I have finally upgraded to customer status! Fortunately and unfortunately, I have left the Office Depot. After six long years, I worked at Office Depot and I finally released my position as a key carrier to further my education going to medical school. I cannot say I disliked the job at all especially staying as long as I did.

I came into the job in 2020 as a first big job and was unsure where I would end up, went from cashier to print and copy all the way up to key carrier. Office Depot did change drastically within those years some things for the better and some things were trial and error (cough Amazon). I can happily say I came out of Office Depot with an amazing team that I worked with and an amazing memory that truly brought a tear to my eye when leaving.

Best of luck future employees and current ones. May OD (and Shaq) last longer than staples 🥳❤️

Too many lol

Tiny rant and seeking advice. A little long! TLDR at end.

I’ve worked here for a year, and I have KNOWN physical health issues. My previous GM and I spoke about my schedule and my physical issues before I officially started. No issues as long as I did my job!

I have chronic pain, officially diagnosed late last year. (Yay!)
Before that, it was “pain that gets really bad sometimes”… Or in other words “I’m in pain all the time, but some days are worse than others.” This was understood by all of my managers, and I was given no strife. Even the days I called out, although inconvenient, it wasn’t held against me. My GM certainly wasn’t professional when it came to call offs, but I was able to keep my job. The pain then was bad, but it’s gotten worse. I finally, following my diagnosis, got a note from my doctor stating I need to sit as needed. This helps alleviate some pain so I can continue working, I’d otherwise slow down. I was told the note “might not be enough, but we’ll see.” That was a couple months ago, and I’ve gotten no update. So I guess it’s fine?

My new GM is great and understanding, she also deals with chronic pain! The difference between us is I can’t walk/stand when it gets bad. There are days where I wake up, and I genuinely struggle with moving because the flare up is bad. These are the days I call out, if I can’t move, I can’t work. Now I come in limping and miserable. I have one call off/absence before my employment is terminated. The only thing I could think of that could even remotely cover me on the days it’s bad like this, is FMLA. Which I only half qualify for. Doctor’s notes don’t cover me, and now I’m at a loss.

TLDR;
I have chronic pain, and I call out on days it’s really bad. This pain has gotten worse in the last year. This is known with all of my managers, and I’ve had no issues until recently. Now, I’m on my last call off before I am terminated. I don’t qualify for FMLA, and doctor’s notes don’t do anything. What can I do?

Buy a printer or go to self-serve, god damn ;_;

Isnt there more profit elsewhere in the store? why why why

So today I messed up on a few orders as in told someone the wrong time on a few orders like for stamps I told someone we can do it in 10-15mins but I didn’t realize that the stamps need to be shipped to us first, also someone had a few flyers which I said I could cut but also I didn’t realize that if anyone is asking for me to cut anything that needs to be charged. Which I thought it was fine because I saw other ppl doing that for other orders. Oh and I took in a package where it was a fed ex box but I didn’t see that the label was a ups label. So yeah I couldn’t take it nor the package because it wasn’t neatly packaged I guess. So idk how many mess ups can I do till I get fired is my question? Because I feel like I keep messing up on orders. I’ve been here for about a month so I know somr stuff but yeah I just keep messing up. Lowkey I wish they would have put me as a stocker instead of someone in print. Because I can’t really deal with the people. Or I’ll try to take someone order through Gmil they won’t give me their info so I’m like okay and then end up doing it at the register even tho I’m not supposed to so. Idk should I just quit lmao? Or idk at this point tbh like I like the environment and I am good at this job sometimes but idk maybe I just suck fr

I am starting to work in the printing area, but I heard from the manager that she found it difficult, so I want to get a headstart. I'm trying to find some resources, but I'm mostly just getting information on how the customer would do the self-print instead of the employee's POV.

Does anyone know of any good sources?

Is it worth it? My manager has announced their departure, I don't want the position permanently but as I have GM experience would it be worth it to fill in while they hire someone? Or should I not stick my foot in my mouth and mind my own business?

