Employers Reveal What They Want To Hear In Response To "Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years"

Finally the answer.
[rebelmouse-image 18347157 is_animated_gif=We all hate that question: "Where do you see yourself in five years?" It's an imposing question because it's hard to see beyond our present. So then why do employers torment us with those terrible words?
Well, u/s1256 was just as curious:
Employers of Reddit, what do you really want to hear when you ask "where do you see yourself in 5 years"?
Here were some of the answers.
No But Seriously
[rebelmouse-image 18348218 is_animated_gif=I had dinner with the CIO of Fortune 10 company when I was younger and he asked me this. And because he was a funny guy and I'm a dumb -ss I answered "In your position."
We both got a good laugh and then he was like "No really."
Honesty
[rebelmouse-image 18348684 is_animated_gif=Told my hiring manager "it depends what I get out of this job". He wanted to know more. Told him this was my first time working in this field and while I enjoyed school for all I know I could hate the job. Told him my long term plan is to build a career but if I don't like what I'm doing it's not good for me, the service I was applying to, or the patients I'd meet.
Basically his face lit up and the whole panel loved me. I now sit on my butt for most of my shift and get paid half decent to do it.
Be Cool, Boy
[rebelmouse-image 18348685 is_animated_gif=I used to never ask this question. I thought it was stupid. Then, I saw an employer on Reddit tell of a time that a prospective employee said that they planned to be spending their life in a foreign country in the next five years and was just looking for a job for six months to save up for the trip. I have asked that question every interview since.
It's not that there's something we really want to hear, it's just that there are some answers that we really DON'T want to hear.
As long as your answer isn't essentially "training me is a waste of your time and money," it's a good answer.
Meta
[rebelmouse-image 18348686 is_animated_gif=My last interview in August, I told the woman interviewing me that in a little over 5 years I see myself at the company Christmas party and you ask me how long I've been here now and I say 5 years and you say wow has it been 5 years already.
At last years Christmas party she was telling everyone how it was the best response she ever got to that question.
Goals
[rebelmouse-image 18348687 is_animated_gif=I know that "doing your job" or something of the like isn't the best answer, but I like to hear people who have realistic expectations about how they could grow in their job. So things like: "moving towards a leadership role" or another answer that shows they know what the job they're applying for is, and they know what it can lead to and plan to work towards that, always impress me.
Just Gotta Keep Em
[rebelmouse-image 18348688 is_animated_gif=I was interviewing candidates for a sales position recently. If they told me they were interested in developing skills in project management and would eventually like to move there, that's fine. We have project managers too, so even if I lose them in the sales department after a couple years, they're still valuable to the company. If they told me their dream is to become a writer, however, that would be a red flag. We don't have any writers on staff - although that is like 5% of marketing's job.
As a personal anecdote, I started at my last company as an applications engineer. After about a year I was becoming extremely valuable, as I was the only applications engineer at the company (and my performance was excellent) and was ready for a promotion. I was told there was no promotion available to become a sales manager or something like that. After I said I was going to leave, I was offered a promotion to a senior applications engineer... kind of a fake promotion.
I left after about 1.5 years at that company to go work as a product manager at a competitor.
Foresight
[rebelmouse-image 18348689 is_animated_gif=Any sort of plan or ambition.
Moving On Up
[rebelmouse-image 18348690 is_animated_gif=I answered this question at an interview with "I'd like to be in Mexico drinking a beer on the beach" it got a good laugh but they asked me to be serious so I said "If I don't at least have your job in 5 years then neither of us have progressed very far". I got the job and had their position in 2 years.
Best Time Available
[rebelmouse-image 18348691 is_animated_gif=I really want to hear honesty. The major motivation I have in asking it is to see if 1- you have a general plan for the next few years of life, 2- whether I think that's realistic, 3- how that may factor into your potential role at my work.
Maybe you're going to be a clock rider. You're a warm body. We'll throw small change your way and never give you more than you can handle.
Maybe you're going to school/moving/whatever and won't be able to work for us after (x) time. I want to use the time we have to the best ability without wasting it.
Maybe you're in it for the long haul. We may throw training and extra responsibilities, as well as extra pay, to you that we wouldn't waste on a short-timer.
Unless your answer is wildly delusional compared to your skills and abilities, there's not a "wrong" answer. It's mostly a way to see if your goals match our current and future needs.
Accomplishment
[rebelmouse-image 18348692 is_animated_gif="I'd like to have achieved some measurable accomplishments in this role, such as launching a new product. I'd like to take on more responsibility and find myself in a team of supporting, dynamic people. I see myself as constantly evolving and learning, and I'd want to be as eager and creative after five years in a job as I was on day one."
