I regret that I did what my boss told me to. (A kmart work story)

[Waffles731]

For about three months I worked at Kmart, the end of the probationary period they said they wouldn't keep me on. They let me go by phone the fucking assholes. However in hindsight I'm way better off now than I was then job wise. However it doesn't take away the fact that I did something there that I still feel guilty about.

It was early November or late October. I honestly can't remember the month but I know it was late fall because after I got off work I distinctly remember my brother and I talking about how it was unusually warm for that time of the year.

I was told to just face the store shelves (in retail terms that means, make sure all the shelves are organized and faced outward) So when I started to face the sporting goods department I noticed it.

A box had been torn open and the product inside was just hanging out. What it was actually bothered me and still does today.

It was an Air Rifle, a Pellet Gun to be exact. It wasn't the kind that is practically a toy. This is one of the ones that is meant for shooting small game.

They fire lead pellets like this

So being concerned I brought it up to the front desk and notified the manager. For all I knew and still know the weapon had been tampered with making it dangerous to use. I said as much to my manager. I'll never forget what he said, 'Tape the box up and put it back' The asked him if that was the right thing to do. I made it clear that it makes me really uncomfortable. However after a couple of minutes of back and forth, I did what he said like the good little drone they hired me to be. I thought about notifying the police about it. The Ex-Billerica Chief of Police is in the same Masonic Lodge as my Dad and is still extremely well respected and has pull in the Police Department. His kids and nephews are in the PD. I knew if I asked my dad he could ask the guy to talk to me and it probably would have resulted in police being sent to the store. Hell looking back its probable that they would have arrested the manager. (I'm also pretty sure he was stealing from the store big time but thats another story) But I didn't do that, why? Because I was too much of a Coward to do the right thing. I work at a farm now, I have a boss who I know is a good man and wouldn't ask me to do anything like that, but it doesn't take away the fact that I still regret doing what my manager at Kmart told me to. I should have told him no, I should have said if you think I'm going to put a potentially tampered with weapon back on the shelves before its checked out then you need to go fuck yourself. I should have put in a tip to the local cops but I did none of those things. I'm ashamed of that.

#Regret

[VirginiaBeachBum]

I won't set foot in a K-Mart anymore after they illegally locked me, my kids, and a bunch of other shoppers in a store because the power went out and they were too afraid of mass shoplifting to let anyone out. There was a near panic and the rush of people caused the lock to break on the front doors, freeing everyone. When I talked to the fire department later about the complete lack of adequate emergency lighting in the store, the chief was shocked we had been locked in the store because the need for an outage was known before it happened and police had notified the store manager it was going to occur. The store manager did nothing to evacuate the store and complaints to K-Mart's office went ignored. So yeah, fuck K-Mart. I wouldn't piss on the store if it were on fire.

[Waffles731]

Oh Jesus, and yeah, I was informed my store would occasionally lose power for no reason

[NatashaJ]

Finally I got fired for just doing apparently facing shelves. I hope the cunt (ex boss) gets karma for her bullshit.

[Waffles731]

maybe I can get a passport and we can jumper her in a back alley in Canada

[NatashaJ]

Loll no need i bet that twat hopefully get fired a lot of people in the company doen't like her ass and my coworkers didn't either.

[WhereAmI]

Your being too critical. How is someone going to tamper with a pellet gun to make it unsafe? Probably someone who opened the box in the store to check it out.

That Kmart is practically empty. I haven't been in there in 5 years. With all the others closing, I'm not surprised they didn't ask you back.

When they ask you to crawl in a trash compactor to dislodge some trash, come talk to me.

[Waffles731]

Wait, you went to the billerica Kmart,;
Cause that is the actual kmart i worked at

[WhereAmI]

Yeah, I've been in there. Is it still open? I went there because i was going to Burlington coat factory next door.

[madhatters4]

regardless if a product is tampered or not it seems like the product should be removed from the shelves because it was opened.

no wonder kmart is waste land. i remember when i was young the parking lots and stores were over crowded the way walmart is today. now i drive by a kmart near me on occasion and it looks like a relic with an nearly empty parking lot

[vonasaurus]

hindsight is 20/20~ i definitely feel you there. but you were/are young and probably afraid of what would happen if you disobeyed an order. as a manager, your boss should have known better and either marked the product defective or damaged.

your former boss is a scumbag and, though i know it won't assuage your guilt, rest assured that karma will sort him out.

[goaded]

I don't think you did the wrong thing; if someone was trying to hurt someone, there are a lot of easier ways, or they would have concealed that they'd opened the package. It was probably just some customer wanting to look at or play with the gun.

[Waffles731]

'if someone was trying to hurt someone, there are a lot of easier ways' the same could be said of the Tylenol cyanide poisonings.

[Waffles731]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tylenol_murders
And remember
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efHCdKb5UWc

[goaded]

Interesting, but an air rifle is basically a piece of wood, two tubes, a spring and a trigger. It's never going to explode in your face or anything. Still, I appreciate your concern.

[Waffles731]

Not this brand, this was literally made for killing animals, I've seen people kill turkeys with these things, it's more like tampering with a.22 caliber rifle than tampering with a kids daisy

[Anonymous]

It should have been marked defective or being tampered with and sent back to the manufacturer for a replacement instead. That manager just didn't really give a shit. I hope nobody bought that pellet gun and even if they did I hope things all turned out to be fine without any accidents.

[lareina05]

I would also feel uncomfortable. sounds like you asked too many questions for them. I am glad something better came along but do not beat yourself up over that scumbag.

[SarahsSummer]

well, its in the past. and you were just following orders. Do yo feel better now that youve let it out?

[SlightlyCrazy]

No offense waffles but I would have told you the same thing. The gun is fine, there is no way to tamper like that and not have anyone notice.

[vishna]

Retail sounds sort of horrible, and K Mart is sinking fast in the US.

[smahala1991]

It's ok Waffles Kmart's gonna be gone soon enough