Not-emet related, but terrible work drama and need advice

[crd08]

i am hoping some of you on here have been in a similar postion and can help me out.
I work at a fast food place as a manager, I've been there about 4 years now and most the time i do like my job. About a year ago an older manager (35) started sleeping with a crew person (18). Now, this said manager is also married. She also had drama with another manager, who said it wasn't "classy" of her to be cheating on her husband. She also got into lots of fights with crew because of course people were talking about it. You don't cheat on your husband with a teenager and not have it talked about. Anyway, I stayed neutral in it. Never her friend, but never an enemy. She eventually got demoted back down to a crew person because she was doing so poorly as a manager.
technically, she should have been fired (my opinion and the store managers opinion)
Two months ago 4 manager quit, leaving us with only three. They moved her back up to be closing manager. It was a quick fix to a tough situation. Now, I am the opening manager so I come in after her. I have closed before and I know it's tough. I was always helpful and giving her advice and I even told her multiple times that she was doing good and that the store looked fine. But if I even cleaned one thing or had to stock one thing suddenly that was me saying she wasn't doing her job. The closing crew needs work and I get frustrated sometimes when I come in and their is still ICE CREAM stuck to the walls! Because I have to do all their stuff AND my own. But I only say something if its really bad and only to the store manager.
But she is going around saying that all I and another manager do all day is talk about her and everybody else. Apparently I called the maintnence mans girlfriend 'a fat ugly slut' and a 'stuck up bitch' which NEVER left my mouth. I don't even know her. So now he hates me even though we were friends-ish (work friends) We even told him we never said that and that we were sorry someone started that rumor. Also we talk about all the crew (not true. i only talk about their performance with other managers. like what they do good, what they need to work on, etc) I never just gossip with my crew people, even though I am around the same age as most of them. She is also telling crew that we are worthless managers and we are stuck up and we can't do our jobs. Which is funny since I am not only younger than her, but been there way less time and already higher up than her.
Today she left at 4:30 am and her and her friend (who is a crew person) sat in lobby and whispered and stared at me the entire time for over an hour. Then they stood in the parking lot till 7:30 am talking about us. They even made a crew person late because they called her over and started talking to her about me. Telling her that I was a bitch and good luck working with me. Putting words into my mouth ans saying things that just ween't true. This really upset me because I am always nice and friendly to my crew. Yes, I am a manager but all the crew tell me they love working with me and that I am one of their favorites.
I've gone to the store manager who said wednesday I will sit down with the owner and tell her everything thats been going on. But I am worried this isn't the right thing to do. Are we just being babies about it? I don't care if she hates me, but she can't tell crew people I talk about them! Especially when it's all lies! But I know she is gong to say we all talk about her, but nobody even says anything! I have had crew come to me saying they cant work with her and they want off her shift, but we don't all stand around just talking about her and her life. Nobody cares. And I'm not the only manager who crew go to about this and i'm not the only manger who has ever said anything about how messy it is or how much they don't do at night.
I am just lost. I hate to quit but I am not going to come in everyday to new drama and new crap. I have just been ignoring it so far like they say to do. I stopped talking to her unless necessary but it just won't stop. I never even had this problem in SCHOOL.

[Syrup]

Sounds like a rough place to work! UGH!

My feeling is that you have 2 options, sit with the owner & the person that you are having conflict with to work it out until it's actually resolved and not before. Given her tract record (sleeping around and being a gossip), it sounds like this isn't really possible with her. Your other option, which is what I would most likely do, is to ignore her. Continue doing what you're doing. Be nice to her and to everyone else and don't fret about what she's doing. I can't imagine anyone believes her when she talks, I sure wouldn't. You have to be careful about the company you keep and if people are going to stand in a parking lot and gossip about someone, that doesn't say much about them.

Chip up!