Not every promotion is the opportunity it appears to be.

Imagine getting called back to your old job with the promise of a management position, only to discover rampant theft, and then realize you’re being set up to take the fall. Would you stick around and find the culprit? Or would you immediately quit and find a new job?

In today’s story, one retail manager finds themselves in this exact situation. Here’s what they did.

How my first boss tried to frame me for theft.

My first job was at a not-so-big retail store when I was 16. I left when I was 18 for a slightly better-paying job.

Fast-forward about three years.

Out of the blue, my boss from my first job called and offered me a management position. As there would be a pay increase, and I already knew the business, I figured it was worth a shot.

A few weeks into my new position, I noticed that there was an awful lot of theft for such a small store.

It didn’t seem like the boss was passing the info along.

At first, I was only finding a few random packages here and there. Shortly after, I found an 18-gallon Rubbermaid tote filled to the top with empty packages (mostly electronics).

I showed it to my boss; she somewhat reacted, but this discovery was never discussed again, at least not with me.

Then I started noticing big-ticket items missing. We’re talking 32-inch LCD TV boxes with no TV, and they’re in our warehouse.

Because I did some Loss Prevention work at another job and also because I’m not an idiot, I realized that at least some of this theft is happening internally.

Again, I brought this up to my boss, but I don’t think she passed it along to the DM or DLPM.

Though he was innocent, the finger was being pointed at him.

Inventory season comes and goes, and apparently, somebody higher up the ladder realized that our store had an unusually high amount of shrinkage.

Finally, the District LP Manager and one of his lackeys get involved. I sit down with them and lay out all that I’ve found and who I think may be responsible (at the time, I didn’t suspect my boss enough to throw her under the bus).

Suddenly, the conversation takes a hard turn; the DLPM and his crony start coming at me with both barrels, trying to get me to admit to stealing all this crap myself.

Obviously, I don’t, and I’m more than familiar with this interrogation style, so I just keep my mouth shut while they grill me. Once they realize that I’m not going to confess to crimes I didn’t commit, they wave me out of the room.

He was forced to quit, but luckily got a better job.

Later in the week, I find out through the grapevine that my boss has been telling people that I was taking all of this crap, and that the thefts didn’t start until I came back.

At this point, I promptly quit.

My boss, continuing to stay classy, told my future job prospects that I have “issues” and am “not eligible for rehire.”

Luckily, this didn’t keep me from getting a new, better job, but it still made me mad to no end.

Wow! Thieves will stop at nothing.

Let’s see what the folks over at Reddit have to say about what happened.

That must’ve been pretty awkward.

This reader offers advice for next time.

It sounds like he thought it was the boss.

Yes, that was the worst part.

That’s never a good look.

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.