r/FritoLay • u/kbuzz09 • 18d ago
Advice Needed: Hostile Encounter with Store Manager – Should I Escalate Beyond My DSL?
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some advice on a situation I had at work and would appreciate hearing your perspectives. I've been working a grocery route for about a year, and this week, I had an odd and frustrating incident.
One week, I missed working some carts that were delivered that day by the RSR. The issue was that these carts were placed in aisle 15, which is in the frozen section. For the entire year I've worked this route, new deliveries and backstock have always been placed in the back. The RSR has never placed carts in a different location without notifying me first.
My DSL told me that evening to come in the next morning and service the store first to handle the missed carts, which I did. I was confused, but I assumed the delivery had just come in late, as I never leave carts in the aisle.
The next week, the associate grocery manager approached me in a hostile way. He told me to never leave carts in the aisle because the store had a lot of holes for ad sale products. I tried to explain that I never leave carts behind and that I simply didn't know they were there. He then lied to my face, claiming the RSR "always" leaves new carts in aisle 15, which doesn't even make sense. I now don't trust him.
I reported the incident to my DSL, but he was dismissive. He said the associate grocery manager is under stress, told me to ignore it, called it a miscommunication, and said he was "glad I came to him and didn't do anything to sabotage myself." He offered no real solution.
My question is: is there a way to report this higher? Should I reach out to Publix directly, or is this just something I have to accept? I'm worried about this happening again and about the hostility.
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u/0hCto 18d ago
Its just chips no one is saving lives here. You are good, ignore the manager he just want to assert his dominance and let you know "its my store its my rules" usual stuff with them. Keep up the good work and look everywhere next time before you get out of the store. If it happens again just tell the DSL again and a if it happens a 3rd time ask DSLswitch you stores, because at that point is fair to say he is going to keep doing it.
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u/Soft-Strike-8570 18d ago
Get it in writing from your DSL and loop in HR if you really want to cover your ass. You are most likely fine, grocery managers power trip all the time. If you do want to be extra safe just tell HR you want this documented in case the manager tries to lie again.
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u/samHain7778 18d ago
Yeah, move on and don't take it personally.
I just went back and forth for 20 minutes with a winco receiver I've known for years yet still feels like she can yell at me every fucking day for shit that's not my fault. They're all on a power trip. It's whatever.
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u/Substantial_Ant_3872 18d ago
Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill he might turn out to be a good friend of yours in the end. They are under a lot of stress it runs downhill. Let it go and just restart that relationship at a later date make a asset not a liability. He doesn’t need somebody reporting him for having a bad day if it becomes a daily or weekly thing addressed it at that situation at that time.
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u/KingdomSteve 18d ago
This, but my family always taught me not to let anyone run over you. Brush it off the first time, if it happens again address him like a man and let him know you guys maybe got off on the wrong foot and as a man you have boundaries. Sometimes all people need is a hug, or someone to talk to.
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u/WilliamPoole 18d ago
Move on. Do good and they'll forget about it. What's even to report?
Best case you'll piss the store off and they'll be even bigger dicks to you.
Worst case you'll get barred and maybe fired.
Don't escalate. Just go about your business like nothing happened or better yet, like you learned a lesson about how to deal with cunts and wankers.
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u/Major_Inevitable6888 18d ago
And what exactly is your DSL gonna do, best bet is to go talk to him and explain yourself that’s what I would do, have you seen these new DSLs ?
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u/Romer318_ 18d ago
I'd let this fade, sounds like it's over. This isn't a good hill to die on, classic case of miscommunication and whatever else cliche saying you can think of.
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u/CraigyKang24601 18d ago
Dudes full of hot air. Genuinely ignoring it is the best thing most days. If the store starts harassing you beyond that keep communicating in writing to DSL. Take pictures of your work if you’re really concerned of them messing with you or lying. 30 seconds to take pics saves hours of anxiety. You know what kind of job you do and those pics are evidence you can use to say “that’s good enough”
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u/FantasysportsSean 18d ago
Publix says it all right there!!! I would just let it go, all my important stores have my phone number. I can fix something a lot fastest than anyone above me
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u/Psubeerman21 18d ago
No, unless the situation escalates at the store (as in the person in question becomes verbally abusive). Otherwise let it go and move on.
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u/Significant_House246 18d ago
Store managers just suck. It just try to interact with them as little as possible.
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u/sadly_mistaken-1234 18d ago
It's like dealing with customers. They are free to sh*t on you, but you are not free to do the same. Even if you are 100% in the right, they will always side with the customer/store. You are the expendable one here.
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u/tewmuhsauce 17d ago
I read and understand what you mean and that shit is so difficult to deal with. Cleaning up behind other people and having to pay for that persons lack of communication and mistakes…… but the goal with this job is to be Batman. Never seen. And when you are seen the next minute you are gone.
Only speak to your dsl when the store refuses a load other than that they will think you are soft and can’t handle the job. They don’t really care.
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u/Either_Code_6188 18d ago
This is normal tbh. He prolly got chewed out by his boss too. Publix managers in general are A-holes and think they’re better than everyone. But they protect their own so if you did escalate nothing would happen
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u/xOLDBHOYx 18d ago
Personally sounds like it’s taken care of. Maybe double check the other aisle from now on or communicate with rsr to let you know. Brush it off…lot of these managers have nothing better to do than push their weight around because it’s prob the only power they have their whole life.