25 People Reveal What Led To Them Quitting A New Job Before Lunch

Landing a new job is an exciting prospect. Beyond the financial benefits, it’s a fresh challenge and a chance to grow. As employees, we often start knowing very little but carrying high expectations. Still, no matter how eager we are to begin, many of us have learned to walk in with our eyes wide open.

#1

Image source: 30FujinRaijin03, prostock-studio

My wife started at a Mexican restaurant and after she cleared her first table, she went to dump the salsa from the bowl and the manager told her to put it in to the next tables salsa container. She quit after her first 45 minutes and then we turned in the restaurant to the health board. The were shutdown about a week afterwards to never reopen.

Edit: to those who think it’s not real that they were shutdown just about some salsa, that was the least of the concerns that they were shutdown about. And my most up voted comment is of course this incident.

#2

Image source: Hysterion_Prophetess, usertrmk

Got hired to do QA at a chemical plant. Walked in, spent a full hour trying to find who was in charge and who I was supposed to report to. After more than 90 minutes, I just walked out, never having found out who my “boss” was supposed to be.

#3

Image source: Ironborn_62, DC Studio

Worked in a children’s hospital for a week in an ICU. The combination of children crying, parents crying, and seeing kids with all sorts of tubes sticking out of them broke me pretty quick.

#4

Image source: Any_Adhesiveness3549, Zak Chapman

Buffet. Spilled pan of chicken tenders on floor. Manager told to pick up, take in back and bring back out. Even my 23 year old not caring self knew that was wrong.

#5

Image source: GentleMoonBeam, DC Studio

A telemarketing job. I lasted two hours before I had an anxiety attack from the script they made us read. I realized I was not cut out for being yelled at by strangers for minimum wage. Never went back after lunch.

#6

Image source: elpsycongroo93, Berkeley Communications

Got fired after almost 3 days. It was a telemarketing job on my lunch break during my 3rd day I got an email that was an acceptance letter to law school. This old dude that literally looked like Tom Smykowski from office space I’d met that morning asked why I looked excited and I showed him the email and he said “go, leave this place and don’t look back” he left the break room and about 10 minutes after my lunch I was brought into the conference room and the boss said I was not a good fit and will “fire me so I can file unemployment”. I said okay. 2 weeks later I was living 1,000 miles away from my home town in my first apartment alone about to start a new career. I really wonder how that dude I met on that lunch break is.

#7

Image source: Altitude528O, Александр Коновалов

Got hired on at a major ski as a member of their marketing team. First day was formal training where I was told to sit in on “Snowblower” training.

Long hours, middle of the night up a mountain in the freezing cold. Yeah, not my cup of tea. Maybe they were just doing cross training, I thought.

Next day, we are picking up equipment, I was expecting a walkie and my lift pass for being an employee. I was given sub zero gloves, heavy jacket, multi tool. Again, just thinking it was for safety.

Got my schedule for the 3rd day and was scheduled for an overnight shift… immediately went to HR. Their response “that position (the marketing role) never existed.” Quit on the spot.

#8

Image source: PurpleSunCraze, EyeEm

IT job where I learned on day one I was the only IT guy in the building. Like 300 users. About 3 days in some department manager asked if the 100 new desktops were going to be ready by tomorrow, no idea what he was talking about. I reached out to corporate and their IT guy said something like “Oh yeah, there’s like 100 boxed PCs in the warehouse you’ll have to set up and image, forgot to mention that”. I laughed, handed my badge to HR, and walked. On the way out HR told me the last 4 people in my position had quit in the first week.

#9

Image source: GinBitch, Drazen Zigic

Was told it was customer service. It was actually cold calling so I walked out.

Probably there 30 minutes total.

#10

Image source: AH2112, Ayush Shakya

Took a job umpiring indoor cricket because I was broke and needed the money. After my second shift I asked who I should give details to to get paid. Was told “Oh you’re still training, you don’t get paid”

I walked out.

#11

Image source: Fragahah, freepik

A fashion studio. Walked in to “interview” for the job and they expected me to sit down and work for free for the exposure. I asked them point blank, “what the hell is going on?” And they said they didn’t like my attitude and asked me to leave. Weirdest 20 minutes.

#12

Image source: PewpyDewpdyPantz, Kampus Production

Dishwasher at a small restaurant. I lasted one shift.

Asked the owner/chef when we got paid and he said next week. I told him I wasn’t going to be coming back after that night, asked for $40 cash and we’d call it even. He obliged and ended up giving me a bowl of risotto too. He was a cool guy.

Fun fact. About a year later a couple of my buddies got jobs as servers at the same restaurant and had nothing but good things to say about the owner.

