Walmart Fast Food Restaurant Employee Freed by Fire Department After Getting Locked Inside Overnight
An employee working at a fast food restaurant inside a Walmart claims they had to call the fire department after the restaurant's security gate malfunctioned and they became locked inside with no emergency exit.
The employee turned to Reddit to explain the situation and look for legal advice. They alleged that the gate was closed as they went about closing the store. When it was time to leave for the night, they were unable to open it again.
According to the anonymous employee, they tried to unlatch the gate from inside the restaurant. People on the other side of the gate also attempted to open it but were unsuccessful.
They added that there was no emergency exit or windows inside the space so they were effectively trapped. What's more, they called their manager who reportedly said that they'd be stuck there overnight.
Initially, the employee was curious if they should be paid for the time they spent locked inside. They also pointed out the dangers of being stuck in case of an emergency.
They kept readers on Reddit up to date with a series of updates on the post.
In the first update, they said that they reached out to the Walmart's head manager who seemed sympathetic but was unable to do anything other than call the restaurant manager.
It did not seem that would be an effective course of action, though. According to the poster, their boss was in no rush to rectify the situation. The manager also allegedly forbid the employee from calling the fire department.
"My boss made it very clear that i am *not* to call the fire department as they will ruin the door," they claimed. "If i am fired for calling the fire dept to get out, is that wrongful termination?"
After the boss allegedly refused to come assess the situation, the employee said they called the fire department.
Thankfully, the fire department arrived on the scene and refused to leave until the situation was rectified. The employee said that the chief called their boss and insisted that they fix things in a speedy manner. If not, the chief was prepared to cut the employee out.
In a final update, the employee was finally freed. They said that their boss was unable to find a timely fix, and the fire department had to cut the gate.
"If i am fired for this event..i may make a 2nd post referencing this one," they wrote.
On a bright note, it doesn't look like they lost their job following the fiasco. A second post about the experience does not appear to exist.
The liberated employee thanked everyone on Reddit for following along and ensuring them that they made the right choices.
"I've never had to call 911 or anything before," they wrote. "But all the comments suggesting so eased my mind i wasn't being over dramatic."