Strange Tactics
[rebelmouse-image 18348693 is_animated_gif=My canned answer was always "I know the answer you're looking for is that I want to further my education and move up in my responsibilities, possibly to management. But the truth is this: I always want to continue my education, but I'm happy doing bedside nursing. I don't want to move away from the bedside. There will always be a need for experienced nurses to care for patients and that's where I want to be."
But one time I saw that the interview was going nowhere, so I said "eating lunch with you guys!" lol I didn't get the job.
Revolving Door
[rebelmouse-image 18348695 is_animated_gif=I HATE this question. Mainly for the fact that I haven't been at the same company for 5 years.
If I did ask this question, I'd preface it with 'I want you to be honest, because it may not be with this company, and that's fine!'.
IT workers rotate a lot, so it's expected as long as it's not shorter than 3-6 months at each job, unless they were internships or entry level.
The Appropriate Avenue
[rebelmouse-image 18348696 is_animated_gif=I always ask where people want to take their career in the future, and preface the question with an explanation that it is intended to learn their longterm career goals and ensure they match with the future career path of the position. If someone wants to be a CEO I won't offer them a dead end data job. But if they want a good work-life balance and aren't concerned with advancing that may be a good fit. I need people who want to climb the ladder and rule the world and I need people who just want to do their job and go home. If you have 100% one or the other you will have problems, and asking candidly is the best way to find out.
Dislike
[rebelmouse-image 18348697 is_animated_gif=Of all the interviews I've conducted, few have included this question. When someone asks it, what I really look for in an answer is to understand how the person thinks, what they want out of life, and if they are straightforward. An answer like "Hopefully still working here" teaches me very little about the person, except that they seem to want or need the job. There isn't really a 'right' answer, except to answer honestly.
Straightforward
[rebelmouse-image 18348698 is_animated_gif=The best person I ever hired told me a simple, straightforward, realistic answer. He wanted to be a senior dev lead, and continued on to tell me all the intermediate steps and how he would get there. Working hard, learning, certifications , seeking mentorship, and incremental promotions. It was a very modest answer but it showed he had direction and understood what needed to be done step by step to achieve success.
Nope Hate It
[rebelmouse-image 18348646 is_animated_gif=I have interviewed many people, and I have never asked this question. It's idiotic, in part because it's a question that people prep, so you just get the answer the interviewee thinks you want to hear rather than the truth. It's not as stupid as, "What is your biggest weakness?" but it's not great.
Pro-Gres-Sion
[rebelmouse-image 18348699 is_animated_gif=That you understand the career progression the role offers. This question is stupid if you're going to work in retail or fast food, but actually has a purpose in corporate America.
The Different Kinds
[rebelmouse-image 18347353 is_animated_gif=The right answer: The go-getter. Talking about personal skills development that would help further your career. This shows you are proactive in self-improvement and development, understanding that how far you go in your career is up to you. Also shows you have a genuine interest in the field you are looking for work in.
The most common wrong answer: The casual optimist. Talking about what position you will hold at the specific company you are interviewing for, i.e. the "I see myself with your job" answer. This makes you sound entitled and lack understanding in how career development works, like being at a place for some amount of time means anything if you aren't constantly improving yourself in that time.
The even more wrong answer: The big talker. Bold statements that you will be the person you are interviewing's boss or run the company in 5 years, without being able to articulate a plan of how any of that is going to happen. Being confident and dreaming big is great, but make sure you back it up with a plan of action that makes sense in reality.
The worst answer: The failure to launch. Meandering around different unrelated things of what you could possibly be without any awareness of yourself or the world in general as if you're still in high school.
I am speaking of course about interviewing for professional jobs that have career paths behind them. If you are 16 years-old and interviewing to fold clothes at The Gap for summer then I'd say it's your idiot manager's fault for asking such a useless question for an obvious no-career job and they deserve to get the biggest lie you can give them.
Five Year Hindsight
[rebelmouse-image 18346210 is_animated_gif=I actually got asked this in an interview about a month ago. Luckily, they said they really liked my answer to it.
I said "I don't know."
I don't know where I'll be in five years. If I look back 5 years and compare my aspirations then to where I am now, the difference is wild. There are certain things I would love to have/have done in 5 years time, but to say a direction destination of where I want to be is impossible to say. I like having shorter term goals, they're far more realistic. Where do I see myself in 6 months...3 months... Where do I see myself in a month. If I get too obsessed with to far down the road I'll put it off, and be disappointed when it never happened.
Life Life Life
[rebelmouse-image 18348700 is_animated_gif=Any answer that shows you have put thought into where your life is headed is a good answer. The point of the question is not to see if you have a good or acceptable plan. The point is to see if you have thought about it enough to make a plan. Pretty important skill in business to look into the future and see what could be, then to plan the steps required to get there.
Things That Are Much Nastier Than Most People Realize
Reddit user Strawberry_no_cake asked: 'What is nastier than people realize?'
