I ride my bike to work. it's about an hour long ride one way. I got to work at 2:58pm on December 9th. I park my bike in the photo lab where i work and i turn around and the store manager is there. before she even greets me with a hello she starts on me right away about my earrings.
I have had gauges in my ears for YEARS and i've had them since i started with the company back in April of 08. I've gone up a few sizes as well and no one has EVER said anything to me about them. I've even shaken hands with corporate staff and greeted with my gauges and they've been nothing but nice.
Well the manager comes up to me and says "you know you can't wear those right? you've got extra earrings right?" and i just stare at her completely taken aback by her random questioning. I try to explain that i JUST put it in and i only need 24 hours before i can place a normal gauge in it rather than the tapered spike used to enlarge the hole. She cuts me off and says "to the office...now!"
so we make our way to the office. I'm now sweating from the bike ride and very irritable.
She closes the door and send the SIMs out of the office for us to 'talk' (AKA she talks and i stutter and struggle to get a word in) After she was done telling me the same thing she already stated on the sales floor i begin again to explain my side.
"I had huge gawdy glass spirals in my ears when i firs-----" (cut me off)
"Janet, can i pleas-----" (cut me off)
*crosses arms and lets her talk... she never says anything more than what was already said*
Every attempt at trying to explain myself she cut me off and told me it was irrelevant. I was in trouble about a month before that for my Septum piercing. There are at LEAST 3 other girls there with a nose ring and one traveling pharmacy tech that comes in with a huge lip ring and i was told to go home or take it out.
When our argument was finally done she told me to go home. don't come back and she'll be talking to Skip, our district LP. i said "good. i'll be speaking with him and employee relations. you're inconsistent and unfair in your discipline and how you run your store" and then left. im still waiting for both people to call me back.
I've done my research and found nothing on piercings. they're subtle and not gawdy... nor do they stand out and i flip my septum up into my nose so you don't see it... even though there are other ppl there with a nose ring.
I've even talked to some Ex corporate ppl and they've told me to fight it.
I can't be all that bad of an employee. i feel i've established myself very well within the company as a good team player... proof in the attached picture. Walgreen's World magazine
I've got two things to go on when i fight it.
- "Lifestyle diversities"
- unfair inconsistent workplace
the company itself isn't too bad... it's the management and the lack of proper training that makes your life working for Walgreens a miserable living hell.