Nate Armbruster
There’s nothing worse than having to work with a bad manager, but sometimes there’s an opportunity for some sweet revenge. It’s extra sweet when the manager brings it on themselves as this story shared in Reddit’s Malicious Compliance.
An employee at a video store taught their mean manager a lesson by simply following her rules.
This employee shared an epic story about how their manager worked their way into a corner by being straight-up mean to her coworkers and all they did was comply (maliciously) with their orders.
This story harkens back to the ye olden days, when Blockbuster and Hollywood Video were the things to do on a family-friendly Friday and cellphones, were still something most people didn’t really consider necessary aka the 90s.
I took a job at a video store near my house. It was a small family-owned store with three different branches in town. The job was wonderful! I loved movies and games. It was close to my residence and school. I even got free video rentals and a discount from the sub shop next door. The video store was located in a beautiful old building from the 1920s. It had marble stairs and a really amazing cage elevator that lead up to the storage and employee lounge.
The job was perfect for me. The hours were flexible, and the pay was decent but the one drawback to this was my supervisor, let’s call her Amanda… because that was her name. Seriously, screw Amanda.
Amanda was on the older side and seemed to not be content with how her life had turned out. As a result, she took all of her frustrations out on anyone she could… especially those people who she worked with who happened to be younger. If you were a college student like myself, you earned a special extra helping of disdain from her. I mean really, how dare you to decide to actually have aspirations of making more than $7.50 an hour?
While I’m generally fairly tolerant of people like Amanda, she really went the extra mile to annoy me as much as humanly possible. She was bitter, mean, and petty, and did anything and everything she could to just be plain unpleasant. She wasn’t even nice to customers. The only upside to this attitude was that she didn’t let Karen customers get away with their Karenness.
OP’s manager, Amanda, wasn’t a fan of doing any work. She only had the job because of her relation to the owner so she could get away with being awful.
I might have been able to take more if she happened to be particularly knowledgeable or good at her job. She was neither and only appeared to have the job because of good old nepotism. She was the daughter-in-law of the owner. She knew nothing about movies, games, or gaming systems, or anything we rented or sold. When a customer had a question, she would pawn them off on another employee.
When she had a problem with the computers, who did she call to fix it? Me. When there was a delivery that needed to be checked into the system, who did she call? Me. When did stock need to be dragged up to the stock room? That’d be me again. Any unpleasant task that came up, she would always try to give it to me. Generally, she hid in the back watching tv or talking on the phone (which did tie up the store’s landline for literally hours), or doing anything and everything she could to avoid doing her actual job.
When I brought up Amanda to Ken, the owner, he simply sighed and gave a pained look and asked me to just try to bare with it and stay out of her way if I could. I got the distinct impression that Ken didn’t much care for her either but she was his daughter-in-law. He did his best to try to make sure I wasn’t scheduled to work with her but at least once a week, I had to work with this paragon of kindness and light.
One day, I was on the phone with a customer discussing the late fees on their account when Amanda wanted to make a call. This resulted in Amanda ripping me a new one in front of an entire store of people, it was a Saturday and we were packed to the rafters. She was yelling so loudly that the woman on the phone asked me if we were being robbed and whether she should call the police. Before I could answer, Amanda yanked the phone out of my hand and slammed it into the cradle, “You are never ever to be on that phone, you understand me?”
There were a few moments of absolute rage on Amanda’s part, to which OP just bit their tongue and did what was asked.
While I was desperately aching to head butt her, I bit my tongue, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. When that didn’t work, I counted to twenty, then fifty. Instead of telling her, I hoped that she’d be ravaged by rabid wolverines, I simply smiled and said, “Alright.”
This seemed to annoy her even more than if I’d gotten angry. She stormed back to the office and I took a stream of customers, all of whom asked me if I was okay and one offered suggestions on how to dispose of a body. I appreciated the suggestions but I had plenty of my own ideas and while evisceration with a pair of rusty safety scissors might be a fulfilling immediate solution, it probably wasn’t good for my lifetime goals, unless those goals involved a jail cell and becoming overly acquainted by a thick woman with one eye-brow named Big Betty.
