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Getting fired from a job is never fun, but it happens from time to time, even if it isn’t always fair.

What would you do if your cash drawer came up short $100 and you knew the policy was to fire people if it were that much? Something your manager confirmed?

That is what happened to the guy in this story, so he just didn’t show up for work the next day. When they called him, he said he wasn’t coming in just to get fired, but lots of people are saying that he handled this situation poorly.

Personally, I agree that it was unprofessional, but it was also understandable. Read through the full story below and see what you think.

AITA for refusing to go in to work after my manager told me I would be fired later that day?

This happened in the summer but I was thinking about it today.

Being off on your drawer is never a good thing.

I (17M) was working at a grocery store over the summer. One day, after the end of my shift, I was counting my drawer with the bookkeeper and it came up that I was $100.00 short.

I have never been this short before. A little bit of change here and there? Sure. But $100.00? That’s insane.

The store has a procedure for these situations.

The manager came over and told me to sign a paper that would be sent to corporate saying that I was $100.00 short. I asked if the bookkeeper was going to sign too since he rang on my register earlier.

The manager said that he wasn’t going to sign because he had been there for 7 years and never came up short, while I had only been there for a month and a half.

If he is going to be fired anyway, he shouldn’t sign anything.

I know the store has a policy stating that if you are short over $50 in one month then you are suspended, but if you are short over $100 in one month you are terminated.

I knew I was going to be fired, so I said I wasn’t going to sign the paper saying I was at fault. They can fire me for insubordination, but I am not admitting to being $100 short because that basically means I stole.

Why waste the gas coming to work just to get fired?

How else would one be $100 short? I left after saying I wasn’t going to sign it and they pretty much told me I would be fired.

The next day I didn’t go in to work. I got a call from the floor manager asking where I was. I told her I wasn’t coming in because the manager told me I was going to be fired if I didn’t sign the paper.

This isn’t really the best way to handle the situation.

She talked to the manager and got back on the phone with me. She said, “We can handle any talks of termination after your shift. We can’t fire you over the phone anyway, so you might as well come in. After your shift we can discuss this.”

I told her there was nothing to discuss. I wasn’t signing that paper, so I was going to be fired. I told her if I can’t be fired over the phone then just consider me a “no call, no show” or to say that I quit. Either way I wasn’t going back in.

He doesn’t owe the company anything, but maybe she should have gone in to get more money before getting fired.

I am still friends with people who work there and they said me leaving like that caused them to be short staffed that day and it was really busy because we had good sales that week.

I apologized for leaving them short staffed, but still didn’t really feel like it was my fault. One of my friend’s said I should have worked that day and taken responsibility after my shift.

It was unprofessional, but totally understandable.

I don’t agree but maybe she’s right. This is all water under the bridge now, but was I wrong for not going in?

AITA?

If they are going to fire him anyway, he has no incentive to go in. That being said, this could have been handled better by both him and the manager.

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Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about it.

Checking the cameras would be smart.

This commenter is exactly right.

He really doesn’t owe the business a thing.

This person points out that he is not responsible for the company’s shortcomings.

He doesn’t owe a thing to the company, and being short-staffed is not his problem. Of course, he is burning bridges here, but that isn’t always a bad thing.

Sometimes, it is best to just cut your losses and move on.

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Author

Michael Levanduski

Senior Contributing Editor, Workplace & Community

Michael Levanduski is a veteran journalist and digital culture specialist with over 15 years of professional writing and research experience. While his background spans emerging technology and complex technical subjects, Michael specializes in analyzing workplace ethics, property disputes, and viral interpersonal dynamics across modern digital forums.

Since joining TwistedSifter in 2024, Michael has authored some of the publication’s most widely read coverage on corporate policy, malicious compliance, and neighborhood relations. Rather than simply aggregating online debates, he brings rigorous research, organizational context, and an empathetic editorial voice to everyday human dilemmas—transforming raw forum discussions into insightful, highly engaging narratives.

When he isn’t covering internet culture, Michael enjoys traveling, keeping up with tech trends, and spending time with his family. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn and Facebook.