Prompt: Shop

Strained Relations

The conflict between the stores and corporate had been going on a while, but it reached a whole new level today. In my long career of corporate mediation, I can’t say I’ve seen things get this far out of hand. It started with the usual – corporate screwing over stores on hours and payroll, stores flouting the dress code and merchandising regulations. Then corporate cut off merchandise shipments to problem stores, and I knew something nasty was coming.

I admit, even I was taken aback when the severed head of the secret shopper arrived in the post, notepad in his teeth.