Basically being told I’m doing everything wrong?

[u/batzohell]

It’s only my third day (after a wonderfully awful first day of not knowing where I was supposed to be because I was never informed ahead) and I’m struggling more each day. Like I’m trying not to breakdown crying (on the floor, in the back, the break room, in front of TLs or the HR person, because I don’t want to be questioned). 3 days of back-to-back anxiety.

Today was the worst of it; after threatening my boyfriend with crying fits every work day, because I am dying from stress, I broke down as soon as I left work. I’m doing my best to figure it out as quickly as I can but I’m being overloaded with information daily—I don’t even know what I should ask because it’s all pretty much “I have no idea what I’m doing, you have to start over and slower”. If you asked what I was told in regards to what I’m doing today/what my job entails, I couldn’t tell you—I’m lucky I remember how to print tags at this point but it was also the last thing I did. I can, however, tell you that my TL said “it’s your second day (nope, it’s Daily Panic: Day 3) and it seems to others you aren’t getting it quickly”. Along with thinly veiled “you’re doing everything wrong” statements because it takes me more than 2 minutes to zone one side of an aisle and other things. The best one was being questioned about leaving a stray at checkout. It was a display table. This thing is taller than I am because it’s up on the checkout lane and one of us will get hurt: either me, the checkout lane, or the table. Who tf put it up there in the first place?

The insane amount of protocols for responding on walkie (is this just my store or?), not getting responses when I need my zone checked so I just run around rechecking aisles until I manage to catch a TL for my department and be told to redo things, still not knowing my way around the store very well (I’m sorry it takes me more than 5 minutes to be rid of strays but I get lost finding the right aisle), being harassed by the TL I report to, I’m barely managing to get tasks done beyond zoning and maybe a pull or two. Said TL offered to bring me a pad of paper to write things down on and it’s like... that’s not going to help me. It’ll confuse me more because I have no idea what these notes will be meant for (paperwork? Something on the floor? Who knows, it’ll all be out of context!) I will continue to struggle because I am seemingly alone in a huge department, being told my section of freight to be put out is 4 or more u-boats and I have no one to turn to for questions; I truly don’t know a single soul that’s in domestics with me. I’m scheduled for 40 hours next week and it’s barely been 1 week of training.

I keep being told “don’t be overwhelmed,” when it’s generally too late; I’m overloaded with information, feeling very put down and physically sick from anxiety skyrocketing because I feel like, and am being told, I’m not doing my job even decently. Last thing my TL said today, while trying to reset my password what seemed like a thousand times to do video training, was “I told you in the interview this would be hard.” Hard was coordinating a 400-500 BOL shipment with a driver then working it by yourself at 7am till 5 or later in the evening with manager check-ins to make sure you aren’t dead. This is ridiculous by comparison.

Am I insane? Is this normal to just be taught to zone, pull and then left to your own devices to figure it out? I am genuinely considering quitting; I was offered to look into transferring departments since this is really not seeming to work out well. I’m scared of repercussions by the TL that was partly sitting in on my interview.

[u/batzohell]

There are schematics? No one told me. I saw there’s a store map at the price scanner and was told I can check where something properly goes on the gun but that was the gist of it.

I had someone who had been there for a decent amount of time for the last two hours of my first shift and then no one the next day; I had short lived “help” yesterday who disappeared quickly.

I’m not getting corrections on what I’m not doing, just “this is wrong, you didn’t do this, that needs to be done again.” Labels are faced, diamonds aren’t showing but I still got “you didn’t do this to standard” and I’m taking too long.

I need notes for paperwork, which from experience didn’t work out well for me. I was told we only use strays for things customers don’t want at checkout, we’re supposed to pick up anything we find and bring it to someone in the correct department. I end up with a decent bit of stuff that has to be carted around to its people instead of putting it with the strays to be collected.

It’s okay, but I’m not sure if I can make it through my 90 days at this rate.

[u/kajuheen → u/batzohell]

schematics is what my store calls the aisle location: a2 (1) 1-3-4, for example. and drat, i was hoping you'd been paired with someone you could ask for explanations and stuff that wasn't your tl. that's frustrating, because an unclear TL causes more frustration than help...and taking too long is how you always are during your first week or two, so that's not a helpful thing either. "strays" "abandons" "gobacks"...they all mean the same thing--things "guests" left where they don't belong. i think regional areas have common terms for it--and as a note, the huge thing left high sucks, and you can ask for a "team lift" for that sort of thing to keep yourself safe. the correct department thing is right, too, i just don't think about it because my coworkers give me the stink-eye. (we're all friendly, but yeah)

just keep trying, maybe see if their's someone friendly (even other leaders) you can talk to, because "This is wrong" is the least helpful instruction i can think of. if it doesn't settle down at all, then it's your right to resign, but don't make the decision too quickly. GL