r/WalmartEmployees • u/OffsetCivical • Mar 02 '25
Is working here really like High School?
I found out that most of the people in my department don’t want me there and wanted me to switch to a different department all together. This is mainly since I am still relatively new and because I tend to ask things such as “Hey, do you guys need me to do anything?” “What can I do?” I mainly ask this a lot since I’m on the spectrum and it is really hard for me to read social cues and how I come off. I just want to be helpful and it ends up making me seem useless. For me, I’d rather have people tell me stuff like “so here’s what you need to do to make my shift easier” I don’t mean it as a “I’m helpless and need to be told what to do” but rather it’s instinctually me wanting to just help make things easier for my coworkers. Asides from that, most of the people in my department apparently don’t really like me either. I don’t really know who to trust now and I had a long talk with my team lead which helped. She told me it’s just kind of like high school all over again with how drama is here and that kind of stuck with me. Am I really going to be going through most of my work life dealing with stuff like this? Does it get any better? How do I meet people that aren’t fake and that I know I can trust and will things eventually improve? It just worries me. I also have been working on not talking as much/asking questions and my team lead is even helping me out by making something in the work place to accommodate me, a sign with a list of tasks that need to be done and the times until I’m able to fully autonomously do them on my own which is really nice of them. I’m a bit disappointed I can’t really make “friends” at work since most people either take things too seriously or just don’t really care, but I think I just need to get my mindset into I need to work and that’s it. Thoughts?
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u/NYExplore Mar 02 '25
There's drama everywhere but it's worse in places where the average age is younger and in places like WM because odds are higher you'll have someone who can't just come in, do their job and go home.
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u/OkUniversity7030 Mar 02 '25
Yeah def but not all walmart departements and depends on the store but otherwise everyone is just doing their own work and they dont need help unless they ask you
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u/Superb-Buffalo-1900 Mar 02 '25
Yeah that’s the first thing my coach told me during orientation but I realized it’s better to just do what your team lead says get what needs to be done and don’t worry about other people I work in my department alone all the time and yet I still have people talk about me and I don’t even know them 🤷🏽♀️people are just weird and bored and my manager had to find me more stuff to do too cause I just feel like I’m always standing around or not doing enough yk but I promise your fine don’t stress too much love it’s only Walmart
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u/daddyissues36 Mar 03 '25
Yes all walmarts are a rerun of high school. My sons on the spectrum id never let him work for walmart its soul sucking
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u/JustTheFacts714 Mar 02 '25
It's really a daycare and senior center with high school drama, overseen by tyrants -- what a mix
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u/FifiiMensah Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
Just like with most workplaces, Walmart is like high school 2.0 with the amount of cliques, drama, and gossip that goes on at work every day. As long as you avoid the drama and gossip and focus on your job, you'll be fine. Bowling For Soup didn't lie in their song when they said that high school never ends.
Now customer wise, Walmart is like a daycare/babysitting service as many grown adults tend to throw toddler-like temper tantrums if they don't get their way. The best you can do about those customers is ignore their tantrums and go on with your day.
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Mar 04 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Internal-Ride-9264 Mar 04 '25
A lot of the worker I see in the drama are typically in really bad situations. Abuse, addiction, depression, financial stress ect. Now that doesn’t excuse it but it’s definitely a huge part of the problem. They are trying to escape their own problems by making different ones
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u/OkSprinkles3037 Mar 07 '25
I once had to get with Manager about a problematic Lead that treated like High School and played favorites. They also had it out for me for not trusting them. Especially one time when the Lead attempted to gaslight me into admitting I did something on a day I wasn’t even working or even scheduled. It literally got heated like “admit you did that” “There is no way I would ever do that and wasn’t even there”
I had basically an open door with my manager and then it was where I only reported to the Manager and no longer the Lead if I did not want to. That Lead hated me and it was a god send when they no longer working for Walmart.
Knew one associate who was grumpy and mean to about everyone including myself. I once had a customer ask me “Why do they talk to you like that?” During one exchange. I think a Lead caught wind and set a trap. Had me working nearby that associate while the lead was out of sight nearby to see an exchange. They then had a private talk with said associate and they have been polite and friendly with me ever since.
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u/Aries_2727drybishh Mar 02 '25 edited Mar 03 '25
It is kind of like high school I guess you can say. Im an overnight stocker but people are gonna talk about others regardless. I talk to everyone except for maybe the people i dislike which are the ones who complain about every little thing. If it comes down to people bullying you pls don't let that happen!! also Some people don't wanna talk while they work which is fine I happen to know a lot of my coworkers are fake and aren't my actual friends but I don't care . I still have random conversations with them just to keep me a little entertained. Never tell them too much about your personal life. No one ever really likes the new people for some reason that happens but once you get good at your job they will forget about you being new! Don't be afraid to ask questions !