When we thing of something being gross, or nasty, or cruel, there are certain examples that we can all think of, like bullying or an uncleaned bathroom.
But there are other things in our lives that are actually much nastier than we would expect them to be, and we can only really uncover the truth by taking a closer look at them.
Cringing already, Redditor Strawberry_no_cake asked:
"What is nastier than people realize?"
Not So Sweet Now
"Ice machines in restaurants."
- Goodygumdrops
"I worked at a golf course after I lost my law firm internship during the pandemic. I basically just cooked people easy food (burgers, hot dogs, fries, BLTs, etc.) and tended bar in the clubhouse."
"I can confirm that the ice machine can get gross. I’d always do a quick wipe down clean if I saw anything on the ice, but it was typically on parts of the machine that never touched the actual ice we’d use."
- S**tfacedGrizzlyBear
Unexpected, but Makes Sense
"RN here: Hospital floors!"
"Seems obvious, but apparently it isn’t. I can’t believe how many folks will allow their CHILDREN to sit or play on the floors, or just generally treat them like they are sterile. I don’t even wear my work shoes into my own house."
"The other day I spilled a few drops of tea on the floor where I work… gave it a very light wipe with a cloth and the cloth was BLACK."
"I think people assume that since it’s a hospital the floors are in mint condition… absolutely no way, lol (laughing out loud)."
- gracebloome
Secondary Symptoms in Autoimmune Diseases
"Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis."
"Thanks to drug company ads, most people think it's just about going to the bathroom a few times a day. There's never any mention of fissures, fistulas, fevers, extreme pain, extreme fatigue, depression, anemia, drug side effects, joint pain, painful and horrific surgeries, mouth sores, skin disorders, etc."
- reddy_kil0watt
Our Enemies Don't Even Deserve This
"Dementia, especially advanced dementia. It's not just quirky memory problems, your brain controls every bodily function."
- youngboomergal
Carer Fatigue is Real
"Being a caregiver. Again, people know it might be nasty, but I think they still overlook the awful experience it is for people who are caring for an elder."
"My mom took care of my bedridden grandmother for three years. The amount of s**t everywhere (she had chronic diarrhea, and I don't know if it's just me, but old people's s**t smells like something of another realm), awful body odor (even when we were cleaning her constantly), the difficulty of changing diapers/sheets/covers as constantly as she needed (at least two times during the night)."
"So what I meant is that sometimes people think is 'nice' of a certain daughter/son to take care of their old parents (at least in my country where putting your parents in facilities is not common). But it's just such an intense, nerve-wracking, hard, and disgusting job, with no breaks, with little rewards (because at least my grandma was not in her right mind), and almost no social recognition that it blows my mind how underappreciated it is."
- FuelSelect
One Word: Cancer
"Cancer. People know it’s nasty. People know it’s nasty as all h**l. But here’s the thing. Going through it myself, I could have never imagined how nasty it truly is."
"I watched my mom fight stage four ovarian cancer 18 years ago (I’m 40 right now for reference). She was so far along, and so riddled with the cancer that she was given weeks to live, and sent away from three oncologists who told her to check into hospice and prepare for the end."
"Thankfully she found an oncologist (who is mine now) who took her in, and went to war with her. They cut her open from the chest down, and spent hours plucking tumors out of her while rearranging her internal organs. Taking out the bad stuff and building what he could with what was left. Then two long rounds of chemo. Hospital visits. Illness left and right. Side effects. Recovery. It was h**l for her, but she beat the odds and lived."
"Watching this, I understood what I could. I saw the pain, but now, going through it myself, couldn’t possibly comprehend how bad it truly was. I saw the illness, the nausea, the neuropathy, all the stupid side effects that hit you for no reason at all."
"So yeah, cancer. Everyone knows it’s nasty, but man is it even worse than that!"
- jdizzle161
Travel Luggage
"Luggage. It gets rolled throughout the world, often in gross airport bathrooms where floors are literally wet with pee, and then when people get to their destination, the first thing they do is toss it on the bed to unpack."
"Come to think of it, this also makes hotel comforters that never get washed even more disgusting."
- jgilbs
That One Article of Clothing
"Your belt. Think about it, it´s basically the only piece of clothing you never wash. And you always have to touch it after you pooped and before you wash your hands."
- KeplerFinn
Dusty Keyboard Keys
"Your keyboard."
"Seriously man, wash that thing. I can see the dirt from your window!"
- BowlOfJello___
A World of Germs in Your Pocket
"Phones."
"One time I was in line at a food service place, think Chipotle style where you tell them what you want and they make it behind the counter."
"There was this sweaty Door Dasher guy who couldn’t really articulate the order so he handed his phone to the kid behind the counter. The kid proceeds to take his phone, starts swiping and touching it WITHOUT GLOVES ON, and goes right back to touching people’s food."
