Spirit Halloween worker quits their job. Then the manager allegedly threatens to blacklist them across multiple retail chains: ‘Just not hireable’

A man says his Spirit Halloween manager threatened to prevent him from getting hired at other retail chains after he quit for a “better job” without giving two weeks’ notice. Therealjayrodmusic (stolennamexd), who goes by the stage name J-Rod, said in a TikTok video that from the time he started working with the seasonal specialty retailer, he didn’t have a work schedule. While he didn’t face any problems at first, he said he soon began experiencing issues.

J-Rod alleged that he sometimes received calls to come to work with as little as two hours’ notice. On other occasions, he alleged that he arrived at work only to be told he wasn’t scheduled that day, but was asked to work anyway because he was already there. 

J-Rod also said he was sometimes asked to come in during hours he had said he wouldn’t be available because of his college classes, and then he was told off for not prioritizing work. He said his work hours were even reduced from 20 to 8. He hinted that he didn’t like the decision. “I’m a college student. What the hell?” he said. 

A “at-will” job J-Rod couldn’t apparently leave without notice

Highlighting the places J-Rod would not be able to work following his departure, J-Rod’s manager allegedly told him, “I hope you know that you’re just not hireable for Spirit Halloween again. Spencer’s, BoxLunch, and Hot Topic.” However, J-Rod refused to believe it, noting that the policy didn’t mention it but urged his audience to check and tell him if they found otherwise.

He also said the Spirit Halloween role was an “at-will job.” According to a Thomson Reuters article, those working in such jobs could leave without prior notice or fear of legal consequences. Similarly, an employer can fire an employee in such roles at any time, without reason, without fear of legal ramifications.

However, the latter case has exceptions. An employer cannot fire an employee for unlawful reasons, such as retaliation or discrimination. Federal law protects employees from termination based on discriminatory factors including race, age, disability, country of origin, sex (including gender), religion, and genetic information.

Several people commented on J-Rod’s post. Some said they had similar experiences, while others described different, positive ones. Some also pointed out that J-Rod’s experiences may have resulted from poor management rather than Spirit Halloween itself being bad. One person wrote, “That’s a manager issue not a company issue.”

Given the traction his post has received, it’s reasonable to expect an update soon.

The Mary Sue has reached out to J-Rod for comment.

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