and makes fun of their appearance. She uses real names, and equates all her workers, to a reality show. I found this article offensive, and said so.
They gave me no chance, to even look at my excellent work record, and try to keep my job. I won sales contests, I won perfect customer service, I worked whenever they wanted me too, I poured myself every single day into my work, I struggled through injuries and illness. Still they let me go. I am not doing this because I am bitter. I just want them to answer with the truth, what kind of sense does it make, to fire one of your best employee's? My only conclusion is that they didn't want others to know about the callous and mocking attitude the management has towards it's employees, and because they couldn't fire me for a disability *dyscalculia* they found something else to try and get me out the door.
They were afraid I would expose their working conditions... Such as working 10 and 12 hour days, without scheduled breaks at all *the best you can do is sneak outside for 3-5minutes to catch your breath* If you work your shift alone, as I did most of the time, forget about lunch, you have to grab some food and choke it down while you are behind the counter *which is against policy* Standing *and I mean not being able to sit down for 10 hours straight* behind that register your entire shift.
I hurt my back while I worked there, we have little mats behind the counter on the floor, to cushion our feet and legs and back, our mats were old and broken down, and falling apart; When I asked to have them replaced, my district manager flat out told me "We are not buying new mats... Out of the question" Working six days, with one day off, and they call you in on that day off *it was a known fact, that I couldn't leave town to visit family or friends, because they would always call me in on my days off*
Well I have a voice, and i'm using it now... Douglass Distributing/Lone Star Foods uses its employees as disposable commodities. They work their employees to the point of exhaustion *I recently went to the ER with exhaustion related issues, I have medical records to back this*, They fire employees that speak up. They give no quarter to employees with disabilities. They need to be seen for what they really are. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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