"Disgusting."
- white_cyclosa
Where Has That Been?
"The top of a soda can. People buy them from a store and put it right onto their mouth without hesitation."
- fuzzynavel5
Far Beyond the Stereotypes
"OCD. It's not some goofy personality quirk. It's h**l on earth."
- MERT-x123
"'Oh, you have OCD? Well, how come your house is a mess?'"
"Oh, I dunno, maybe because I'm so consumed with intrusive thoughts I can't function?"
"'lol (laughing out loud), I get those too! They're normal, just ignore them.'"
"ha-ha-ha-ha sob."
- SerakTheRegallian
What We Wear Everywhere
"Shoes. They are filled with sweaty feet and go everywhere. Think about the gas station and airport bathrooms. The bathrooms you can feel the ick in."
- golamas1992
Also, Watch Straps
"Your watch strap: mine is white and the notches for the buckle go all the way around and every week I have to clean out all the lint and build up to stop it going funky. Makes me shudder at the idea of other watch straps where it may not be as obvious."
- durkbot
Kids Who Don't Know Better
"Speaking as a teacher of four- to five-year-olds:"
"Kids with colds who do not know how to blow their noses or cover their coughs and sneezes. Sometimes they just leave the snot on their faces, or wipe it on their clothes. They can produce a mind-boggling amount of snot!"
"The awful gross things kids will willingly put in their mouths, and then share with others!"
"I love them regardless!"
- CreepyCandidate4449
We're absolutely squirming at the thought of all of these situations, mostly because we haven't thought about them to this degree before, or perhaps even considered it (we're looking at you, belts).
Take this as a reminder to clean the things you haven't in a while, and perhaps take some extra health precautions in public spaces where other people may not be.
People Describe The Most Historically Significant Event They've Ever Witnessed In Person
Do you ever wonder what it must've been like to experience major events throughout world history when reading about them in text books?
But if you take pause and actually think about it, we're living through many newsworthy current events that succeeding generations will be talking about long after we're gone.
Reading about them online or in newspapers is one thing. But seeing them happen unfold before our eyes is another.
"What is the most historically significant event you witnessed IN PERSON?"
People recall the natural disaster events they've witnessed.
Tremors
"1964 Good Friday Earthquake 9.2 Richter. Was a boy in Cordova, Alaska at the time."
– KitchenLab2536
"My father was skipper of the USCG cutter stationed there. He was inport, and when the quake struck shortly before 5:30pm, he and my mom gathered me and my three siblings on the front porch. At first, it felt like the house was crumbling at the foundation, but on the porch we could plainly see our whole world was shaking. I remember watching telephone poles swaying, and the wires snapping and crackling in the street. The quake lasted about five minutes initially. My dad got his ship underway to avoid the tidal wave which was sure to come. We had several aftershocks in the coming weeks, some of which were quite strong, though nowhere near as strong or as long as the quake itself. I was seven at the time."
– KitchenLab2536
Collapsing Freeway
"October 17th, 1989. I watched the 880 Nimitz freeway collapse during the San Francisco earthquake. The Honda in front of me had the upper deck crush her front-end engine compartment. The mother and her daughter were shaken up but completely fine."
"I was driving a convertible Triumph Spitfire, which was scratched up slightly from debris. However, I walked away unscathed. Aside from the fact I pissed my pants, which I didn't notice until much later."
– CatDaddyWhisper
Thar She Blows
"I sat on the roof of our house and watched Mt. St. Helens erupt less than 100 miles away."
– stinkykitty71
"This must have been fascinating and terryfing in equal measure. What a thing to witness."
– runrossyrun
"It was amazing! The ash that covered everything like snow was interesting to kid me, but less so to my parents."
– stinkykitty71
People recall seeing major catastrophes as a result of malfunctions or judgement errors.
Bomber Crash
"The b-52 crash that led to changing what large military aircraft are allowed to do for airshows."
"I didn't see the plane, but immediately saw the fireball. It was just a perfect, bright red turning to black mushroom cloud."
"Fairchild is a nuclear air base and there were a few minutes there where I was sure the world was about to end."
"A few years before a KC-135 doing the same thing crashed near the school while we were in class."
– goffstock
Tragic Takeoff
"I was standing on my front porch watching the launch of the Challenger."
– StarChaser_Tyger
"Was riding in my parents car to a basketball game in the next town over in north texas when we saw a shooting star and thought that was neat."
"It was the Columbia..."
– Misdirected_Colors
Demolition Gone Wrong
"The failed implosion of the Zip feed mill in Sioux Falls, SD in 2005."
"They hyped it up, sold tickets to it, had a big 'BOOM' marketing thing, and broadcast it live on TV."
