Let's talk about things at work!
Why these people love to overreact??
Picked someone’s order and got yelled at because we substituted white bread for wheat. You'd think we replaced it with a rock the way they reacted.
The People Lead Starter Pack
Today: three call outs, two write-ups, one argument over PTO. I should be paid in tequila and spa days.
Those who want respect give respect
Lady came through my line today, on the phone the whole time, and got mad I “didn’t greet her properly.” Ma’am, you didn’t even look at me until it was time to pay. Respect goes both ways.
I don't make the prices
You ever ring up a customer, give them their total, and they act like it’s your fault the price went up? Today, a guy legit said, “$42? That’s robbery!” as if I set corporate pricing during my lunch break. And while he’s going off, his kid is using my register light as a swing. But I smiled, bagged his stuff, and told him to have a great day. Because if we lose our last ounce of patience, who’s gonna run this circus?
... read moreOGP Walmart
People think we just push around carts and scan barcodes. Nah, it’s a whole Olympic sport. I picked 300+ items today, dodging customers, forklifts, and three spilled gallons of milk. Then I loaded 7 orders back-to-back in 90-degree heat. One customer said, “You must love shopping.” Sir, I haven’t shopped for myself in weeks. I live off vending machine Pop-Tarts and fumes.
... read moreRotisserie Roulette
Cut 2 pounds of turkey, got burned by the oven, and still got asked if I “look bored back there.” Bro, I’m fighting for my life with this rotisserie.
Welcome to the Shift Show
Truck was late. Half the team called out. We had 10 pallets of backstock and three managers all telling us to “prioritize different zones.” Meanwhile, I’m sweating through my vest trying to keep cereal from collapsing. A kid kicked over my entire cart of fruit snacks and just walked away. You either laugh or lose your mind today I laughed. Barely.
... read moreFold. Fix. Repeat.
Folded the same stack of leggings 9 times today. They’re not free samples, y’all.
Leadership? More Like Damage Control
Being a people lead is like being a therapist, a referee, and an IT tech all rolled into one. I handled time clock issues, two drama filled shift swaps, a no call no show who tried to blame “bad Wi-Fi,” and a new hire who thought orientation included snacks. I still had to smile and check compliance logs. We hold the whole store together and then some.
... read moreThese people shouldn't shop
Someone exploded a soda in the toy aisle and just walked away. What the hell am I supposed to do when this type of thing happens?
You can't make this sh*t up
Had someone ask if I worked here while I was holding a price g^n, a box cutter, and wearing the vest. Do I look like I moonlight as a retail themed cosplay?
Things We Thought Were Obvious (Apparently Not)
Every day someone tries to open a display phone like it’s a box of crackers. Sir, it’s bolted down for a reason.
Pain
When it rains and the bags of dirt get soaked… guess who still has to load them by hand?
Grow up
I didn’t become a manager to babysit grown adults arguing over who gets to stock chips. Yet here we are.
When you realize "flexibility" means “we own your life”
I used to think “flexibility” on the schedule meant something mutual. Like, if I covered a shift one week, I could maybe ask for one off the next. Or that if I worked six days straight, I wouldn’t get hit with a 7AM truck shift the day after a closing one. But nah. What it really means is they expect you to bend until something breaks, usually your back or your sanity.
Just last month, I requested two days off for a family event. Gave almost three weeks notice. Got scheduled both days. I talked to the team lead and they were like, “Yeah, it’s just how the system filled it. Try to find someone to swap with.” So I spend a week trying to switch, but everyone else is already overbooked or burned out. Ended up missing part of my family gathering just to cover a shift that ended up being overstaffed anyway.
Then, of course, they ask if I can stay late because someone called out. The kicker? The coach who made the schedule wasn’t even there that day.
I’m not saying I don’t want to help, I show up, I stay late, I do what I can. But “being a team player” gets real old when the team only seems to notice when you're the one cleaning up the mess.
I’ve started keeping my own boundary line now. I help when I can, not just because they expect it. Respect goes both ways, and until that’s clear, I’m done saying yes to everything.
Anyone else reach that turning point where you realize they’re not going to respect your time unless you do first? #WorkLifeBalance #SchedulingRant #RetailRealness
... read moreOvernight shift turned into full-blown flood response
So I work overnight stocking and what started as a normal shift ended in complete madness around 3:45AM. I hear someone on the walkie say, “We’ve got water coming in under the receiving doors.” I figured it was just some light seepage. Nope. By 4AM, it’s coming fast. Turns out a pipe burst behind the backroom wall. Within 20 minutes, the backroom was an ankle-deep pool. No one from maintenance was there, and management didn’t answer calls. So we’re out there in the dark, using boxes of old clearance items to try and dam the flow like it’s a warehouse version of The Day After Tomorrow. Then someone panics and says it’s near the electrical panel. Cue immediate freakout. We shut off what we could, started moving pallets, and eventually one of the team leads shows up looking like they just woke up (probably did). It was controlled by around 6AM, but by then everyone’s soaked, freezing, and behind on freight. I’ve had wild shifts, but this one? This one felt like it needed a FEMA response. Anyone else ever had an overnight just go completely sideways like that? #OvernightCrew #WalmartDisasters
... read moreWhat time does Walmart pharmacy close again?
