u/lostweekendlaura

I've been at my job for the better part of 20 years. I was hired by a great guy, "Don". Don and the ptevious owner "Will" were best friends. Sadly, Don passed away at a very young age and, before he passed, he made Will promise to take care of his wife "Ilsa". So Will trains Ilsa slowly over 10 years so she could eventually manage the business. It's not a huge business but it's about 50 people so it's not tiny. Will passed away recently and now we have Ilsa as our general manager. She's a nightmare. I don't even know if she's just stupid or if she's vindictive or a bit of both but today was the first time I snapped back at her.

Ilsa and her bffs are such a tight little clique, the office is absolutely miserable.Today was my first day back from vacation but her girlfriend Anna tried to get me to come back a day early so she could have a "beach day". I said no and I'm glad I did because Anna's "beach day" was actually an invite only work party--invites for Ilsa and her friends. I'm an auditor and Ilsa, being very fucking stupid, left a receipt in the slush fund for 1000$ for the party. It actually said "party" and was dated 5/17/2026.

So I'm livid....not being invited is one thing but asking me to come back a day early to cover for her buddy so they can have a beach party was too much. She knew I was mad. She tried to say that it was Anna's private party and not work related. I asked her why was there a receipt for it in the slush fund. She bursts into tears and starts blathering about how hard her life is and how she doesn't have any support. I was having none of it. She's 100% crying because she's caught and she's trying to manipulate the situation with tears.

I walked out, she followed me...

crying and saying that she had been planning a big party for my birthday. My birthday was 3 days ago. She did not wish me a happy birthday with a call or a text, there was no card, no gift, not even a post-it saying "Happy birthday " on my desk.... but she's ugly crying and whimpering about how she'd been planning a big birthday celebration for me.

My last words to her were "bull shit". I copied the party receipts and sent them to the new owner who is well aware of how poorly she's doing at the job. God, I hope it's the last nail in her coffin.

Edit from the next day: I want to thank every one who commented here. You were so supportive and kind. You read the post to the end and offered smart, educated and considerate advice. Thank you.

Ok, for some background: my mother's health has been declining rapidly for the past two years. I tried to keep her in her own house with a home health aid as long as I could. Insurance paid most of it, I paid the rest and it left me in debt. After her last serious health crisis, she was put in a memory care facility which is covered by her pension and insurance but I cover the cost of all disposable items, toiletries, and basic skin care needs. It's not an overwhelming cost but it's a lot when I'm still trying to battle back the bills from last year.

Here's where I've been told I'm being t.a.h. Mom wants her hair and nails done by the beautician at the facility. I was sent the beautician's phone number so I could set up payments. I called and it was obviously a private phone, not a business. I did not leave a message because I am NOT ok giving my CC info out like that.

A few days ago I got a call from "Ann", my mom's primary care giver at the facility. She said my mom wanted her hair and nails done for Mother's Day. The full mani/pedi/hair thing was well over 100 dollars which was a hard no from me but I agreed to a 25$ manicure with the understanding that I would pay for it the following week when I visited. I got a call yesterday from the beautician (her private number, not the facility's) saying that she did 80$s of work and asking for payment over the phone. I said no, she was mad and I don't care because I'm way past mad about this.

I'll be there tomorrow. I live about 5 hours away, I do not have 2 days off in a row and I can't afford a ton of time off but I'm getting there as close to Mother's Day as I can. I will pay the beautician in cash and get a receipt but I do not want to deal with this woman again. Unfortunately, it's the only option for my mom to get her hair and nails done other than me going there and taking her to a salon.

I know hair and nail care isn't a necessity but most people agree it's important. So--you guys tell me, what's the answer here? I can get a prepaid card and keep that on file with the beautician but I'm not paying this woman every month. 3 haircuts a year? A manicure for her birthday and mother's day? I don't want mom to not have something nice but I'm broke and I don't trust the beautician.

I love Bella Beaute Bar. I can't afford every new palette but the ones I have are all favorites. I thought this one looked so pretty.

The special shades are stunning, there's no arguing with that, but the mattes are just....bad. I tried giving it the benefit of the doubt because the other have been so good. The pure white kicked up so much dust but, okay, it's white---maybe I'm just noticing the dust more. It didn't have a lot of pigment but, again, my skin isn't super pale--maybe it's just me. But then the palest grey is also dusty and lacking pigment. Then the plum/grey, the khaki/grey and the blue/grey...they all look exactly the same on the lid. (My lid was primed and had a wash of the pure white shadow .) The dark and medium greys blended right into each other with no noticeable difference. So now I'm pissed because, even with a discount code, this was an expensive palette.

I started paying close attention to the people using this palette on social media (and y'all should too) because every look could have been pulled off with a cool neutral palette and one or two single duochromes. The base colors could all be Stone Cold Fox and there wouldn't be a bit of difference except you'd have an extra 30$ in your pocket. I understand that it's a monochromatic palette but this is beyond a reasonable level of monochrome.

So has anyone else received it and been as disappointed as I am?

I don't mind paying for the things my mom NEEDS. The adult pull-ups, bed liners, dental care, body wash, etc. I've got it all on subscription and I think it's all coming in at the right time. I've never fought with the staff over any NEED that they've asked me to provide.

A few days ago I got a call from her head care-taker (we'll call her Ann) and she started by saying "Mother's day is coming up and your mom would really like to go to the salon!"

Now, Anne has already sent me a phone number of the person who runs the salon so I could set up payments for basic hair and nail services. I called and it was not a business-it was some woman's private number. I am not giving a stranger my CC info. Just no. That was about a month ago and I didn't hear anything more about it so I hoped it would pass.

Then I got the "Mother's day" call a few days ago. I asked how much a mani, pedi and a hair cut would be and was told it was going to be over 120$. Not outrageous but it's more than I was expecting and more than I can afford. I said ok to the 25$ manicure but made it clear that if the woman doing it expected payment over the phone, it would not happen and I was only approving the manicure which I would pay for when I visited the next week.

They gave mom the mani and trimmed and styled her hair and my bill is now 80$.. The salon lady called me to get my CC info over the phone which I refused to do . I will pay in cash when I get there. She was mad but I don't care because I'm way beyond mad.

Mom has dementia. She's not noticing the difference between a 25$ manicure and simply getting some polish on her nails. Also, this isn't something she did all her life. We both did our nails ourselves and trimmed our own hair. I know she can't do it now but its not like I'm saying "no" to something she's used to. I'm willing to do it myself but, due to where I live, I have to take a substantial amount of time off work to visit her.

I don't think I'm overreacting when I say that I'm not using the salon lady again but maybe I am. I'm also tempted to tell Ann to call my Aunt when this problem comes up again. She's my mom's only sibling and has contributed absolutely nothing so far.

Edit: 120 is a lot of money to me because I drained my savings and went into debt in the last few years trying to keep her in her home with a home health aid.