I am beginning to wonder if there is any sort of accounting system in place - everything is such a mess and seems to be covered in dozens of multicolored sticky notes. I have yet to see a calculator… Perhaps even more strange than that is Catherine’s hiring practices. All of the workers appear to be either grossly overweight, drug addicts, completely inept, have been to jail (usually more than once), love Jesus - or some combination thereof.
Kirk, who has been here for like 10 years is a prime example, if not the epitome, of one of our awful employees. Whenever anyone questions him about his behavior they are challenged to a fight in the alley. I talked to a customer the other day who said Kirk called her mixed race son a “half breed,” President Obama a “N***er” and the mayor of Cortez a “G**k.” All in the same conversation! I have to imagine that this isn’t an isolated incident. From what was relayed to me by Meg, Kirk’s fare, the conversation went something like this –
Meg: Can you bring me to The Community Center?
Kirk: (No Response)
Meg: Could you bring me to the Community Center please?
Kirk: I guess.
Meg: So what do you think about Obama, it’s amazing to finally have a black president huh?
Kirk: Only in America we would have a N***er as a president.
Meg: What!
Kirk: I hate this shitty town and it’s G**k mayor.
Meg: I have a mixed race son you asshole.
Kirk: Well that’s your problem huh.
Meg: Fuck you.
I don’t remember where exactly the other slurs factored into the conversation, but they were surely there. I have no doubt that Kirk said any of this, and why would a 60 something year old woman make that up anyways. I wish that I could remember the specifics, I was in awe that this actually happened. What employer in their right mind would retain an employee like this? Imagine Kirk working at Target, perhaps at the customer service desk…
Customer (A Man): Can I return this shovel?
Kirk: Why?
Customer: Well, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I just want to return it, I think what I actually needed was a flat shovel, maybe a spade?
Kirk: Maybe you just weren’t strong enough to use it? We don’t have any shovels here that little girls like you might like.
Customer: What did you say to me? Where’s your manager.
Kirk: You sound like a coward, why don’t we settle this in the alley like men?
Based on my observations, this is a realistic depiction of how Kirk would most likely behave. And how long do you think Target would keep someone like this around? Right, they wouldn’t. He would be fired on the spot. Hell, the police may even be called. He might even be banned from ever stepping foot inside of another Target again. But no, not at Cortez Cab.
I tried to convince Meg that our company owner is well aware of this and refuses to do anything about it. I explained to Meg that if she wanted to do anything about rotten apples like this that she would have to go directly to the city to file a complaint, that complaining to the company would be useless. I got the feeling that she was over it at this point. It’s a shame. Really nice lady, I’ve driven her a few times.
One of the night dispatchers also shared a story about Kirk. Actually more than a few… Apparently Kirk picked up some teenage girl and her boyfriend here in town and brought them to one of the restaurants. After an argument, which was quite possibly started by Kirk, he called the girl a “little bitch” and threatened to beat up her boyfriend. There are a number of people who won’t even ride with him. Fellow cab drivers, customers and myself are baffled as to why Kirk still works here. Maybe that isn’t all that fair to just assume that Kirk was an asshole for no reason. Maybe one of his passengers did something to offend him – like asking how his day was, or what his name was.
This company is more like a circus than anything else. “Come one come all!” “See the Worlds Heaviest Woman, The Worlds Oldest Man, The Worlds Creepiest Cab Driver!” And lets not forget the ringmaster, Catherine.
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