"The explosives took out the main supports on the first floor, and the rest of the building above it just plopped down 10ft or so and came to a rest. It was a massive failure, and was a funny little blurb on news stations around the world that day. Definitely not major news, just the rest of the world taking 20 seconds to laugh at us."
"The building sat like that (the leaning tower of SuFu) for quite a while until they figured out how to safely demolish it."
"Here's a clip of the failed demolition."
– KitchenBandicoots
These well-known historical events were seen by very few who are alive today.
Historical Remnant
"The tumbling of the Wall in Germany… along with people selling bits and pieces of it on tables in lobby in front of commissary and px in the following weeks and months. I had picked up a chunk about the size of an oreo and kept it… has blue spray paint on the flat side. Wonder if anyone is buying them now?"
– SingedPenguin13
Major Upheaval
"I would have to say the LA riots. I lived about two blocks from where it started. I was on my way home from school and saw someone throw a brick through a window. I didn’t even wait. I just started running the whole way home."
– Scarlaymama0721
Day Of Infamy
"9/11, I could SMELL the collapse of the towers."
– go4tli
"A friend of mine was there. One day in the warehouse we worked in together there was an odd electrical burning smell. He stopped in his tracks and went 'this is what 9/11 smelled like.'"
– mantistoboggan287
I didn't physically witness the fall of the World Trade Center but I was living in New York City at the time.
However, I did see the smoke.
I was living up north in Washington Heights at the time and knowing what happened, uncertain of what was to come, and seeing the plumes of smoke from the attack site was the most ominous sight I've ever seen in my life to date.
Have you ever lived through a historic moment or witnessed something sure to be noted in history books? Let us know in the comments below.
People Who Quit Their Job In The Middle Of A Shift Explain Why They Did It
A job search is not fun, so most people will tolerate a lot to keep a job.
But everyone has their limit.
Sometimes that limit is reached right in the middle of a work day and people are forced to walk off the job with no prior notice.
Reddit user thann3 asked:
"Have you ever gotten up and quit your job in the middle of a work shift? If so, why?"
Hands Off
"I was a bar back in my 20s, and I had an incredibly abusive boss. It was a weekend night, and the bar had two floors, and I was the only bar back that night, and there was only one bartender on each floor."
"At about midnight, food orders would start coming in left and right, and that night was no exception."
"Between having to empty out ashtrays, pick up dirty glasses, clean tables, wash dishes, and make all of the food orders, I couldn’t keep up."
"My boss got very angry with me because I was behind on food orders and people were starting to get upset about having tables with empty glasses and very delayed food orders."
"She summoned me over to the bar, grabbed me by the shirt collar, shook me, and screamed in my face, 'Just get me through the rest of the f**king night and then you can quit!'."
"I was in disbelief, and went back upstairs."
"I looked at all of the tickets I had left to make, and just decided that job wasn’t worth it."
"I turned off the grill and the fryers, turned the light off in the kitchen, threw my towel in the dirty towel hamper, and walked out."
"That was the night I stopped taking other peoples’ sh*t."
~ ConspicuousCat80
Tech Crash
"Dell computer sales 1998."
"They fired 90% of all the commission making sales people and replaced them with hourly workers from a temp agency."
"They then asked me to train them. I was like, 'maybe you should have trained them before firing everyone— why would I train them so you can fire me in 2 weeks?'."
"I then grabbed my sh*t and noped out of there!"
~ Raspberries-Are-Evil
Fight Club 🥊
"Temp agency sent me for assignment to a small factory making furniture."
"7am start time. At 7:03 or :04 , while still waiting for some sort of foreman/ supervisor to come over & say hello, here's what we do here ........ coupla dudes start shouting at each other & it breaks out into full blown fisticuffs."
"Yeah, I'd seen enough."
"Funny how I have a completely crystal clear memory of looking at the clock in my car as I drove away. 7:12am."
~ thrwawaythrwaway_now
At the Car Wash
"I worked at a car wash during the winter in the wet tunnel."
"Manager got in my face for wearing a coat that didn’t have the company logo on it, but they didn’t make uniform coats. Told him to eat my entire a** and choke on it, and then left."
"It gets below zero here regularly, I’m not risking my life or even my comfort for $12 an hour."
~ BoobsCirca1942
All Day, All Night
"Dishtank. Only job I ever walked off of mid-shift."
"We had a new manager who was lazy and chased the women waitstaff. I cooked, did expo, prep, dishtank, and in a pinch I did waitstaff but new manager always tossed me in to dish tank."
"One day I opened the store at 430am as prep, then cooked until about 3pm; new manager comes in and tells me as I am leaving to 'get my a** back to the dishtank, that I am closing there tonight'."
"I told him I opened, preppeqd and cooked until now, and that I had sh*t to do tonight (I had a date)—to which he laughed."
"I told him to f*ck right off and walked out."
"Got a job delivering pizza for more money and better hours. F*ck you, Mark."
