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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Vox Box

Big boy fired from Big Boy’s restaurant

Charles Compton stands in front of local Big Boys Restaurant. Photo courtesy of KPSP Local 2 News

At 349 pounds, Charles Compton knows that he is a big guy. He just never expected to be fired for it.

According to the story, Compton was given his uniform shortly after he was hired for the job. It included a hat and a 2x sized shirt.

Knowing that he wears an extra, extra, extra, extra, extra large shirt size, he told his manager that he didn't think the shirt would fit.

"When I went in there and told them the shirt didn't fit, they said we can't employ you if the shirt doesn't fit that's the biggest we have," says Compton.

Compton had even quit his previous job to take this one and is now unemployed. However, after the story aired in Lexington, Kentucky, the Big Boy's did call Compton to offer him his job back. He declined.

Do you think that a business should be able to turn an employee away for being too large? What if it were for a different business that had more of a correlation with weight? Was Compton right in not reaccepting the job?



In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.