Instead, I checked it off in my big book of voodoo curses and hoped I would have a chance to pay Amanda back for her thoughtful gesture of embarrassing me in front of half of the metropolitan area.
Still, there were a few more pieces to be laid out for my malicious compliance and Amanda wouldn’t disappoint me.
The next piece came, perhaps a month later. I had been at work for about seven hours of my nine-hour shift and had only seen Amanda once and that had been when she left the store. Considering I only had two hours left of my shift and hadn’t yet taken a break, I really needed to go to the bathroom.
Not being allowed to use the phone or leave the floor laid the groundwork for malicious compliance.
I told my co-worker I was heading to the restroom. This was, however, apparently, not in keeping with Amanda’s view of the universe. She actually began to bang and kick the bathroom door demanding I come out. I took my time, washed my hands, adjusted my hair, and calmly walked out of the bathroom. While she began to scream, I ignored her and walked up to the front of the store and took the cart of movies to be reshelved.
She grabbed the front of the cart and swiped the movies off of the top. She then informed me of my questionable parentage, told me that I liked to passionately hug mothers and that I was a female dog. Really, I had no idea about any of these things about myself. I thought all that time that I was just your regular everyday college student. I could have probably gotten on television if I had known how unique I was sooner. Amanda told me that under no uncertain terms was I to ever leave the floor while I was on the clock.
Again, I summoned an inner calm that would have made Gandhi proud. I forced a smile and nodded, “Alright.”
While I seemed calm on the outside, I had made up my mind that I would have my chance. No matter how small, I would have my moment.
That shining moment came on a lazy and blissfully quiet morning. As it was morning, it would just be me and Amanda, hopefully, she would stay in the office and I wouldn’t have to deal with her at all. When I came in, there were workmen in the back working on the elevator. One of the guys came up and told me that he needed a part and he would be back tomorrow to finish up the work. Annoying as I would now have to schlep armfuls of heavy tapes up the stairs but it wasn’t the end of the world. The light of my life arrived a few hours later without a word to anyone.
I stood at the front putting ‘BE KIND REWIND’ stickers on a batch of new arrivals when I noticed Amanda through the back door getting into the elevator. After the man told me that he needed a part, it didn’t even occur to me that the elevator had the power on and I had a moment of amusement at thinking that Amanda was going to have to take the hated stairs.
You see, when Amanda had a problem, OP was not allowed to help her because the two things she could do to help just happened to be things she was forbidden from doing.
She was, above all, lazy. However, it seemed the elevator did indeed have power and worked. At least it worked just enough to go half a floor and then stop. It was just close enough to the upper floor that climbing out onto that floor was impossible and just far enough from the lower floor that climbing out was impossible.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Malicious Compliance Activated!
I couldn’t entirely see Amanda as she tried to open the door and get out but I could hear her. The sounds of frustration increased until I heard the most beautiful sound I ever heard.
Amanda: OP!
A slow smile, reminiscent of the Grinch, curved my lips. I walked to the very edge of the sales floor and called out. “Yes?”
Amanda: The elevator is stuck, can you open the door from your side?
Me: I don’t know, I can’t see it from here.
Amanda huffed in annoyance.
Amanda: Well get over here and try to open it.
Me: I can’t do that Amanda.
Amanda: Why not?
Me: I’m not allowed to leave the floor while I’m on the clock under any circumstances.
Amanda: Are you kidding me?!
Me: You said it yourself. Since I value my job, I can’t possibly go against orders.
A stream of curses came from the locked and stuck elevator. I’m pretty sure I’m still not old enough for all of the things I heard that day.
Amanda: Call maintenance, the number should be in the office.
Trying to sound as innocent and sympathetic as I could possibly manage while also trying not to burst out laughing: I can’t do that either, I’d have to leave the floor to go to the office.
Amanda: You think you’re really funny don’t you?
Me: I don’t know what you mean.
Amanda: Call Ken then. I know you know his number.
Me: Well I would but I’m not allowed to use the phone, remember?
