Crumble Cookie Is Unfair With New Hires?

Portrait of a group of businesspeople showing thumbs down in an office

Maricopa’s newest business, pretty much, is off to a shaky start after seemingly leading new hires on regarding their new positions. Seems they hired around 70 or so new employees for the tiny business only to terminate about 20 employees prior to their even starting. And, with some of the stories it seems perhaps Crumbl Cookie is unfair with new hires.

The cookie spot, which offers the famous oversized cookies and who’s model is to change the recipes each week, is located right between MOD Pizza and Jimmy John’s in Sonoran Creek Marketplace. So, just prior to opening July 29, they hired about 70 or so employees according to store co-owner Jacob Armstrong. However, about 20 of those employees were told, after being on-boarded, quitting their jobs & even purchasing the necessary tools they were advised to purchase, that they would not be hired after all. Unfairly leaving many out of pocket, frustrated and without jobs.

Crumble Cookie Is Unfair With New Hires?

Dorian Carmeci, for instance, was recruited by store manager Anne-Marie McKinley (who has since quit). According to Carmeci, who is 64 by the way, Anne-Marie was hosting interviews in MOD where Carmeci was working at the time (right next door).

“She came to my job, MOD Pizza, and told me she was really impressed with my professionalism. How I treat my customers and my cheerful readiness to do whatever needs to be done,” Carmeci said. “I interviewed after my shift at MOD and was hired on the spot. I told her about my availability (which was for morning opening shifts), and she said that was perfect.”

“I got a welcome to the Crumbl team letter on July 6 and instructions from (human resources) asking for documentation so I sent them pictures of my driver’s license, other ID, ADP W2 and I-9 forms and gave them a voided check for payroll. I was also invited to join their Slack channel to get more information and communicate with others on the team. I left MOD on July 12 since I had been hired at Crumbl. I thought I had a job really.”

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But it wasn’t meant to be. Even after the head hunting expedition just next door.

Dorian said during the next few weeks she connected with her Crumbl Cookie team via Slack and was told by McKinley her training was to start July 27 or Aug. 1, and that she would even be paid for her orientation day.

But as the date got closer, things changed. Instead, she received a text from Anne-Marie that Crumbl had ‘over-hired’, and she was sorry for any inconvenience.

“Inconvenience?” Dorian said. “I left my flipping job. Spent over $100 for special non-skid shoes and black pants ($76 for two pairs of black pants and $60 for the shoes) and now I have no job. That is not an inconvenience. What they did to me and my almost co-workers is criminal.”

Crumbl Cookie gets a thumbs down from Buzaz

Co-owner & manager, Jacob Armstrong claims the over-hiring was just an innocent mistake.

“Pretty simple, people were sharing information (?) and we ended up hiring over 70 people,” Armstrong, who also owns five other Crumbl Cookie locations in the Valley, he said via text message. “We aimed for 50 and ended up with 70 hires. So, we had to cut it back to 50. Thought it would be better to not have them start at all rather than lead 20 people on for a few weeks and then let them go.”

The store manager at the time, Anne-Marie McKinley, expresses the story differently however.

She said Armstrong approached her during the hiring process and asked her what questions she was asking during interviews. He indicated that he wanted to add two additional questions – whether the prospective employees could lift 50 pounds and if they were smokers, because, according to McKinley, he hated smoking & smokers.

“And this is why Dorian was added to the cut list of people to be let go, because she disclosed during her application process that she couldn’t lift 50 pounds,” McKinley said. “But she didn’t need to be able to lift 50 pounds; there were all kinds of people in that store who could do that. Dorian was hired so she could be at the register, greeting people and having that energy that she had at MOD Pizza.”

Armstrong was asked why he didn’t know how many employees it took to open a store. After all, he IS the owner of five other Crumbl Cookie franchises. However he declined to comment for the record. Armstrong stated that the Crumbl Cookie corporate office would provide comment. He also declined to say if those terminated were being compensated in any way. (They aren’t as of this writing.)

Crumble Cookie Is Unfair With New Hires?

Eldon Elledge of Maricopa said his 17-year-old daughter Contessa went through the same situation – she was hired by Crumbl Cookie, gave notice to her previous employer, because HEY – she had a job at Crumbl Cookie, then was told she was being let go before starting.

“She filled out the hiring paperwork, and Crumbl told her orientation would be the week of July 24,” Eldon Elledge said. “She gave her two weeks’ notice at Firehouse Subs, and they kept her for 6-7 days, then they let her go. She was excited about starting the new job, what she’d learn and having a new work experience. I was excited because I want my kids to gain confidence in the workplace and always be learning. We went on a vacation and when we got back, said couldn’t access her group on Slack. Then a friend of hers was one of first to get text message that they weren’t going to be hired after all.”

Contessa did not receive the text telling her she was not being hired, so Eldon started doing some research. He says he was told by a woman named Brandi in Crumbl Cookie human resources that, “You’re just going to have to deal with it.”

Just GHOSTED by Crumbl Cookie

At least for Carmeci, the sting goes beyond simply not having a job. She purchased shoes and pants for the job, costing her about $100. Crumbl Cookie has not offered to reimburse her for that expense.

Eldon Elledge said there is a way to at least begin mending fences.

“As the franchise owner he should make a public apology and not pass the buck, (the way Armstrong did),” Elledge said. “He should say, ‘we did mess up, and it’s not the way we wanted to come to your growing town.’ He could rectify a lot of the damage by just acknowledging it and saying they messed up. This community works in these businesses, and we have the right to be treated well by them.”

Contessa Elledge said she was disappointed in the entire process.

“I definitely got my hopes up,” she said. “I was really upset. I was going to be happy to frost cookies and not make sandwiches anymore. I was excited to make tips and make more money. I feel like something should happen when a company promises you a job, and you quit your old job then they just let you go for no reason.

“It’s very unfair and very unprofessional.”

Well, NOT a good start for a business opening up in such a small, but growing, community. Word gets around here in Maricopa. Perhaps local shops, like Sweet Cravings for one, are a better alternative to the lifeless corporate shops popping up around town.