Woman says she was fired from European Wax Center after she told a co-worker to not touch her tips

A wax salon in Greenville, North Carolina is facing backlash for dismissing a woman who spoke up against a co-worker touching their tips. Adding to the drama, an employee revealed that the establishment is plagued with bedbugs.

Despite the complaints, only Micheala Lucas was let go from her job at European Wax Center in G-Vegas. Lucas, who had been with the salon since June 2023, shared text messages on social media showing her and her colleagues confronting a co-worker, identified as Cecilia Clare Wiley by The North Carolina Beat, about keeping her hands out of the tip drawer without permission.

@Clare Wiley, please don’t touch my tips no more, I’m being so serious,” Lucas told Wiley in their job’s group chat. “And If I hear it again, there will be a problem.”

Lucas clarified to The North Carolina Beat that there was no threatening Wiley in her message, and her colleagues in the group chat shared the same sentiment. However, it was their boss, identified as Stephanie Buckley, who seemed to perceive it differently.

“There’s no reason that you should be going in the drawer with the tips anyways, only GSAS and STEPH,” Lucas finished saying in her message to Wiley in the group chat.

According to Lucas, she discovered on Sunday that an employee had been counting her and others tips and pretending to be a customer leaving feedback.

Shelbi, another employee in the group chat, also chimed in, warning Wiley with a firm “DO NOT TOUCH MY THINGS AGAIN EITHER.” Shelbi expressed disbelief at the lack of action from management and other GSA’s, stating that it was outrageous for them to be aware of the situation and not address it or inform the team.

After Shelbi sent her message, their boss, Buckley responded, stating that she would be speaking to all the parties involved and that the issue had been handled. Buckley also instructed her employees not to discuss the incident in the job group chat anymore.

Another employee replied to the group chat with four of her co-workers hearting her message, asking, “Can it be a group discussion?” BC I’ve received notes on my tips as well. “And the thought of anybody going in and counting my tips is disturbing.”

An hour later, Buckley stated in the group chat that she had previously learned about Wiley leaving notes on tips. She claimed that she explained to Wiley in private that she could not touch “anyone’s tips besides her own as well as go into the drawer, especially with what has transpired in the past with people questioning their tips being touched.”

“She had expressed that she had no ill intent on the matter and severely apologized for the situation,” Buckley explained to the group of what Wiley said.

But the plot thickened when Buckley made the false assertion that Wiley had been threatened within the group.

“No one threatens anyone here,” Buckley said in the group chat. “I will not stand for it and will not be tolerated. This is a safe space and if anyone threatens here, disciplinary action up to including termination will take place.”

Lucas shared with The North Carolina Beat that she never made any threats towards Wiley. She mentioned that if the situation persisted due to Buckley’s lack of action, she would escalate the matter to higher authorities. Three colleagues supported Lucas, stating they didn’t perceive any threat from her. It appears Buckley may have been unfairly focusing on Lucas’s skin color.

When asked if she felt discriminated against, Lucas said, “yes.”

Employee ask about bedbugs at European Wax Center in Greenville

In a recent group chat exchange, Zhanyia Staton, an employee, inquired about the status of the bedbug situation at European Wax Center. Sources from The North Carolina Beat revealed that the establishment was dealing with a bedbug infestation in the nooks and crannies of their waxing beds. When brought to Buckley’s attention, employees were simply instructed to give the beds a quick wipe down.

However, Lucas shared a different perspective, mentioning that she had suggested shutting down the business for a thorough cleaning due to the unsanitary conditions and the discomfort of customers having to lie on bug-infested surfaces.

“When I asked her if we could shut down, she said ‘no’ and to just clean in between clients,” Lucas shared with The North Carolina Beat.

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The North Carolina Beat made several unsuccessful attempts to contact European Wax Center as they repeatedly answered the phone only to disconnect the call, preventing the opportunity to obtain a statement prior to the publication of this post.