~ tigerbreak
Scrubbed
"I was a cook and new manager kept making me cover the dish pit cuz dishwasher was not showing up. They refused to hire another one and were making him work 7 days/week."
"I told him if he kept making me close dish pit I was gonna put my 2 weeks in."
"He said 'good' and went back to cooking. So I went and grabbed my shoes and backpack, got his attention, he turned around and I gave him a peace sign and left."
"Keep in mind I had been there for three years, worked as a busser, dishwasher, server, host, cook… I did everything they asked."
"He had only been our manager for 2 months."
~ Tensonrom
Nepo Baby
"I was 17 and just finshed mopping the floor at closing time and was walking out the door."
"The owner's son walked across the floor in boots covered in motor oil and told me to 'mop this sh*t up'."
"I dropped the mop on the foor and told him to do it himself."
"I was being paid minimum wage and wasn't going to deal with that sh*t."
~ Dead_Hours
Not Lovin' It
"I started at a McDonald's because I was desperate."
"First day, it's already 2 hours past the time I was supposed to go home, but they kept telling me I had to stay and wait (for what exactly?)."
"Finally they said to sweep the kitchen and go home. I swept everything into a big pile, was about to put it into the dustpan when the shift lead came by and said 'looks good!' then she kicked the pile out and said 'now do it again'."
"I made myself an ice cream cone and left."
~ dark_wolf1994
Customer Service
"After I retired early (at 50) I thought that a job at the local Tim Hortons would be perfect. Part time, no stress, and I enjoy seniors and our sleepy town of 2000 had a high percentage of seniors."
"Most of 'training' was me fixing the computers to get them to work so that I could actually watch the training videos. That was week one."
"Week two I realized how slow the location was, despite being on the highway. We had a lunch rush and it was pretty slow other than that."
"Two days into week two and I was already recognizing the regulars."
"Seniors in their 70/80's who would come and get one coffee in a China cup and ask that I fill it as much as I can because we didn't give refills."
"No problems, it drove me nuts to dump coffee after 20 minutes and not offer it to them."
"Problem was, very few of them could carry these full cups to the tables. No worries from me, I'd bring their coffee to them.
"As I said, the location was slow and days were long and boring. It was no big deal to carry coffee cups for a few seniors and make them smile.Twice that second day working the floor I got in sh*t for doing that.
"I pointed out that there was no one else in the store and it just took me moments. Their response was 'we are not a full service restaurant, let them carry their own coffees'."
"I stood like a useless fool behind the counter when the next group of seniors came in, feeling like an idiot."
"Break time came. I grabbed my coat and went out back for a smoke. Halfway through my break, with one of the managers, I said 'f**k this. I can't treat people like this. Sorry.' and walked home never to return as an employee."
"On the rare occasion that I go there as a customer, I'll jump up from my table to assist any seniors that I see and now they can't do a damned thing about it."
~ borborhick
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot! 🥵
"I was a dishwasher, had worked there 2 weeks."
"The air conditioning (A/C) for kitchen and office both broke the day before I started."
"Office A/C was fixed the following day, kitchen A/C 'wasn't priority '. It was a heatwave in August, hitting 115° outside."
"The whole kitchen staff walked out."
~ handandfoot8099
Ring, Ring
"I was looking for work and took anything I could find, unfortunately the job I found was telemarketing."
"Anyway the work sucked and I hated it, I always took no for an answer and that got me in lots of trouble."
"They kept putting me in a room with this old VHS tape on pressure tactics and never taking no for an answer. The tape went for an hour so I just had a nap instead."
"Thankfully I was also looking for work on the side and found/got a job at the local supermarket, so I knew I had a backup plan."
"The next time they put me in that room with that tape, I had a nap again."
"When I came out they said 'if you have to go in there again your position will be terminated'."
"I just said 'I'll save you the trouble, I quit'."
"That really pissed them off because they were already understaffed."
~ TheRealReapz
"Same thing happened to me."
"Everyone yelling at me or hanging up."
"Boss pressuring me to make more calls."
"Took my lunch break and never went back."
~ MiltonRobert
Don't Mess With the IRS
"Day 2. Owner tells me that he pays taxes for us so he pays cash and it is after taxes."
"So $7.50 and not the $10/hr we agreed to."
"I walked out and called the IRS hotline to report fraud."
Have you ever quit a job in the middle of the work day?
Share your story in the comments.
Many weddings involve months of planning and thousands of dollars.
But the one guarantee in life is that poo happens and weddings are not immune to sh*t storms.
Natural disasters, unexpected illnesses, accidents or animosity can derail even the best laid wedding plans.
Reddit user NickWhite566 asked:
"What happened to those who had attended a botched wedding?"
Hunger Games
"Went to a Pig Roast wedding in a rural setting, 120 people, huge field, right by the river."
