My boss picked up his new C8 yesterday. I needed to vent.

I don't remember when he ordered it, at least the beginning of this year.  He's been moping the last few weeks because someone ahead and behind him in line got theirs, thanks to options ordered I believe.

He was genuinely surprised when he asked if I wanted to drive it, and I declined.  Sorry, you've been a total shiny happy person the last year or so (work related), and something about getting a new loaded SUV in August, your wife (bossette) got herself one 2 months earlier, and you bought a $50k sailboat this summer... while declining to give me and the other coworker token raises, who've been here 22 years keeping your biz afloat while you make terrible decisions & spend more time on Youtube and Fox News than trying to hire a technician to actually get work done for you.

She mentioned our annual Xmas dinner will be at the same restaurant this year, making reservations.  I'm REALLY going to have a hard time keeping my mouth shut when they talk about how biz has been slow this year & we're struggling.  While $100k of new vehicles are in the parking lot, and another $100k of new toys are at home.

Yeah, I know.  Just quit, right?  Easy to say if it weren't for COVID-19 and really trying not to start over at 53 years old.

Guess I just wanted to vent, time to go home and fiddle with my new 3D printer this weekend.  (Maybe the $10k roof and $1200 water heater factored into my annoyance as well.)

Apparently my coworker agrees. He just texted me something he put on his Snapchat account.

Jerry said:

Apparently my coworker agrees. He just texted me something he put on his Snapchat account.

LMFAO!

I feel you Jerry.  My last place was great, but pretty much every single one before it... I was glad to see them go

Also:

Posts like this really make me appreciate how good I've had it throughout my career. I've never had a bad boss, per se, though some have obviously been better than others.

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

Neither have I. I've been lucky that way. 

Jerry, I hate to break it to you , but you squandered a great opportunity. Can you imagine a better place to answer the call of the burrito than in your bosses car? Seriously, you could have left a fecal fume to really show your appreciation, and I’m not aware of a more sincere gesture. 

Funny to see this from the other side of things. My father and I run a small auto repair shop in SoCal and while my mother drives around a new Land Rover, and they just bought a new Mercedes chassis motorhome, I know that money didn't come from here. My mother had 37 years in with the city at 2.7% for retirement. Thats 99.9% pay as a retiree. That is where that money came from. Our techs make more money than we do. Maybe we pay them too much?? Who knows. Wish I could splurge on that new c8 this year...

In reply to mtn (Forum Supporter) :

See that's just wrong man.  The owner is always entitled to the premier busting of the bean in any new vehicle.  Sure his boss sounds like an entitled jerk, but these are the kinds of rules that separate us from the animals. 

I actually broke this rule, over 20 years ago, in my brother-in-law's Dodge Stratus.  My shame is mitigating only by the fact that it was pretty much a turd from the factory. 

Sucks man. People like that live in their own world and can't really see us in ours. I'm sure they don't even realize the message they're sending to the people that help make their lives possible. 
 

Our owner spends like that and much more -  $800k lake house, $250k custom truck, new Lincoln, Maserati suv for the wife - but at least he has been throwing all of us massive bonuses all year. I'm well paid, no doubt, but I hear how the folks on the production floor feel about it. 

If your business is doing well, the employees decently paid, and everything is on the up and up, go ahead and buy that new boat, cars, and house.  If things are not going so good, employees are not getting raises, and the future looks a little bleak, it may not be a good time to buy new toys.  

It's not even the spending of the $$ itself.  They've got probably around a million through investments and this niche business.  Good for them, enjoy your spoils.  Both in their upper 60s I think.

What bugs me I guess is they can't afford a token $.50/hr raise with a note saying sorry it's been a crap year but we appreciate your work.  That's like $1k per year, probably what, 2-3 Vette payments?

Good for you Jerry.  I used to work for a guy like that, I’m pretty sure I bought him a big sportfishing boat one year.  Prick would hold onto our bonus checks for the year until Christmas Eve.  Fortunately I smartened up early enough to make a change and found better people to work for.  

Ten years ago I worked for a guy who had a very expensive house North of town. He had a small four lawyer firm. After winning a big case (that I also worked on) he went to the high end car dealer down the street and bought a new Mercedes Sedan for himself and a used Porsche Cayenne for his wife. I was driving a 15 year old Miata at the time. He had a really nice office downtown that was only half full. He was hoping to hire a lot more people soon and planned on filling those offices. Two years later he had trouble paying the rent, laid off the entire staff, took a partnership at a mid sized firm and brought all his clients to the new firm with him. About two weeks ago, I noticed on a social media site that he started another new firm. He was the sole partner and only employee listed at the firm. His office address was a P.O Box near his house. I drive a new Mustang now and come to think of it, I still have the old Miata too. 

Firms that are going strong today may disappear tomorrow.  Toys get repossessed. High flyers crash. Stuff happens. 

My boss can be an shiny happy person and is always buying cars.  I'm self employed though 

My current boss drives a Miata. It's a newer model than the one I have. 

I worked for three brothers that couldn't get along at a rep firm.  

No raises or bonuses this year guys. Brother #1&3 fired brother #2 and we're buying out his share.  

Three years later - no raises or bonuses this year guys as the two brothers can't get along and #1 is buying out #3's share in the company.  

Nothing this year guys. Owner getting a divorce and has to pay out the butt to lawyers. 

Critical decision day - where's the owner to approve?  Hey guys, owner is in Italy visiting the Vatican this week with the new girlfriend.  

Then I got a new job.   
 

I worked at one company.  Industry downturn happened.   Owner laid off 60% of the employees for 2 years waiting for the industry to rebound.  These were professional engineers and designers.

While everyone was packing up their desks and bringing their stuff out to their car Mrs Owner drives up in a brand new Mercedes. S Class.  Dealer plate still on the bumper.    Not cool and people were still talking about it 10 years later.    One guy got even by seducing the owner's college age daughter...

Lou raised the price of Coke, he's been losing at the track.   
 

3D print him a big, veiny dick. You know,  for Christmas. 

Man, I hope the company has excellent health care. What an out of touch dick.

Lots of jealousy in this thread. You are all free to start your own company and see if you have what it takes to succeed. It takes a lot. 

Steve_Jones said:

Lots of jealousy in this thread. You are all free to start your own company and see if you have what it takes to succeed. It takes a lot. 

Good point. My manager would always tell us the owner has all the risk and we have none.  

The owner drove from Detroit to Chicago in his newer SRT Charger and I drove it to Minneapolis.   At a stop light he told me to go ahead and I misunderstood so I did a big burnout and he told me that's not what he meant but in the end he was a muscle car geek so he wasn't upset.  

A guy that works for us was trying to get paid from an old boss. It had taken weeks by this point and he was given a sob story about how he was getting a divorce etc.

Shows up in a brand new truck and tried to get the guy he had owed money to, to wait another week but only grudgingly paid him.

berkeley that guy

In reply to Steve_Jones :

True, but saying the company didn't make much at the year end Christmas party while the employees know the toys that were bought in that same slow year reeks of hypocrisy. Doesn't  sound like this is the first "slow" year full of toys. I'm only guessing,  but I've worked at enough companies with similar owners to believe I'm not far off.