Minor miscommunications can cause major problems, especially on a work site where the powers that be are missing in action.

But in this story, one employee uses a conversation breakdown to his advantage.

Let’s hear about this through the grapevine…

Oh, I’m on private property?

I used to work for a supermarket chain, and quite often I’d be asked by management to work at other locations.

Most of the time, this wasn’t a big deal. I was happy to help out – it gave me an excuse to drive and have the petrol paid for.

However, one day I was asked to work at a location very far away at a very early hour of the morning.

I initially refused on the grounds that I would have to wake up at around 2am in order to have a shower, breakfast, and drive to be on site for 5am.

Yikes, no worm is worth being that early, bird.

After some arm bending from management, I finally relented and begrudgingly agreed I would do it.

Due to the drive not taking nearly as long as I initially expected, I arrived on location at about 4.30am.

I waited in my car with the music playing.

At 4:50am, I get a loud knock on the car window, nearly making me jump out of my skin.

Yeah, that’s definitely an ax murderer.

It was the manager for that store, who, never seeing me before, did not know who I was.

The conversation went as follows:

Manager: “You need to leave. This is private property.”
Me: “Oh, bu-”
Manager: (interrupting) “I don’t care. Go. Now.”
Me: (quickly realizing I can play this to my advantage)”… Oh, I’m sorry, Sir. I don’t want any problems. Of course, I’ll go, right away. Sorry.”

Kicked off your own job site? OK.

And as per his request, I drove home with a smile on my face, knowing that I have the rest of the day free to myself.

A few hours later I get a phone call.

I answer the unrecognized number, and I recognize the voice immediately – it was the manager who told me to leave.

Free day off, not bad.

Manager: “Hello. I’m looking for [myname].”

Me: “Hi, yeah, that’s me.”

Manager: “This is [managername] calling from [location], I was expecting you to work with me today, you should have been here for 5am.”

Me: (trying to sound casual) “Yeah, I was there waiting in my car, you told me to leave, remember?”

Oh how the tables have turned.

Manager: “…But you didn’t say th-”

Me: (interrupting) “-There are no ifs or buts. I was on private property and was asked to leave. I was legally obliged to do so.”

Manager: “Right. But don’t you think-”

Me: (interrupting) “-It doesn’t matter what I thought. I was asked to leave private property. I’m not going to break the law and risk getting in trouble with the police.”

Mic drop!

It was at this point he hung up on me.

I expected to get in trouble for what had happened, but I never heard anything more about it.

This was a few years back now too.

It’s one of my favorite stories to tell.

I hope you enjoyed it.

What would you do if you were accused of trespassing?

Make like a tree and leave?

Let’s check the comments.

One person compliments the manager’s intellect.

Someone else says the joke coulda been better.

This poster says the manager got his just desserts.

This person says, ahhh symmetry.

Someone else says, get paid for a day off? Why not.

Those who trespass against this guy get a free day off.

We don’t make the rules.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.