Defending My Honor

So I finally confronted the guy I work with on Sunday. Let me try and explain what happened. I had just finished a session with an awesome little girl and was about to process their images. I was sitting in front of the computer and my co-worker, I'll call him Dufus, popped his head out of the back room and asked if I wanted him to enhance my session so that I could photograph the next one coming in. He was on the phone with my manager at that point. I said I would rather not because I really wanted to see this session through. I liked the family and I didn't want him messing with my pictures. And by that I just mean he has a completely different style than me as far as enhancing goes. I was afraid he would delete an image that I might otherwise keep.

So I think that pissed him off. Maybe he didn't want to get off the phone, who knows. He goes up front to set up the winter scene we have. Now remember I had just finished a session so the background I used was still up. I walked up front to help another customer. He was rushing to get the scene set up and one of the props fell which made a pretty loud noise. The customers were standing right there and it was awkward because he didn't even say anything. As I was walking away he says to me, "Um Stacy, next time could you please clean up when you're done with a session," with a major attitude. This was in front of the customers as well. I didn't say a word and just walked away.

I was fuming. First of all, he was being unprofessional. If he had a problem, he should have talked to me about it after the session, away from the customers. Plus, when he was done with that family, he did THE SAME EXACT THING! The background was left as is and the props were all over the place while he sat at the computer and processed their images. Hipocritical? I think so.

So the little girl I photographed came back to view her images and I started the sales process with them. In the meantime, another session had come in, the one he wanted me to do, but since I was in a sale, he had to do it.

After my sale was done, he walks up to me, in an accusatory way and says, "Why didn't you sell them a CD?" He was still in the middle of his own sale and I didn't feel like I needed to answer to him (he's not in a position of authority) so I walked away. He then says, "Don't walk away from me." I almost lost it. I don't even let me husband talk to me that way.

It doesn't end there people. I was finishing up some stuff on the computer next to him. He's still in the middle of a sale, showing the customer a frame we have, when he turns to me and says, "Could you hang this up?"

Again, I ignored him. When the end of the night came and we were all done, I approached him in the back room, told him I thought he was rude and unprofessional and that I would appreciate it in the future if he could address any problems he has with me away from the customers. All he was concerned about was me not selling that one family a CD. Needless to say, I called my manager and let her know what happened and that I handled it as professionally as I could. She's already received several complaints about him from other employees as well as customers and she said he'll be gone after the holidays.

I'm glad I said something, but as soon as I left that night, I walked outside, called my mom and cried my eyes out. I guess I was holding in all that adrenaline and frustration and it came out in tears. I don't think what I said will make a difference, he's just a jerk all around, but at least I stood up for myself.