Article created by: Kotryna Br
Most people don’t enjoy being called quitters. When you’re taught not to take things for granted, pushing forward and keeping at it seems like the right thing to do. But sometimes, your job and working conditions become so toxic that you often catch yourself daydreaming of dramatically walking away.
When el1te1nferno asked fellow Redditors to share the moment that made them quit their jobs, hundreds of people started telling infuriating stories. Whether it was employers who took the last straw or customers that nearly drove them mad, people revealed what pushed them over the line.
it was my wedding... that I had already paid $7,000 out of pocket, my parents paid $11,000, and wife’s parents paid $23,000. The day I got hired, I told them I had it coming in 5 months and needed the day off, preferably a whole week after too. Came two weeks before and they said “oops, our bad. However, we can’t do anything about it now. You can get married or you can keep your job.”
I’m still happily married.
My mom’s: I was studying overseas and my parents booked a trip to come out at the end of the school term, bringing along my 2 siblings - 1 who lived away from home, the other about to start college. It was a month long trip, with lots of pre-paid flights, trains, hotels plus it would likely be the last big trip we all took together. Obviously, both my parents requested and secured approved PTO months in advance. It was the month of June - typical summer vacation.
A couple days before the trip was to happen, my mom’s boss hands her an assignment. Mom hands it back, saying she can’t take it on as she has a month long vacation about to start. (My folks don’t believe in hyperbole, but trip of a lifetime would be a fair description). Boss says, oh yea, sorry, you can’t take vacation anymore. Mom says if you cancel my PTO, I quit. Boss, blank stare.
Mom handed in her notice and left. We had an amazing trip. She got a new job on return.
My first job (at a pizza delivery place), I was almost 18 and I overheard my manager (in his 40s!) and a few delivery drivers talking about throwing me a birthday party and spiking my drinks so they could "do things" to me. They had no idea I was around the corner listening. Maybe they were joking, maybe they weren't, I didn't care I quit right then and there.
I worked at a pizza parlor for about a year in high school. My boss was a constant source of stress for me as he was controlling, rude, and just downright degrading. One time, when I went slightly off script on a phone order, he mocked me while I continued to handle the call. The straw that broke the camels back happened on a busy Friday night. Someone came in and placed an order. I got their name and told them it would be about twenty minutes. During this time, the same customer left the store to wait in the car. Twenty minutes later, they sent someone else in to pick it up. Problem was, this person didn’t know the order, and claimed that it was under their name. When i struggled to identify their order, my boss grabbed one of the giant wooden pizza spatulas, swung it full force, and shattered it over one of the ovens. After about five minutes of attempting to serve the customers in the store, I walked into his office and told him I was out. I walked to a nearby Wendy’s in the snow and waited for my dad to pick me up. I’ll never forget how freeing that feeling was
My fathers story: he was a 22 year old millwright and he had been working for the company for 4 years. He asked for a raise because one was given to a coworker who had the same job.
He was told that his coworker has kids and a family to provide for and that’s why he was given a raise, and since my dad had no children at that time he didn’t need one.
My dad applied for a job that paid almost twice as much with great benefits, he gave in his notice and the manager said “will you stay if we give you the raise you wanted”... he declined and worked for the second company for 35 years and retired last December
I worked at a casino doing security. I had just gotten out of the military where I had previously been qualified in a bunch of things that revolves around security and response to active shooters etc.
One night during a busy evening, the panic/hold up alarm went off, and the station that sounded could not be reached. It was treated as a legitimate situation. I cleared out my section of the casino, and moved to clear or other sections/help old people get away.
After that I started clearing staff out as well ((it seemed to take the security staff, including the director, a ridiculous amount of time to investigate and or clear the situation)). It turned out to be nothing. Someone bumped a panic button and went on break or something.
