Let's talk about things at work!
The never-ending self-checkout shift
You know those shifts where you get stuck on self-checkout and you just know it’s going to be a long day? That was me today. First hour was steady, no problem. Then the rush hit and it didn’t stop for the next five hours.
Machines kept flagging, bags weren’t scanning, and I had at least three customers trying to scan 50+ items each with no patience. Meanwhile, the OGP orders were piling up, and every other minute I’m called to clear a flashing light. The worst is when people get mad like I broke the scanner on purpose.
What really hits though is when you’re flying between machines, helping three people at once, and someone still says, “Can we get more help over here?” Like, buddy, I am the help. I’m the entire team right now.
By the time I clocked out, my legs were s^ot and I could still hear the beeping in my head. Self-checkout days hit different.
... read moreThey need to hear their associates
I’ve worked at Walmart for over three years, and I’ve seen lots of changes. Some were good, some not so much but I’ve never seen any employee ideas actually get used. Every day, my coworkers come up with good ways to improve things like how we work, and help customers and even boost morale. We’re the ones on the floor, seeing what works and what doesn’t but when we share ideas, it feels like no one listens. For example a few months ago some of us suggested changing the electronics section to make it easier for customers to find stuff and avoid crowds. We even offered to help set it up after our shifts. Management just smiled, said okay, and then did nothing. So the problems are still there, with customers getting frustrated. I know not all ideas are great, but that’s no reason to ignore them all. If Walmart took even some of our suggestions seriously, I think it would be a much better place.
... read moreWhen overnight freight meets no-show staffing
Came in tonight expecting the usual overnight truck. Decent size, manageable with a full team. Except half the team didn’t show up. I mean literally half. No call, no show. It was just me, one other associate, and a team lead who was already tied up with claims.
We had to unload the entire truck ourselves. Grocery, chemicals, pet food—didn’t matter, it all had to move. Walkie calls kept asking for help in other departments, and we had to keep saying, “We’ve got no one left.”
Freight was so heavy we had to move pallets in pieces because the power jacks were down for maintenance. There’s nothing like pulling half a pallet by hand at 3AM. Management came in later like, “Hey, how’s it looking back here?” Like we weren’t drowning in boxes.
It’s wild how stores can still open and look semi-put-together when it feels like everything was one step from collapsing overnight. Shoutout to anyone who’s been there. You know.
... read moreNo opportunity for advancing your career
When I first started, I was really excited and thought I’d found something great. I believed that if I worked hard and stayed committed, I could move up like my dad did. He worked at one job for 30 years without ever thinking about leaving. But after a year of trying, I don’t see any chances to grow or get ahead. I’ve talked to people who’ve been here longer, and they feel the same. It seems like unless you’re lucky or know the right people, moving up is really hard. Some might say I haven’t been here long enough, but it’s tough to stay motivated when you see many people stuck in the same spot for years.
... read moreHopefully I changed your perspective
I’ve realized lately that it’s not Sam’s fault your TL is bad, or that your day off got denied, or that your manager takes long breaks. Running a big chain like Walmart is tough, and they have to trust local managers to handle things. They expect these managers to stand up for you, but sometimes they pick the wrong people. So, blame your local management for your problems. Make them treat you better and follow the rules. If you want things to change, start with your own store. Hopefully, this makes you think.
... read moreDoes PTO Have to Be Approved?
Can someone confirm does PTO have to be approved before you use it at Walmart? TL said no, but then denied my request in the system. What’s the truth?
Can they force you to use PTO?
Is it legal for an employer to force you to use PTO for holidays you didn’t request off? Got docked hours during Christmas when I wasn’t even scheduled 😑
Why do customers always pick the worst carts?
You know those carts that sound like they’re dragging an anchor? Why is it always those that customers insist on using the entire time?
PPTO
walmart management is considering phasing out PPTO by the end of the year since associates now receive yearly bonuses. Not sure if this is going to happen but i've heard it from two people. the mgmt is pretty good when it comes to taking away things.
