Thieves triumph and corporate overlords shaft the hard-working. If anything, this cashier's story of robbery at gunpoint lends credence to common cynicism. The saga continues and the real bad guys' occupations should come as no surprise. From violent thugs to white collar jerk-offs, scum comes in all shapes and sizes.

As described in my May 9 article, a North Dallas convenience store was recently knocked off with yours truly serving up corporate cash. I was alone, holding down third shift on my seventh day of work since hire. In a rather lucrative lick, the robbers got $348 for their trouble. Undeniably, the security of that cash was my responsibility. However, demonstrating proper security procedures to a new employee working the high risk shift is the duty of management.

I was scheduled to work the night after the robbery. My boss told me to stay home due to an ongoing corporate investigation into the incident. Before long, I was told by phone when to pick up my first and only paycheck from this douchebag company. Like any company isn't a douchebag.

There are three registers in the store; the robbers ravaged them all. The contents of the two registers left overnight, counted and left in their drawers by second shift every evening, should have been deposited in the drop box. Every extraneous bill in my register should have been dropped, leaving less than $50 in the till. I learn all this well after the robbery. Once the store's first robbery took place, the boss magically became gung-ho about practicing textbook cash-handling procedures. I was fired by corporate for giving the thieves a successful night. To be fair, my boss claimed he contested the firing, and I'm halfway inclined to believe him.

I have to wonder if I put my former coworkers at risk. Surely, that score introduced another hook into the robbers' mouths.

The fact is that I promptly dropped an estimated $1,700 well before the masked men showed up. My transition from training on day shift to working alone on deep nights was rather swift. This training focused on efficiently handling deliveries and making coffee. Quite literally, the only security threat my boss prepared me for was ruthless gangs of scrawny ass, suburban teenagers shoplifting beer. The stories I heard about those hooligans were simply chilling.

Obviously, corporate wanted a sacrificial lamb for a Satanic ritual of course. This wouldn't be the first time I've assumed that position. I learned as much as I could and worked my narrow white ass off--which is typically a mistake in my experience. Those who care are not rewarded; they are exploited.

The stories of millions who get shafted by corporate America just for hitting the time clock go unrecognized. Cashier Angelica Gomez posted her story on the website Find Law for the Public. According to Gomez, she was fired for failing to display the desired level of fear and submissiveness to her shop's owner. In a decision I would attribute to a fondness for dignity, Gomez refused to pick up a pen the owner dropped on the floor. Angered, the owner spoke to the manager, returned to Gomez, and told her she was fired. An attorney posting advice on the website saw no potential for a wrongful termination suit.