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Salon Owner Livid To Learn Stylist Friend She Hired Has Been Working With A Fake License

Stevica Mrdja/EyeEm/GettyImages

Mixing personal friends in the professional realm isn’t often easy.

It can be especially arduous when drama arises.

Relationships will be put to the test and then you realize, being the boss isn’t always fun.

Case in point…

Redditor BeautifulFlower2202 to discuss her story for some feedback. So naturally she came to visit the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit.

She asked:

“AITA for firing my best friend even though I knew she depended on this job to pay bills and take care of her kids?”

The Original Poster (OP) explained:

“Yes, the title makes me sound like an AH.”

“I’m a 34 Female. I own a salon.”

“My best friend Kendra, 33, and I go back to elementary.”

“We even went to cosmetology school together right out of high school and graduated together, which during this time she got pregnant.”

“Shortly after she moved away with her now husband to another state.”

“About a year ago she mentioned she was moving back home.”

“Just so happens I had a booth open, so I told her it was hers.”

“During her time away she was working at another salon.”

“She and her family made the move back.”

“My grandfather’s health had deteriorated so I had taken a leave of absence during this time, so I was out of town.”

“On the day of his funeral, I received a call from one of the stylist’s stating Kendra had been doing hair for the last couple weeks which was news to me.”

“They got into a big argument about her not having her license on display which is a requirement of my shop.”

“I admit that I gave Kendra more leverage than I should have, because she was my best friend.”

“I’d taken her word that she had taken care of having her license transferred, prior to moving and had applied for a temporary one to work.”

“At this time, she wasn’t supposed to be doing hair until she had her license in hand.”

“I’d given her a job as a receptionist until her license was approved.”

“Everyone was pitching such a *itch fit, that I ended up making the six-hour drive back after the funeral.”

“Which made me angry that I couldn’t grieve in peace.”

“Once there I gave everyone a chance to vent their issue.”

“More than not, it involved Kendra.”

“Kendra starts crying about why she needed this job and apologized to everyone.”

“I noticed the license she had displayed on her booth was a fake.”

“I didn’t call her out in front of everyone.”

“I asked that she remain behind so we could talk further.”

“Her license had no Certified License number.”

“It looked as if she’d printed it off the computer.”

“I confronted her about it.”

“She eventually confessed she’d never taken her board exam.”

“Which means not only was she working illegally, she had put my shop in jeopardy!”

“Also, that meant she’s been working illegally all these years!”

“I immediately fired her.”

“Now I have mutual friends stating that I handled it wrong and that I could have given her another job.”

“Kendra’s not talking to me and honestly I feel it’s for the best she doesn’t work at the shop.”

“She said she doesn’t make enough as a receptionist to cover her bills, did I handle this wrong?”

“AITA?”

Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed some options to the question AITA?:

  • NTA – Not The A**hole
  • YTA – You’re The A**hole
  • NAH – No A**holes Here
  • ESH – Everyone Sucks Here

Redditors declared our OP was NOT the A**hole.

It’s a tricky situation.

Let’s hear some thoughts…

“NTA. Kendra isn’t much of a friend if she’s willing to lie to you and jeopardize your business.”

“You owe her nothing.”  ~ NUT-me-SHELL

“Friendship has to go both ways, at least a little bit.”

“If me helping a friend apply for his own license is the only way to stop that friend from jeopardizing my business that I worked really hard to build.”

“Yeah, to heck with that friend.”

“And why would I trust him not to put me and my business at risk in other ways in the future?”  ~ Sputnik918

“Why is it on OP to fix Kendra’s laziness, after years of lying to her?”

“If Kendra stated at the beginning she didn’t have her trade licence, mayyyyyyybe OP might have helped in order to keep her business safe.”

“But instead she lied to OP, jeopardizing not just OP’s business.”

“But every other worker there too. NTA OP.”

“You are within the legal parameters to keep your business and workers safe from any form of harm to your’s and theirs income.”  ~ OriginalDogeStar

“Oh hell no. She put OP’s entire business in jeopardy!”

