I applied for Manager In Training online, then got called for an interview. When I asked to confirm the position, the person calling hesitated, seemed caught off-guard by the question, then very quickly said, "This is for Assistant Store Manager, we don't have an available Manager In Training position." I agreed to an interview.
My interview was scheduled for 12 PM. I arrived the typical 15 minutes early; the manager was surprised by my arrival, seemed to not know what time it was, and continued working while I waited. She did not offer me any tea, nor to sample anything they were offering in the store, which I would think is customary for a place selling beverages. While I waited, the manager was working the sales floor, aggressively trying to make sales with patrons coming in.
The manager kept me waiting until 12:20 for my interview, and made no mention that we would be starting late. When I thought we would begin, she was shuffling a stack of papers behind the register, almost as if she was looking for my application. At one point during my 35-minute wait, a customer came into the store and mistook me for the manager.
After shuffling papers, the manager began restocking teas and organizing behind the counter. After, she went behind a corner and began texting on her phone. There was still no acknowledgement that I was waiting. When she was finally ready to begin my interview, there was no floor coverage to replace the manager, leaving only one person to run the store until our interview was over (red flag for administration/scheduling). She called my by the wrong name from across the store twice before saying, "What's your name, again?"
During the interview, she left her phone ringer on and actually received three calls. While she did not answer the calls, she let the phone ring while I was speaking.