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When you are at work, you are there to do a job, so it is generally not good to have friends visiting you.

What would you do if you told a friend he could visit you at your new job, but he ended up staying for over an hour, and then you got fired for it?

That is what happened to the guy in this story, so now he won’t talk to his friend anymore because he is upset, but he wonders if he is overreacting.

I don’t know why he invited his friend in teh first place, or why he let him stay around for that long. That being said, he isn’t obligated to stay friends with him. Read through the full story below and see if you agree.

AITA for ending a friendship because he got me fired?

This happened months and months ago and ive been thinking a lot about it recently.

This sounds like a great job.

I managed to get my first ever proper job at the start of this year. It was retail but it wasn’t a chain, it was just a person owning a shop. It was surprisingly well paid and I was quite happy with it.

I told a couple of mates that I had a job, and one of the asked can he come visit in me in the store. I couldn’t envision an issue with this, so told him I’d ask my boss and get back to him.

Why do they even want to visit him at work?

Well, the next day, whilst I was working away, I asked about my pal visiting yet and my boss agreed as long as it was quick. So, I texted my pal and he said he’ll be in like 20 minutes.

10 minutes later, I see him walk in and I say to my boss that this is him but then I notice it’s not only him tho, it’s 4 other people too.

This is not appropriate at all.

5 people walk into this small shop and they are now my responsibility. Out of the other peeps, I don’t know 3 of them and I barely know the 4th.

So, I have a quick chat whilst trying to sort of either usher them out or usher them further into the shop as to unblock the door of people.

At least his friend is also a customer.

3 of them leave and my pal and his pal I barely know remain. I eventually get his pal to leave in a nice natural way and my pal remains.

He says his phone is broken and this shop being a tech store, he came in. I manage to fix his phone by replacing the screen with a screen that was luckily ready to go.

That was very generous of him.

I also managed to get him a phone case for 50 percent off. My boss is still happy enough and my pal goes to pay and his card is declined. We try again and yep it’s declined. I ask him if hes got cash and he said no.

I pull my boss aside, apologise and say Ill pay. I flash my debt card on the card machine and pay for my pal.

Why didn’t he ask his friend to leave?

He says “thanks guys” and goes to leave as my boss grills me for my “guest” and then my mate just stands in the shop.

For an hour! For an hour, he stands up and down the shop and then an hour later, he leaves. finally.

Getting fired for this does seem extreme, though.

My boss brings me aside and said what happened was unacceptable and said he had to let me go as it’s not helpful for the shop.

I grab my crap, say thanks to the boss and leave. I message my pal and just say “thanks for that” and he responded “lol, did you get fired?”

Sometimes you have to cut people out of your life.

And I said “yep, thanks” and I blocked him online. I haven’t spoken or seen him since.

AITA?

This whole situation is weird, and it seems like there must be some details missing. That being said, the friend shouldn’t have lingered around, but this guy should have been direct and told him to leave.

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

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I can see why he paid for the reapir, but that was a mistake.

It almost seems like his friend was trying to get him fired, though.

The business owner didn’t want the shop crowded with people who couldn’t pay.

What exactly was he fired for?

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a bank employee who immediately resigns after being denied a bonus.

His friend didn’t even apologize.

Let this be a lesson: never invite friends to your place of work. Why people want friends where they work is a mystery.

It can really only cause problems, and most managers won’t appreciate it.

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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.