I was pulled into the office where I was berated by the security staff supervisors for clearing out the building and sending everyone outside. When asked why I did it, I said current FBI guidelines are Run, Hide, Fight. So the first priority is removing everyone from the area that’s under threat. The second would be hiding said people, but I was able to remove them so I didn’t have to. My director told me that was incorrect, I was responsible for everyone leaving, and was going to be reprimanded. Told I had no experience with said situations and should be sent to training again. I asked her to clarify the FBI guidelines, which she couldn’t do. When challenged, and asked if I ever had active shooter training, I stood up, said I’ve been trained in responding TO the active shooter as an armed law enforcement officer, and that her lack of understanding of simple guidelines was terrifying to me. I told her I quit. I won’t be giving my two weeks notice, this is the last time I’ll be in this building.
She laughed and said well then we won’t be able to recommend you as a reference. To which I laughed and said, “ I won’t be telling anyone i ever worked here. It won’t help my chances.”
I used to work at a bowling alley in the cafe kitchen when i was like 19. One particular night, i was the only one in the kitchen during a slammed rush. I get everything out (somehow) in a timely manner, clean the kitchen, then go it for a smoke. The GM walks out a minute later and proceeds to ream me, telling me im a lazy no good piece of s**t, etc. Etc.
I finish my smoke, go back in, pull off my uniform shirt and name tag, set it on the cafe counter and walk out the front door without a word.
F**k you, Paul.
pizza hut - it was ok at first until they hired a newly minted 23 year old MBA manager who acted like a guard at a prison camp.
messed with the breaks, water, scheduling and had general contempt for us.
There was a huge local event going on and I was scheduled to work and someone had called out and the line was out the door. I show up and he starts going off on me about the other staff and tells me "You're luck you showed up on time else I would have fired you on the spot."
I was like "ok".. and stared at him..
"you can't take any breaks today because we're so busy and you'll have to work a double..."
I was like "ok".. and stared at him..
smiled..
walked out.
My manager accused me of stealing money from the store... during the month I wasn't in the store because my father had just passed away. This is after scheduling me for 65 hours (yeah, 25 hours of overtime in one week) the week dad passed away.
I quit via text.
Asked for a small raise after one year, $1/hr and was making $20. I was underpaid and we all knew it, they offered me 50 cents. I showed them I was saving them 70-100k/year, they wouldn’t budge. I gave my notice right there.
Got my last check - no yearly bonus. I was owed $1000. They told me they didn’t have to pay me since I quit. I said that’s cool, I’ll call OSHA later today and cited 5 big violations they hadn’t addressed. Suddenly I got my bonus.
All throughout the interview process and onboarding I was told "We will work around your school schedule, you won't have to work at any time you have class."
Day 1 of the training "You're required to be here monday-friday, 8-6 for the first 6 months. If you miss a day or are more than 30 minutes late you will be fired."
I didn't return for the second day.
My first job was working at an Amazon distribution warehouse. Granted I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I figured "Hey I need the money for bills."
Starting off there was "interesting" to say the least. Hundreds of isles on two sides of the warehouse with a single conveyor belt separating them all. All of us workers huddling up into groups for stretches every time a shift started. The buzzwords all along the cafeteria made it feel like I was in a cult. Our demographic make up was a mix of young and elderly men and women from all walks of life.
As time went on I was overworked and I quickly realized the managers didn't give much care towards us. They only loved the new expansions to the building with more racks and conveyor belts. They tried little things like rewards and catering from Chipotle and Boston Market but the workers who've been there since the building opened noted various complaints about working conditions (working in 90+ degree temperatures with no ceiling fans, spillages, overflowing isles, shifting 50+ pound boxes, scanners not working, etc.)
My final straw was when I was assigned to shift 24,000+ packages on the new split conveyor belts with a woman who was pregnant during Prime Week. The belts overflowed that night. I realized if this was the type of thing I was going to do then I didn't want it anymore. By that point I lost more than 20 pounds. I weighed 175 when I started and when I quit I was 151 lbs.
I quit after 5 months with no regrets.
First job at mcdonalds. 3 different managers all telling me to do different things, and getting mad when I listen to the others. I overheard the worst manager say to the people at the register (and many customers behind the counter) that "Someone need to teach Alice how to do her job."
I didn't even say anything. Just walked out.
