NEED TO KNOW
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One woman had already requested time off from work for a planned weekend trip home with her boyfriend
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Her friend, who works retail with her, made last-minute plans on that same day and asked her to cover
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After declining, the woman got a call from her boss asking where she was
In the unpredictable world of retail, friendships often form under the shared stress of long hours and demanding customers. But what happens when loyalty to a friend clashes with honesty at work?
One Reddit user recently shared a story that perfectly captures that tension and the fallout that follows when a simple favor spirals out of control.
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Stock image of two women speaking.
In the post, the 22-year-old explained that she and her friend both work in retail. For weeks, she had been planning to go home one weekend so she and her boyfriend could visit her family.
Everything was set until her friend called with a last-minute request that same weekend.
“2 weeks ago on Friday my friend called me and told me that the guy she was speaking to had invited her last minute to a desert party and she wouldn’t be able to make her shift, so she asked me to cover it for her,” she wrote. “I had that Friday off and my bf and I were planning on leaving early since the drive is like around 4-5 hours.”
Since she had already asked for that day off and didn’t want to cancel her plans, she told her no.
Instead of accepting that answer, the friend “got really upset.” She then lied to their manager, saying she had a family emergency and that the Reddit user agreed to cover her shift. However, on the day of, no one showed up to work.
“So when my manager called me and asked me why I wasn’t at work since my friend said I would be working her shift, I told her the truth and my friend ended up getting fired,” she wrote.
“Now she’s really upset with me because she’s saying I threw her under the bus. AITA?” she asked.
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Stock image of man and woman arguing.
Honesty, especially in retail jobs where schedules and communication are critical, often comes with a cost. Still, most commenters agreed with the original poster, noting that honesty is more important than blind loyalty.
“Your ‘friend’ is not a friend. She lied and used you. If anything she threw you – and your workplace – under the bus,” one user wrote. “You had every right to say no – you had plans – and you SHOULD tell your boss the truth. She might have some nice qualities, but I were you, I would not consider her a friend anymore.”
Read the original article on People
