Hot take: I chose to close alone on Friday night instead of swapping with the new kid, and it was a huge mistake
Last Friday at the sandwich shop in Dayton, the new kid begged me to swap his closing shift for my Saturday morning one, and I said no because I had plans at 8am. He quit on the spot, leaving me to close solo, which meant doing 45 minutes of dishes, two trash runs, and mopping the whole lobby by myself until 12:30am. Has anyone else picked the shift that looked easier on paper and regretted it the second the other person walked out?
The part that gets me is the new kid bailing instead of just being annoyed. Once he walks out mid shift you are stuck with all of it, dishes, trash, mops, plus whoever calls in sick the next day. I worked at a pizza place where a guy did the same thing over a two hour schedule change and our manager started making everyone sign a note when they swapped shifts. Those last hour solo closes always feel way longer than the clock says, 12:30am cleanup alone hits different.