#13

Image source: RealisticCyinc, Louis Hansel

When I was 18, server. Quit after 30 mins on my first night. Give everyone props who can restrain themselves from either punching someone in the face or dumping a drink on them.

#14

Wendy’s. I had interviewed in the lobby. When I came in for my first day, my boss handed me my hat at the register. I put on the hat, stepped behind the counter into the kitchen, then immediately stepped back into the lobby and removed the hat. Told her “I can’t work here,” and left.
It was SO MUCH LOUDER behind the counter. All the little beeping machines!

Anyway, turns out I have autism lol. .

Image source: MawPotter

#15

Image source: nurdle, Ketut Subiyanto

Dominos. I went through training, then argued with the manager about the type of khaki’s required. He said “you’r not Domino’s material” and I answered “you’re right, I’m not made of polyester.” Never worked a single day there, got paid $20 after taxes because it was paid training.

EDIT: I suppose I should add…I had khakis, but they weren’t the right “shade” or brand. I thought it was ridiculous to require an employee to buy a uniform from a specific store & manufacturer, and not get reimbursed either. Especially when I had very similar pants.

#16

Image source: mspe1960, Karl Joshua Bernal

When I was a Junior in college I got a summer job at an executive dining hall for a major corporation. The job I appled for, interviewed for, and was hired for was cashier. When I got there they put me in the kitchen washing dishes. There is nothing wrong with that, I actually did it for two years in high school. But I had been lied to and I did not show up the next day.

#17

Image source: Temporary_Ad_1199, Vojtech Okenka

Got hired as a CNA got assigned my first job and never showed up because the lady who’s relative I was going to be taking care of called me to give a brief intro and she goes “are you black, you sound black”.

#18

Image source: Comfortable-Heart317, Diva Plavalaguna

I’ve quit two jobs on the first day. One was at a theater where I was hired to be a ticket seller (this was before it was all done online), the manager yelled at me because I had dark green pants on. I left to change and never went back.

The other was an oil change place. They sat me down in an unairconditioned box in August in south Texas and made me watch videos all day. No one talked to me. I didn’t go back.

#19

Image source: Ohionativegirl, Daisy D

Three days at a mall pet store when I was 19. They threw me out there with no training and I didn’t know anything about anything so had to check with another associate for every question. They were also awful to the animals. Didn’t even go back to get the small paycheck.

#20

Image source: Weak_Carpenter_7060, buchacats2

Did lawn care, landscaping, and other household chores for an older lady down the street for a few weeks. She was a micromanager, condescending, holier-than-thou. I could put up with it cause it was really easy, right down the street, and was okay money for a 14-15 year old. Crossed the line when she backed her car into a phone pole and tried blaming me for it.

#21

Image source: thesmartoneiam, Visual Karsa

McDonald’s, I worked there for like 3 days in which they just kinda put me to work, no training at all, , literally had to trial and error my way through those days, and when they said “you’re not learning fast enough so we may have to let you go” I stopped working there the next day lmao, I was 16 with decent savings and no expenses so I had nothing to lose and got a job at Walmart which was way better like a month later.

#22

Image source: WirelessTrees, Adrian Sulyok

I worked 4 days at an Amazon warehouse and quit on the start of the 5th day.

During my first day, they changed my hours to conflict with my college courses. They told me they’d fix it. I brought it up every day until the 5th day where I drew the line and quit.

They had some people coming in at 5 and some coming in at 6. They told me to come in at 5 at first, but on the first day they told me I’m 6 going forward. I told them to put me back on 5 and they said they couldn’t.

#23

Image source: chancecast, Erik Mclean

Worked McDonald’s grill for about 6 months months when I was 15. I asked for Mother’s Day off with 2 weeks advanced notice so I could take my mom out. The manager told me I was “too new” to ask for time off, so when my shift for Mother’s Day rolled around I walked in and handed her my uniform.

#24

Image source: victorbarst, Alex Simpson

I took a position in a factory that makes the industrial shelving for grocery stores once. At the orientation the instructor asked me to take it easy the first day and equated to football practice. Show up on the line and see seven dudes ranging from 20-40 all built like amateur boxers. Turns out the job was to grab these big 40 pound shelves, two at a time minimum, lift them above your head onto a moving hook belt for 12 hours with only a 30 minute lunch break. My ride wasnt going to be able to pick me up until the end of the day. The next morning I was physically unable to move. I couldn’t have gone back to that job if I wanted to.

#25

Image source: Busy_Professional974, R.D. Smith

Correctional officer. I made it to lunch when I found out that they’d lied about giving me days off I needed for important medical appointments.