"I looked at the one pig roasting and thought to myself 'They must have the other pigs roasting elsewhere to keep the smoke down'—NOPE only one pig for 120 people."
"We were the first table to line up after the head table—and the pig was already 1/3 gone—they ran out at about table 5 of 20 tables."
"I ate then sat back an watched the fallout. One of the groomsmen was my good friend and I casually said 'Should throw the groom in the river for this kind of f**k up'."
"Groom was promptly thrown in the river—that kinda thing happens when people drink on empty stomachs."
~ collectivedisagree
Stone Cold
"A few years ago, my cousin was getting married. The man she was marrying was perfect for her. I was jealous. I wanted something like they had."
"Anyway, the day of the wedding comes and her maid of honor (bride's sister) and her soon to be husband are nowhere to be found."
"Well, she's waiting in the church and one of the groomsmen comes in with a hand written letter from the fiancé."
"Turns out the maid of honor (her sister) and her fiancé have been sleeping together for a while, she's pregnant, and they ran off to Vegas to get married."
"So, no wedding."
~ ServiceCall1986
Change of Venue
"I attended a wedding where they held the ceremony and reception at this renovated historic house. During the reception though, police were called because apparently the 'venue' wasn't actually permitted to be a business."
"It was just some people's house that they kept renting out to weddings to the immense annoyance of their neighbors (and subsequently the police)."
"One of the house owners actually ended up being arrested because they had already been given a 'last warning' at the previous wedding the weekend before, and the dude was getting belligerent."
"Most of the reception was done by that point anyway, but it sure was chaotic as we were all shooed out, trying to call like 50 Ubers while the cops made sure we left."
~ ShrimpHeavenAngel
Brrrr... 🥶
"I attended an outdoor wedding."
"In December."
"All the guests assumed there would be shelter/heating but nope—nothing was provided."
"All us guests were freezing cold. Some got drunk as fast as they could and others kept asking the staff for cups of tea, not to drink but to hold the warm cups."
"It was awful."
~ ErodeMode
Tragic
"Went to the wedding of one of my husband's close friends and everything was going wonderful until about 3 hours in when the bride's grandma becomes unresponsive."
"We were sitting right next to that table when she falls to the floor not breathing. Our other friend (an EMT) ended up performing CPR on her until the paramedics came."
"He said he felt her ribs cracking under his hands."
"The wedding promptly ended as the bride and groom go to the hospital with grandma. She passed away in the hospital that night after an emergency surgery."
~ blondie5697
Not What They Ordered
"My wife and I watched in horror as the wedding planner proceeded to get very sloppily drunk and exceedingly outlandish behavior."
"It came crashing to an end when she started dancing/grinding on the father of the bride with his wife and the bride a few feet away staring in shock."
"Lots of shouting and then the groomsmen not so kindly escorted her out."
~ uni-monkey
Father of the Bride
"I was the photographer."
"The bride was very close to her stepfather, and her father had not been in the picture for a lot of her life, but he was invited to the wedding and they did two father-daughter dances so he wasn't left out or anything."
"He was also supposed to pay for part of the photos, and he just showed up with no money. He eventually got mad, like she was doing something wrong by including the stepdad, who raised her and paid for most of the wedding (and for that matter, her upbringing)."
"She spent like an hour crying in the back and eventually an uncle offered to pay for some of what the dad owed."
"I knocked off $100 and stayed an extra hour for free so we could get all the photos we would have done during that hour, but it was obviously not the same for her."
"Then the dad spent weeks harassing me to send him the photos I took because she wouldn't send them to him. (I didn't, obviously)."
~ LizardPossum
Noped Out
"The Bride said NO at the altar. Literally walked back down the aisle and out the door."
"The groom stood for a moment and then went to a side room. The minister followed the groom, then came back and said that while the wedding was off, the reception would go forward since the food was already there.
"Awkward reception and nobody stayed long after eating."
"They were getting married because the bride was pregnant, and they thought it was the right thing to do. She decided that pregnancy was not a good reason to marry after all."
"She had the baby and they ended up raising the child together, although not as a romantic couple."
~ Lulinda726
Worst Man
"I used to have a friend who owned a small hotel which operated primarily as a wedding venue. They lived in one of the hotel rooms, so all of the events taking place in the courtyard directly outside their door could be heard very clearly."
"We were hanging out one night during a wedding and listening to the speeches, the most notable of which was the best man speech during which he told the story of having a threesome with both the bride and groom at Burning Man, and heavily alluded to still being in love with the groom."
"Lots of older relatives in attendance."
"The place went silent and the wedding ended about two hours early."
~ Chapsy_
Get Him to the Church on Time
"I was a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding. Day of the wedding we are all getting ready as you normally would. I'm in the bridal suite area; everything is going fantastically."