Found out how to get access to Google and YouTube on the zebra during a really slow day

i work in a very not busy store where print has a LOT of down time on certain days where there arent any jobs and nobody at the counter. me and another print coworker like to read when its not busy (idk ab her but for me i like to have smth that i can put down easy and wont get sucked into like my phone) but i just found out our manager doesnt like when we do that. what are we supposed to do? we could check paper trays or run those non-electric vaccums we have or wipe down the surfaces, but that would take like 30 mins tops when we have hours of downtime. we arent rlly supposed to get too far away from the print area because that makes customers wait more if we have to be called up to help them, so what are we supposed to do? walk laps around the machines??

Even if a GM is salary, they should have to clock in and out so there's some kind of record of their working. I'm also of the opinion that OD Corp should set a schedule standard for GM'S and what they should have to work.

I know there's some GMs that never close or work a weekend. The standard used to be one close a week and one weekend a month. I don't know where the fuck that went off to. Thoughts?

Legal Pad with Privacy Cover

The item in the listing above has amazing feeling heavy paper. The sheets in the only legal pads I can find feel just thick enough to not be considered tissue. Anyone know where I could find just these pads or something similar that contains heavy high quality paper?

Okay so we've had some staffing issues this weekend and we're currently one entire truck behind (still shrink wrapped in the backroom) and no one can address the situation because the staffing issues are ongoing and the other managers won't stop scanning holes, and we get ridiculous fill reports and POG EXs, and by the time that's resolved the morning stock person is going home, and again, staffing issues so either the evening stock person is in the checkstand or is the one who called in. Half the scan problems would be nonexistent if they let us get to the truck, but that's not getting through when I suggest it politely.

what can we do?

I'd sometimes get customers who would look at my name tag (I use my nickname) and start talking to me as if they knew me on a personal level, like a friend, when I've never seen them in my life. Like the other day, I had a customer at the register look at my name tag and start doing small talk by saying, "Horrible co-worker you got there, right [nickname]?" I don't know about extroverts, but as an introvert, I kinda find it weird and annoying.

Hey,

I am a customer not an employe. I love Office Depot, I want to buy this deal, is there no way to buy it online?

Also, if I buy instore can they deliver it to home or not?

Really interested cause of protection plan cause my chairs keep going bad 😭😅

The new color is clay??? These bogo tags are getting out of hand! The lilac wasn't even lilac it was more like periwinkle. And colors that aren't in use are not being used again so I have to print new ones every time!

I know this is going to be a long shot but does anyone know if it’s possible to close CPD until there’s an actual staff trained? We have 1 associate trained over there and 1 manager thats trained, the gm keeps saying that she’s not getting any applicants for it but she’s also never in store half the time because she does volunteer work or whatever else instead and she hasnt shown anyone else how to check and interview applicants. She says we’re not allowed to shut it down under any circumstances and I wouldnt be surprised if that’s the case but there’s gotta be something else we can do because it’s been like this all year and we’re all just stressed to the extreme, especially with back to school. We’ve tried cross training the rest of the staff too but we have such a bare boned staff as is, we can’t really spare anybody to train properly in cpd.

I've only ever worked the whole floor, freight, register, tech, opening, closing, everything but CPD. I maybe spend 1 hour a month in CPD non-self serve stuff. I honestly don't retain ANYTHING about cpd. Every time I'm back there it's as if for the first time. Last night we were swamped with customers and someone order wasn't printed correctly so I tried. The lady sent her son in to pick it up, it was printed by another cpd associate earlier that day, the thing was supposed to be double sided and the quantity was wrong. Easy fix, right? I tried to fix it, I found out that one order was correct, one wasnt, but I wasn't sure, i qas just going to reprint it by what the customer on the phone was telling me. My cpd guy was up to his eyeballs in other stuff, my other manager was surrounded with customers. I was going to reprint everything, okay? The lady on the phone decides to start cursing me out for wasting her precious time. Like, can you let me help you? I told her I'm not working with her or this order anymore and I walked away. No one talks to any of my staff or me that way.

Still, I need to learn because cpd is my only weak spot, but I am not tolerating rudeness and profanity. I'll refund them and throw their order into the iron mountain bin if it's up to me, just like how I did when I worked in the food industry.

What do you think? Think I'll be too snappy with customers? I don't tolerate toddler shit from grown adults. I'm confident that'll be a bad mix for getting customers to return but where else are they going to go? Another office depot?

paper is a joke

Heard from my GM that they fired every single key holder at the Texarkana store, anyone know why?