... read moreThe day the freight truck was four hours late
You ever prep your whole shift around a truck arriving at a specific time, and then it just… doesn’t? That was me today. I clocked in ready to unload, team was set, dock was cleared, baler was empty, everything ready to go. Truck was supposed to be there at 2PM. It showed up at 6PM.
By that time, most of the team was already reassigned. We had managers asking why we were “just standing around,” even though our entire plan was built around that truck. When it finally showed, the pallets were a mess, half were leaning, and the paperwork didn’t match.
So now, it’s scramble mode. We’re unloading as fast as possible, but also being told to jump to backup and OGP pulls. Two of us ended up unloading most of the truck by ourselves. Finished the shift with half the truck still sitting in the backroom, knowing it’ll still be there waiting in the morning. Some shifts just don’t let you win.
... read moreAwful scheduling
The last couple of years at Walmart have always been hectic, but lately it’s gotten so bad I sometimes feel like crying out of frustration. For months now my shifts keep changing at the last minute. Like when I plan to hang out with friends, book a motel, get excited my schedule suddenly changes and I have to work. I’ve missed so many parties, family events, and birthdays. I’m not even a bad worker. I work hard, and hardly ever call in sick but it feels like they don’t care at all about my time outside of work.
... read moreHow Many Points at Walmart?
Quick refresher how many points can you get at Walmart before you’re at risk of termination? I think it’s 5 but some TLs say 9 now?
New PTO Policy
Here it goes: Summary: New 1-Minute Increment for PPTO (Paid Sick Leave Locations Only)
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Effective Date: April 30
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Who is affected: Hourly associates in locations with a paid sick leave law
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What’s changing: - Associates can now request PPTO (Protected Paid Time Off) in 1-minute increments instead of 15-minute blocks - This change applies when submitting requests via Global Time & Attendance (GTA) desktop and Me@Sams
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Why it matters: - Provides greater flexibility and accuracy for covering time off - Ensures associates can use exactly the amount of PPTO needed
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GTA system update: - GTA will auto-authorize attendance occurrences if all missed time is fully covered with PPTO
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Note: Regular PTO (not PPTO) requests will still be submitted in 15-minute increments
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What Associates Need to Do - Calculate the exact PPTO needed, considering grace periods - Submit the request for the exact number of minutes
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What Managers Need to Do - Communicate this change to hourly associates - Help associates understand how much PPTO is needed to protect absences - Refer to the [Management Guidelines for Hourly Paid Time Off Programs] for handling attendance occurrences
When freight just keeps coming
Came in for what was supposed to be a “light truck.” Spoiler: it was not. It was double-stacked, half of it was pet food, and most of the pallets weren’t labeled right.
We were chasing freight all night, trying to match the labels, and the driver was already waiting for us to finish. One of the pallets broke apart halfway through and we had to stop everything to clean it up.
I think I walked five miles just going back and forth from the dock to the floor. By the end, we were still behind, and they told us “we’ll catch up tomorrow.” Sure. Tomorrow’s already stacked too.
... read moreWhy is register tape always gone?
Why is register tape always gone right when you need it? I swear we order it and it just vanishes into thin air.
That one day when everyone called out
Had one of those “perfect storm” days where half the department called out and the rest of us just had to power through. You know those shifts where the freight’s stacked high, customers are lined up, OGP is backed up, and suddenly you realize there’s literally four people working the entire floor?
That was today. Team lead was running around covering five areas. One of us was zoning and jumping on register backup every ten minutes. Every time the walkie called for help, we just had to ignore it because we were all tied up.
It’s wild how the whole store can teeter on the edge of collapse and somehow… it still runs. Customers have no idea how close we are to the edge some days.
... read moreThe self-checkout shift from chaos
Worked self-checkout this morning and it was the wildest shift I’ve had in months. First, three machines froze back-to-back. I fixed one, turned around, another one flagged immediately. You’d think I was spinning plates at a circus.
