Man (93) Is Fired From Supermarket – Manager Turns Pale When He Finds Out Who He Is

The Founder’s Secret

Matt, already confused about the situation, obliged because he wanted answers. He was guided towards an empty table with two chairs on either side and sat down.

“Sit down.” Charles said.

Once Matt sat down, Charles decided to do the same. There was a brief moment of silence, but then the old man started talking. He understood the manager’s confusion but assured Matt that he himself did not do anything wrong.

He was in his full right to be at the store after closing. Matt frowned his eyebrows, and he fiercely disagreed with that statement. There was nothing right about an ex-employee wandering around the store after closing.

“You should not have extra keys and you are not allowed on company property after hours. I demand an explanation and I demand it now.” Matt said strictly.

For a brief moment, Matt took over the conversation, a choice that he would later come to regret. He stated that he made the right choice in firing Charles. He was too old for the job and unqualified to work in his store.

“I don’t know why corporate sent you over in the first place.”

But Matt’s speech was cut short by Charles.

“Young man, it was not the board of corporate that sent me to your store. I sent myself because I am corporate.”

Matt didn’t follow and was utterly confused. The old man ended by saying that he knew Matt very well before joining his team.

The old man then let the cat out of the bag by revealing that he was not just any old man. He was the original owner and founder of the supermarket chain Matt worked for. And as CEO, he was still very much involved in the business he started all those years ago.

“But what did you mean when you said you knew me well?” Matt asked the owner carefully.

A Long List of Complaints

The owner’s face didn’t move a muscle. He said that during Matt’s reign as manager, he received an alarming number of complaints about his style of management. But before passing judgment, he wanted to witness it for himself.

“So as a result of these complaints, I enrolled myself as an employee at your supermarket and I must say that I can’t argue with the complaints I received about you. Witnessing your behavior firsthand, I can only say that I’m very disappointed.”

The owner’s remark scared Matt to his core. Matt was in shock after hearing about the old man’s big reveal and even more so when he heard why he transferred himself. Matt realized he was in big trouble and felt his body shiver accordingly.

With trembling hands and a shaky voice, he asked:

“What were the complaints, sir?”

The owner scraped his throat and said that the list seemed never-ending. Almost every employee who worked for Matt over the last year said they hated working for him. The managerial style was inhumanely strict and uncompromising, and we have the yearly company survey to prove that fact, Charles said.

But those were just the numbers from like a company-wide survey. What really struck Charles hard were the complaints employees sent him personally, and the first one came almost immediately after Matt became manager. Charles stated that the first woman to complain was Becky from the bakery.

Becky mailed the owner a little over a year ago. She complained about the fact that Matt made her work long hours.

“I was working well over two hours extra every day. He was demanding and didn’t even let me have a break after working six hours straight.”

But the worst part was yet to come because even though she complained about the extra hours, she mostly stayed quiet. But when he refused to let her go home at a normal hour so she could see her daughter’s dance recital, Becky had enough.

She stood up and got out. As a result, Matt threatened to fire her and eventually downgraded her paycheck.

“And that was just the first of your many transgressions, young man.” Charles said with a frown on his face.

Unmasking the Manager

Reports show that you repeatedly yell at staff members in front of customers for making minor mistakes. And to prove that point, we even received a phone call from one member about that exact problem. A young boy named Tim Garver called into the office just over a month ago.

The boy was just 15 years old and you belittled him for dropping a carton of milk, not just in person but in front of a fully packed store. The boy called corporate crying, saying you humiliated and demoralized him. And then the final straw came in just over a week ago.

This time it wasn’t even a staff member, but a customer of the store itself who filed a complaint about you, an old man in a mobile scooter.

“Do you remember him?” Charles asked the shivering supermarket manager.

Charles continued by saying that the senior customer filed a complaint after the floor manager rudely escorted him out of the store. The reason was holding up the cash register line when his mobile scooter got stuck between the poles, something he could not do anything about. But still, you had to shout at him.

Charles ended the conversation by saying that a positive working environment was the most crucial thing in any business, big or small. He started with that philosophy over 60 years ago when he opened his first local supermarket, and it is just as true today, the old man said proudly.

Firing the Manager

Until now, Matt had made it through this conversation by simply listening. They were tough words to swallow, but they had no big consequences for him. But that was about to change because Charles turned the tables on Matt and started firing him this time, thereby ending his dominant reign.

When Matt heard those words, he couldn’t help but burst into tears. The impactful examples of his bad behavior and the job-ending conclusion brought the supermarket manager down a couple pegs. He realized what his actions had caused other people and felt only sadness and remorse at that point.

The once tough manager fell to his knees and begged the proud owner to reconsider his punishment. He admitted to all his wrongdoings and promised to change for the better.

“I’m so sorry. I will never do those things again and I will make amends for all of it.” Matt said.

The tear-filled eyes of the grounded Matt seemed to work a little because the old man stopped his firing speech and looked the supermarket manager straight in the eyes.

“You say that you’re sorry. You say that you can learn and change. All right, I might have an idea.” Charles said, smiling.

A New Beginning

Charles invited Matt to stand up again. He then made the promise that he could remain an employee of his supermarket chain, but there was one condition. He had to prove himself, prove that he could work hard, work with others, and be a team player.

And it would not be as a manager. Charles offered him a new job on the spot, and it was not the manager position. Matt got demoted to a simple floor employee.

It was the lowest job in the company’s system, but Charles felt it suited this situation perfectly.

“You need to learn how to be humble again.” The old man said.

Matt looked into Charles’s eyes and knew he was right. He had to prove himself, and that was what he would do. Matt took the job and would show everyone that he could do better.

Charles was happy to hear this and said he would come by later to see if he kept his word. After about a month, the owner revisited the store for the first time. He had zero complaints at corporate, but that didn’t mean everything was fine.

He wanted to see for himself. Coming in, he was greeted friendly by Becky, the new manager. You know, she got bumped up from baker to manager after Matt’s demotion.

Charles shook her hand and asked how things were, but mostly he was interested in Matt’s role in the store.

“Is he adjusting well? Has he caused any trouble?” Charles asked.

Redemption and Success

To his surprise, he got a positive response. Becky told Charles that Matt’s attitude made a complete 180. Becky continued by saying that Matt was a bit reluctant at first.

He complained and was having a hard time adjusting to his new role, but at one point it just clicked, and he has not looked back since. Matt worked hard, and in the effort, he even became friends with some co-workers.

After about a year of hard work, dedication, and a positive attitude, things were looking up for Matt again. He even got his old job back and now ran the store together with Becky as co-managers.

But this time he did it with a smile, promoting teamwork and good company values.