Amazingly, there were no curses. There were no screams. There was not even one word telling me that my parents were never married. It was silent. I think for the first time she realized that she might actually be in a little trouble. She was stuck in a position entirely of her own making with no way out of it for the foreseeable future.
Amanda: OP, please? Just get me out of here.
Me: I’m sorry Amanda, I’m just following orders.
OP’s conversation with Amanda resulted in them being fired, which they also maliciously complied with.
All pretense of niceness was dropped as she proceeded to inform me of all of my imagined faults and those of my parents, friends, and any other relations I might have or think to have in the future. Then she sealed her fate, she yelled at me that I was fired. In truth, I really only planned on letting her stew for a few minutes but after that? Nah.
Me: I’m fired? Okay, then I guess I’ll head home. Oh, I should also let you know that Bill called and said he’d be in at seven instead of five. He has to pick up his brother from the airport. So… I guess you’ll be in there for a while yet. I hope you’ve got a book or something.
Amanda: What?!?! How do you think you can do this to me? When I get out of here, I’m going come <bleep> you in your <bleep> you <bleep>!!!
Me: Wow. Okay, yeah. Have fun with that, have a good one. I’ll leave my name tag and shirt on the front desk.
Amanda: WAIT!
Me: Bye.
Amanda: WAIT!
Me: Don’t worry, I’ll lock up on my way out and I’ll put up a sign so people will know we’re closed.
Amanda: OP WAIT! I DIDN’T MEAN IT! COME BACK!
I walked up front and wrote out a sign that we were closed until 7 pm due to unforeseen circumstances.
The very last thing I heard from Amanda before I opened the door was, “BUT I HAVE TO PEE!”
As it turns out, Amanda had no authority to fire them, but that wasn’t enough to keep OP from walking out.
Still snickering to myself, I locked the door and drove the forty-five minutes out to Ken’s house to let him know the shop was closed. Could I have gone five minutes to my house and called? Sure I could. Did I? Nope.
Ken seemed a bit surprised to see me there.
Ken: I thought you were working today.
Me: Oh, I was but Amanda fired me.
Ken: She’s not allowed to do that. All hiring and firing go through me, she knows that. Don’t worry, I’ll call her. I think maybe it’s time to talk to my son about her. I can’t keep her on with her acting like this.
Me: I don’t think she’ll be able to answer the phone.
Ken gave me a long sharp look as I tried very hard not to smile. Then I gave up entirely and just smiled broadly back at him.
Ken: OP?
Me: Yes?
Ken: What did you do?
Me: Me? I didn’t do a thing, I only followed her orders.
Ken leaned down to meet me eye to eye.
Ken: What happened?
The store owner even cheekily approved of OP’s handling of the situation.
I gave him the full tale from her telling me that I couldn’t use the phone under any circumstances to her telling me that I wasn’t allowed to leave the sales floor when I was on the clock. Then I told him about her being stuck in the elevator.
Ken: You didn’t tell her the elevator was broken?
Me: I didn’t even realize it had power.
Ken just stood there looking at me gobsmacked and then started laughing. “I should really go let her out.”
He paused for a minute and looked down at his dirty hands and clothes, then up at me.
Ken: But I really shouldn’t leave those flowers half planted and then I should probably take a shower. I don’t want to make that drive covered in dirt.
Obviously, Amanda didn’t want the job anymore after dealing with this situation
Me: Oh of course not. You’ve got a really nice car and it’d be a lot of work to get that much dirt out of your seats and carpet. Do you need some help with the planting?
Ken nodded solemnly back at me and gave another chuckle. It took probably another hour to finish planting the flowers. Ken told me I’d be paid for the day and sent me home with assurances that I did indeed still have a job and that he would deal with Amanda. I fully enjoyed the rest of my half-day off. I did hear from Bill that when he got there the elevator repair guy had just arrived and that Amanda ended up spending about five hours stuck in the elevator.
After that day, I only ever saw her one more time. She glared daggers at me as I waved happily to her as she carried a bag of her things out to her car. Whenever I think about it, I still get a little smile on my face. Besides, I only did what she told me to.