Had three different customers ask me what time the pharmacy closes, and I’m in lawn and garden. Just a reminder, ours shuts down at 7pm weekdays and 6 on weekends (might vary by location). We should really get better signage or train greeters to help with that—it’d save everyone time. #WalmartPharmacy #CustomerHelp
... read moreFound a scanner from 2015
No joke, I picked up a handheld this morning and it still had stickers from when we had the old yellow vests. Thing took two full minutes to boot, and it froze when I tried to scan an endcap. I’m all for nostalgia, but maybe not when I’m trying to zone GM. Anyone else’s store still holding on to ancient tech like this? #TechIssues #OldEquipment
... read more“I used to work here” stories never end well
Why is it always the customer who says “I used to work here” who ends up being the most difficult? Had a guy in electronics the other night asking about a price match on a TV. We explained that the item didn’t qualify since it wasn’t sold and shipped by the same online retailer. He gets all huffy and says, “I used to work here—I know how it works.” Cool. But policies change. And yelling doesn’t make the register say yes. Then he tried to argue that the price on the tag was “misleading” and he could sue if we didn’t honor it. Said something about “consumer law” and “bait and switch” and threw in “I know people at corporate” for good measure. I get that people want a deal. I even get that some of them really did work here once. But why does that always seem to turn into entitlement rather than understanding? Anybody ever had one of these “I used to work here” moments that actually ended on a positive note? #CustomerStories #RetailLife
... read moreThat one shift that almost broke me
Okay so this happened a couple of weeks ago and I’m still recovering. I was scheduled for a regular 2–11 in GM. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except I walk in and instantly hear from the TL that two people called out, another left early the night before, and freight was never touched. I head back to receiving and there are legit eight full pallets just sitting there, untouched. It’s me, one other associate who’s brand new, and a guy from CAP1 who clearly got voluntold to help. We spend the whole day busting it. Breaks got skipped (unintentionally), water’s dripping from a cooler onto a floor stack, and every 15 minutes a customer asks where the bike locks are. Then right around 7:30PM, we get told we’re being pulled to front end because there’s a rush and they need backup. I wanted to scream. Like actually scream. We never even finished three of the pallets. Came back the next day and—surprise!—they were still there. I don’t know how we’re supposed to stay motivated when stuff piles up faster than we can breathe. Do y’all just power through or actually speak up to management? #GMGrind #LongShiftVent
... read moreWhen OGP gets blamed for everything
So I’ve been with OGP for about a year now, and I gotta say—there’s this weird thing where, no matter what goes wrong in the store, someone finds a way to say it’s our fault. Customer’s pickup order is missing something? Must be OGP. Frozen aisle didn’t get zoned properly? Somehow still OGP. Customer couldn’t find an item on the shelf? Yeah, must be because OGP “took it all.” The funny part is we’re all over here scanning and packing orders, sometimes not even touching half the items they’re mad about. But team leads from other departments will walk over, shake their heads, and go, “Y’all gotta stop pulling so much.” It’s frustrating because we’re on crazy tight timers and we get docked for every minute we’re late on orders. We’re not hoarding stock. We’re literally just trying to not get coached. It’d be nice if the rest of the store remembered we’re just as slammed as they are. Anyone else on the OGP team feel this way? #OGP #StoreDynamics
... read moreI actually like working overnights now
Didn’t think I’d say this but I’ve grown to love the overnight shift. No crowds, no managers hovering every ten minutes, and you can actually get into a rhythm. Yeah, it’s rough on sleep sometimes and customers still pop in at weird hours, but I’ll take that over the 3PM chaos any day. Anyone else here long-term overnight? Do you prefer it or is it just the lesser evil? #OvernightCrew #WalmartLife
... read moreWhy is maintenance never around when something floods
Yesterday the ice machine dumped water across the floor near produce. We paged maintenance four times. Nothing. Ended up putting cones down and grabbing a mop from bakery. It’s always like this—AC breaks? No one. Bathroom floods? Mysterious silence. But let a balloon float to the ceiling and suddenly three people show up. #MaintenanceWoes #DailyChaos
... read moreDoes Walmart take Apple Pay yet?
Still getting customers asking “do y’all take Apple Pay” at the register—and when I tell them no, they always look shocked. They think every major retailer does, and it’s honestly awkward saying we still don’t. Especially when they already tapped their phone on the reader. I’ve heard rumors it’s in the works, but who knows. Would make things easier. #TechInStore #CustomerQuestions
... read moreWhy are the cash registers from 2003
Every single day, at least one register freezes, restarts, or refuses to read a card. It’s like playing a game of Russian roulette every time you log into one. I don’t understand how we can have self-checkout with mobile scan tech but our regular registers sound like a dial-up modem warming up. Is this just our store? Or are all of them this ancient? #CashRegisterStruggles #FrontEnd
... read more