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.
At some point, all you can say is “Let me find someone” when you know full well there’s no one.
When OGP is backed up and there’s literally no one to send out orders, you just brace for the customer complaints to roll in.
That OGP phone ringing on loop haunts my dreams.
I once had a shift where I was bouncing between jewelry, electronics, and register in a single hour. I aged three years that day.
The best is when leadership walks by and says, “Do the best you can” and then leaves like they just dropped a motivational poster on you.
The real MVPs are the ones who bring snacks when the day’s falling apart.
It’s wild how we can be down half the team and still keep the store from falling apart. Never gets recognized though.
Facts. If the store’s still standing at the end of those shifts, someone deserves a gold star.
Meanwhile, you know customers still complaining that we’re “too slow.” Like, please. We’re one step away from collapse.
The slow complaint always hits different when you’re running laps across the store.
Worst is when you finally get a second to breathe and then they pull you to backup. Again.
Backup: the eternal call you can’t escape.
Those skeleton crew days build character though. You leave the shift feeling like you survived a natural disaster.
Honestly should come with badges. “I survived 4-man freight day.”
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Been there. Those shifts where you’re just moving on autopilot and hoping nobody asks you to find anything.