A user shared on Reddit the story of how he lost his job 20 years ago because he was too engrossed in a game of Madden NFL with a colleague.
Note: The title image is a symbolic image.
What a story! User “mypizzaproblem” shared on April 13 in the gaming subreddit the story of how he lost his job at a video game store because he was too engrossed in a game against his colleague. While they were distracted, a thief made off with some merchandise.
He just wanted to win against his colleague once
How did it happen? As mypizzaproblem reports, he worked as a student at EB Games, a store that was later bought by GameStop. A colleague he had befriended was known for his skills in the football game Madden NFL.
According to the Reddit user, this colleague regularly attended major tournaments where he ranked in the top 10 and won prize money. He had never been able to even come close to his level until a late shift in the week after Thanksgiving in 2003.
Things were slow, so his buddy challenged him to a game of Madden. And lo and behold, mypizzaproblem had the game of his life: The score was either tied the whole time, or he was just one touchdown behind.
How did the misfortune unfold? Anyone who has worked in retail knows: Almost all problems start with a customer. The Reddit user remembers: There was an older man who wanted to buy an Xbox for his grandson. So, mypizzaproblem opened the door to the stockroom, grabbed the console, cashed out, and then returned to his match.
After a while, another customer entered the store, a middle-aged man in a suit. He looked around for a while while the two were gaming and then left.
How did the game end? Although he held his own, mypizzaproblem ultimately lost narrowly to his colleague. The two locked up the store and went home, not noticing that something was amiss.
Touchdown celebration becomes the gamer’s undoing
What really happened that evening? The next day, the Reddit user was at university when he received ominous messages from another colleague: Why was the inventory off? After checking the security footage: “Ohhh, you guys are done for.”
It turned out that the man in the suit had apparently noticed how engrossed the two gamers were. He sneaked into the back of the store, where the door to the stockroom was still open, and made off with Game Boy SPs worth $1,000.
How did he ultimately lose his job? According to mypizzaproblem, the district manager had to come in to review the footage from the security cameras. He then discussed it individually with the two gamers.
The Reddit user initially felt safe, as the footage only showed his buddy while he himself was obscured by an advertising banner. Did he get lucky again? No, his own arrogance proved to be his undoing.
Because with every touchdown he scored, the gamer jumped up in celebration, right into the camera’s field of view.
How did the story end? According to mypizzaproblem, both were fired without notice but quickly found new jobs. According to his profile, he now works in the film industry. The job at the game store was, aside from the terrible pay, still his favorite job.
The security camera footage was later shown at a manager conference in Las Vegas: As a lesson on what not to do.