Then, I had one customer who refused to scan anything and demanded I do it all for them, while two others were arguing over whether someone cut the line. I’m running between registers like I’m playing defense on a soccer field.
Meanwhile, the walkie’s blowing up asking for backup, the printer runs out of receipt paper, and the soda machine started leaking right in the middle of the rush.
By the time backup finally came, I felt like I’d lived an entire shift in two hours. If you’ve survived a true self-checkout morning, you know the kind of chaos I’m talking about.
... read moreAssociate's Bad Habits
At my store in South Texas, there is an associate who takes her breaks at the smoking area which is actually a rock garden. She refuses to put her ABC gum in the trash can, throws them into the rocks instead. I counted 23 pieces of her gum just now. Just freaking gross!
... read moreDoes Walmart accept Afterpay?
Had a customer ask if we accept Afterpay. Nope, not in stores. Walmart Online is where you can use it—but not for everything. Always good to double-check before you get to the register.
OneWalmart report absence not working
Anyone else having trouble with OneWalmart report an absence not working? Tried logging one this morning and got a blank screen. Ended up calling the hotline instead.
The never-ending register tape scavenger hunt
Is there a store where register tape is actually easy to find? Ours disappears like it’s being smuggled out.
Customer passed out
There was this old lady who came in yesterday to ask for something for his headache. Right after she asked, she passed away. I got scared as he^l because I’m a newbie around here. It’s the first time I've seen something like this. Anyway, we helped the customer get up and when she was conscious again, she said that she almost had no sleep for the last 2 days. Apparently, the reason was her son was having problems in her marriage. Anyway, that happened, I got scared and I just wanted to share. Toodles.
... read moreOne thing about the Walmart customers
I genuinely think every customer who comes to Walmart becomes an ungrateful granny. No matter how old they are or which stage of their lives they're in, after seconds of coming to this place, they all become ungrateful grannies, and you know there is no way that you can make them feel satisfied. It's so frustrating as an associate who works his a^s off for these guys and no matter what you do, they always find the one thing that you didn't do and they make you feel like nothing that you did for them matters, just because you didn't do that one thing. Also, they think you're a magician. They expect you to create items that are not left in the stock. When you can't do it, you're just guilty and it's your fault that every other customer bought that item and there is nothing left of it. You should have kept one for one specific customer. You are so careless!! And the kindness have you been showing the whole time during the conversation? Well, means nothing. It doesn't matter if you answered kindly to their question and tried your best to help them even if you were in the middle of something else, you didn't get the job done, you didn't deliver the item that they were asking for, so you su^k. The stuff that I'm telling you right now might feel like a fairy tale or some guy complaining online about his job but this is literally what I experience every other week, at least once. Last week, for example, I was zoning the he^l out of someplace and this lady walked up to me asking for some brand of cereal that I didn't know existed before. Anyway, I wasn't sure if we even sell that brand of cereal but I didn't want to give her no as an answer immediately, so as you can guess I went back there and asked some associates whether we sell the cereal or not and it turns out we do, but we have none left. I came back to tell her that actually there was nothing left of the cereal that she was asking about. You should have seen the look on her face. She just looked at me like I was a waste of life. Believe it or not, I started laughing my a^s off. I never felt like these types of situations were funny, but I just realized how silly she looked. The look on her face was so funny that it almost changed my view on life. That's how insane it was. Like ma'am, I didn't hurt you or one of yours. We just don't have the cereal and it's not my or your fault that we don't have it. It's nobody's fault. We just don't have the damn cereal. It feels like being kind becomes harder and harder every day. I don't think I will give up on being kind anytime soon because that's who I am. I am fundamentally a kind person no matter the circumstance. As you can imagine, it doesn't feel good to not have some kindness back. I'm not even asking for the same level of kindness, like even a small amount would be fine. Anyway, I don't know if I'm being sensitive or not but this is just how I feel and I wanted to share. Thank you.
... read more