"The church is filled to capacity with guests. We all walk down the aisle and take our places, bridesmaids and groomsmen alike. My soon-to-be SIL is walking down the aisle on her father's arm. My brother is nowhere in sight."
"There is a long, awkward pause as my SIL is standing in front of a packed church, and we are all just looking at each other. Everyone is assuming the worst—that my brother has skipped out at the altar and left her."
"I'm shout whispering to the Best Man 'where is he'eandk he says 'I don't know". My mom is nearly having a heart attack."
"My dad finally gets up goes to the room where my bro was supposed to be waiting and comes out with my brother. My brother says 'Where's the minister, I was waiting on him'."
"My bro hadn't left at all, the minister was a no-show!"
"He was supposed to be waiting with my bro and walk out with him, or tell him when it was time to walk out while groomsmen were lining up to escort bridesmaids down the aisle. Because no one had checked in on my bro after getting ready no one knew the minister wasn't there."
"At this point, we are all standing in a group at the front of the church; the majority of the church guests still don't know what is going on, just that my bro had to be summoned, and there are angry looks all around."
"My dad realizes he needs to let them in on what's going on, so he announces to the guests, 'We can't find the pastor, is anyone here licensed?' but of course no one is. The bride's father calls the minister on his cell phone, on speaker so the whole church can hear the conversation."
"'Hi Pastor Denny, where are you? Did you forget what today was? Yes Denny, the wedding. The wedding is right now. We are all waiting on you at the church. Ok we'll just wait here then'."
"Turns out the pastor was playing golf and had put the wedding date down as the following weekend in his planner."
"I then ask my soon-to-be SIL if she wants us to walk back down the aisle and come back in or what. She says at this point 'forget it we are all here' so we just stand around and wait for Pastor Denny and try to make jokes with the wedding guests but it's pretty awkward as no one really knows what to do."
"After about 15 minutes Pastor Denny comes running into the church in his golf clothes—polo shirt/funny shorts etc...—apologizes and goes immediately into the vows."
"My poor SIL was furious that day, first thinking my bro had ditched her at the altar then at the fact that the minister had ditched them."
"She laughs about it now but it was a tense ceremony."
~ GreedyReality9815
Party!
"It was my very first friend to get married: a girl I’d known in high school. We were 24, 25. Classic rom-com nightmare scenario where the groom had second thoughts the day of and just bolted."
"We all just milled around for a while, not sure what to do. Awful vibes, the bride’s mom was weeping hysterically."
"Me and some friends were finally making our way to the exits, and the bride stopped us, like 'where the f**k do you think you’re going? You guys are taking me out to a bar right this minute, and you’re gonna have to carry me out of there.”
"So we did—mostly the young people, though a few stray aunts and uncles came along, including a few of the groom’s relatives who were like, 'he’s a little punk anyway, you’re better off without him'.”
"We all got unfathomably drunk, sang karaoke, glasses were shattered, the bride hit on literally every man there including me (though no one took her up on it, that would have been weird)."
"There were a rough few months in store for her afterward, but that ended up being a hell of a party. I can still feel the hangover a decade later."
"Bride married a guy who actually showed up several years later. I think they’re happy."
"No idea about the groom—that was the last time any of us really spoke about him."
~ Nerazzurro9
Surprise?
"My family was invited to what we thought was an engagement party. My aunt had reserved a room at a local restaurant for about 50 people."
"Turns out it was my cousin's wedding. So no one brought a gift or dressed up at all. Bride is in a wedding dress and groom is wearing jeans."
"We ordered food and drinks. The officiant does his thing while waiters are bringing in drinks and appetizers. Finally over and we get to eat."
"But when the officiant asked for the marriage license so they can all sign it, my cousin and his new wife just stared at him confused."
"They didn't know they had to get one!"
"Thought just having a wedding was enough. They were in their late 20s."
"So wedding, but no marriage. They never did 'officially' get married and he ran off a few years later to another state to be with some girl he met online."
~ msao2009
Sick Day
"Friend's wedding. A bunch of people got food poisoning at the rehearsal dinner. Including the groom."
"He spent the night at the ER getting fluids and medication to stop puking. This was an awesome high-end wedding and he almost cancelled."
"He was a pale green color and basically sipped Gatorade all day and got through it. He married his high school sweetheart and they have been married 30+ years."
~ Caspers_Shadow
Fill In
"The best man choked on a piece of steak. I didn’t see it happen but I guess someone performed the Heimlich. It came out, anyway."
"They called an ambulance (you always should go to hospital! Even if obstruction is removed) and he left."
"Another groomsman did an impromptu speech in his place, which was brave of him. He started off with 'I guess (best man) bit off more than he could chew with that role'."
~ rescueruby
Have you ever been invited to a wedding that didn't happen the way it was planned?
Share your story in the comments.