“If OP’s other stylists hasn’t said anything it WOULD have ruined OP’s salon.”

“She had the opportunity to be truthful to OP and ask for help when she moved back to the area.”

“It is NOT OP’s responsibility.”  ~ AmateurWitch

“In my state, it would only have taken one inspection with that fake license up (required by law), and the entire shop would have been closed.”

“OP would have had serious citations and fines.”

“And would have to defend herself in front of the state board in order to keep her operator’s license.”

“Which would take 9-12 months with no guarantee of being able to reopen.”

“This selfish ‘friend’ endangered OP’s business and all of the real stylists’ livelihoods.”  ~ MzQueen

“It’d be another thing if Kendra had been upfront that she didn’t have the proper licenses.”

“But she needed a job (as a receptionist! Which OP gave her but she didn’t respect!) until she could pass her exams.”

“But she lied!”

“She got comfortable styling hair without a license and thought she could get away with it here too.”  ~ saucynoodlelover

“NTA. Unfortunately she lied to you (to get a job).”

“So if you gave her another job, who is to say she will not resort to lying to you again if her job needed protection?”

“She knew the repercussions of not having a permit and she included your business on those repercussions.”  ~ crbryant1972

“NTA. Are you willing to lose your career and salon to help a ‘friend’ who couldn’t do the bare minimum to work legally?”

“You went above and beyond in helping her and she disrespected you and put your livelihood at risk.”

“Not to mention took advantage of the fact you were friends to manipulate your staff.”  ~ giantbrownguy

“She COULD work legally, too!”

“OP gave her a perfectly legal job as the receptionist!”

“Kendra could’ve been using that time to actually get her license.”

“Since the receptionist position was temporary until she could transfer over the original license OP thought she had.”

“But she decided on her own, while OP was away, to start doing hair instead of being receptionist, because she wanted more money.”

“Everyone in OP’s life saying she could’ve just ‘given her another job’ is an idiot.”

“Because OP did that to START and Kendra threw it in her face.”

“No way would I keep an employee on staff who I couldn’t trust.”

“The next time OP was out of town, Kendra would try to be back on the same bull**it of illegally doing hair.”  ~ anndor

“As a licensed cosmetologist NTA.”

“You could be heavily fined as the salon owner having an unlicensed stylist even as a booth renter.”

“If there was ever an issue that you needed to use your liability insurance for you would be denied if she was unlicensed.”

“She could have ruined you and YOUR livelihood.”

“A best friend never would have lied like that and put you in this position.”

“She took advantage of you. That isn’t something a true friend would do.”

“And if she can’t see that then this friendship should not continue.”

“You deserve an apology from HER not the other way around.”

“Also, there is no reason for her to not have taken her boards and gotten licensed.”

“It’s not that hard to pass them.”

“That’s why there are so many bad stylists out there who don’t know what they are doing.”

“All around NTA and good for you for standing up to that kind of behavior!”

“You also protected your other stylists.”

“I would have been do proud of you had you been my owner!”

“Actually, I AM so proud of you!”  ~ siebertsarah200

“NTA she lied and that could have affected your business.”

“If your mutual friends feel that way then they can get her a job.”

“Why would you want someone who deceived you to continue working for you.”  ~ amfue

“NTA. You did what needed to be done as the business owner and a professional.”

“She lied about her credentials and took advantage of your trust.”

“Kendra may have been your best friend 15 years ago, but if she wants to be an unlicensed hair stylist she can go do it somewhere else.”  ~ NanaLeonie

“She deceived you and has to take accountability for her actions.”

“It sounds like she took advantage of your friendship and now is trying to guilt you into forgiving her through others.”

“Also, she jeopardized your place of business meaning your livelihood and your colleagues. NTA.”  ~ Small-far-wise

Well OP, sometimes as a boss, you gotta make tough choices.

And Reddit clearly fills you made the right one.

Are you suppose to lose you business over a lie that isn’t even your’s?

Be kind to yourself.

And sorry about your grandpa.