TIFU by Trying to study at work. tifu

First time poster on this subreddit (I'm blessed), but am an overall huge fan. This happened a couple weeks ago. I think it's funny (now), so enjoy!

I'm a highly skilled, highly trained sandwich artist at Generic Sandwich Company^TM. However, this doesn't mean I never fuck up.

The Generic Sandwich Company^TM that I work at is incredibly slow. It's slow enough that, with the exception of the lunch rush, only one moderately experienced employee needs to be working. Fortunately for me, it's also slow enough that I get to spend a lot of time studying. Today, I worked a closing shift. I come in at 5, prepare all the vegetables, meats, and sauces that need to be made for the upcoming morning, clean up, and go home. Naturally, I make sandwiches for whoever comes in, but generally after 6 there won't be more than 10 people (It takes 2-3 minutes to serve a customer).

So let me set the stage. My Generic Sandwich Company^TM is a long, thin rectangle. We have the eating area out front, followed by the bane (where we make the sandwiches), the huge industrial refrigerator and freezer, then the sink, and then there is a short hallway to the back of the store where we have an area for the mop and a small storage room. The fridge and freezer are about 8 feet tall and block the customers view of the sink, storeroom, etc. This also means that in order to see who comes in and out you must stand in front of the fridge.

So today, I was studying for an anthropology final that's scheduled for the following week (gen-eds amirite?). I was standing by the cash register at the front of the store so that I would be ready to serve whoever walked through the door. I had finished all the "preps" for the next day and had completed almost all the cleaning apart from a few dishes, mopping, and wiping down the bane (the latter two I always reserve for last). I went back to fill up the mop bucket. The hose always takes forever to fill it up, so I usually manage to find something else to keep me busy while it does its thing. Today, I chose to go over a couple more concepts for anthro. I go back to my study area where I have my study guide and text book propped up against the cash register. I was confused about this particular type of kinship chart and it required me to look it over repeatedly. After a short time being unable to grasp the material, I texted a friend from the class. He was the teacher's pet in my recitation and could surly explain it to me. Waiting for his response, I decided I would finish the remaining dishes. I walk back to the side of the fridge, and my heart drops. Fuck. There's water all the way down the hall leading to the storage area. I forgot to turn off the hose.

I sprint down the hall to pinch off the stream and quickly think of a way to get all this water off the floor. I quickly conclude that it would take a day to mop and wring this out into the drain that's designated for the mop (there's a 6 inch ledge around it so you can easily dump the bucket into it). There's a drain underneath the sink, so I grab the push broom that's leaning against the wall and begin to furiously sweep the water down the hall. I clear out the area of standing water before it can get anywhere near the front of the store. Feeling satisfied, I return to the scene of the initial accident to find that the water hadn't just ran towards the front of the store. My heart drops for the second time. Fuck. The storage room contains spare cups, cleaning supplies, paper towels, ergo some things that can be damaged by water. I run back to find a toaster oven sitting in a 1/2 inch of water. Fuck. I begin to sweep the water furiously towards the drain at the back of the room (the room is sloped away from the drain fml). At this point I've gone into damage control mode. I don't care about the paper towel rolls, cups, napkins, or anything else. I just need to save this toaster. I figured both my job and my dignity are lost causes, but if I can save this toaster I I may still preserve some good standing with the manager who will inevitably have to tell the owner that she needs a new toaster over.

I continue sweeping the water down the drain, returning to the toaster to sweep the water directly away from it. I repeat this process over and over until there wasn't enough water to actually flow in any manner. Then I took the mop to pick up the remaining water. I had finished my session of panicked sweeping and it was now about 5 minutes until close. I went and locked the front door and proceeded to call my manager. No answer (thank you, God). I sent her about 1000 paragraphs of text explaining the situation and how deeply embarrassed and sorry I was (my friend from antho. hadn't text me back btw). I complete my remaining closing duties and solemnly walk home. That was the longest walk ever.

The next morning I received this text:

"Haha. Congratulations! You're officially a member of the crew!"

Followed by an explanation that everybody who is working at Generic Sandwich Company^TM has flooded this area. I think I'm off the hook. I finally relax. However, she proceeds to text me that she doesn't know where the toaster oven came from that's on the ground and will have to "look into it." I tense up again. Fuck. She's gonna call the boss man. My greatest fear has been realized. Now it doesn't matter what the damages are. Mr. boss man is a hard ass cheapskate. It's all over for me. See ya later previous months pay!

That same afternoon I get a call from Mr. boss man. He tells me that my manager had explained everything to him, and directly contradicting his tone says that he's not mad. He asks me a couple of questions about this toaster oven. Keep in mind I would have given my life if I thought it could have saved this toaster oven. After this he tells me,

"Oh, that one's just junk."

What the hell? I spent the past 24 hourly developing a stomach ulcer just to be told that it's junk? God damn it. He proceeds to laugh at me and ends our conversation in a condescending tone,

"Just try not to do it again."

TL;DR: I thought I killed a toaster. My boss thinks I'm a dumb ass.

Submitted May 05, 2016 at 12:15PM by yungcanadian http://ift.tt/1Y9XV12 tifu