u/AlzMarioWolfe

So I’m very new, like two weeks in and my main job will eventually be print. I’ve only been doing it like 2 or 3 shifts a week for the first maybe 2 hours of my full shift and then move to customer service until close, so I still only know a little about most things.

I finally got left on the print floor semi-alone for more than a few hours and I’m currently on break, so my print supervisor isn’t here anymore. TWO customers came in to pick up their orders today and were upset that the words were cut off. The same associate initialed both others. I had to redo them completely for both customers. Luckily they weren’t massive 100-page jobs but still, I worry for the day one will be. She didn’t even seem to quality check or even care that they weren’t done correctly. I would’ve known for sure to try again and scale them right before ever binning them. And I’m NEW.

What do I even do here? I’m a brand new worker having to fix someone else’s orders because she can’t reduce the size of the files by 4%. It just gave me so much extra unnecessary anxiety when I already still mostly don’t know what I’m doing in print… and I don’t want to look like that person who talks about other people… so early on, especially. Do I let my print supervisor know?

So I made a post about this job almost a week ago, I’ve finally had two shifts where I started working in print for a few hours each and then moved to customer service until close. The dread for each shift is definitely worse now that I’m learning a new position (not to mention having to do iPostal stuff for people in print as well) and I work the same shift tomorrow again that I just worked today. Does it ever feel better? Before you ask, management is NOT the problem at my store. Everyone’s been really accommodating for me as I learn, it doesn’t change the fact I hate bothering them with a million questions.

I’m starting to be able to do basic jobs on my own, like printing colored pages according to what the receipts want me to do in the right paper sizes, but I haven’t learned anything about posters, business cards, or the more complicated stuff yet. I still kinda freeze up at self service when someone needs help. My supervisor over there is great and willing to help me when she’s available, but I still get nervous and feel stupid. Any advice for how to tackle the workday or any new knowledge I could have before going back in would be great. This post is probably annoying filler to some people so I’m sorry but I really want to excel at this job and not look like a moron. My anxiety just sucks so bad that I get flare ups in my chest (costochondritis) when it persists for a long enough amount of days at a time, and talking myself out of it doesn’t seem to work enough.

Oh yeah, didn’t mention I also eventually need to train to be a TSA backup agent. Please tell me that’s not so insufferable and difficult as these other two positions.

Just a bit of a rant, I’m new here and to Staples as an employee so hopefully it’s okay...

I just had my third day of work, they hired me to do work in print and also to eventually train me to be a TSA Precheck backup agent. I haven’t gotten to either of these jobs yet, my first three days were spent in customer service and Amazon dropoff learning the “basics” after three days of computer training that started a week ago today. I believe Sunday my shifts are changing for the purpose of me having to go in with the print department finally all next week. They also have me staying late Sunday night to do inventory (the one time a year they do it, according to my coworkers).

My problem? I’m dreading it. I’ve been reading about the print job on this subreddit a little here and there and the idea of going back into customer service and Amazon returns has already made me struggle to sleep in this morning. I was nervous about what was only my third day at work today and it went about as wildly as I was expecting. Most transactions are okay but then there’s that one situation where a customer’s really upset about something for no reason or there’s some new thing someone wants to know that I can’t answer because I haven’t actually been trained to know a majority of that one job yet… and I feel like a total moron all the time because of having to ask about so many things. Those few incidents every hour just break me down so much more than I’ve ever been used to with other jobs. I do have anxiety that I acknowledge has made me worry about things much more than I’ve needed to before but I’m pretty good at keeping it internalized, at least around others.

I don’t know what to do. My current plan is to survive the next few weeks or however long it takes them to train me for all of my three jobs there so I can learn as thoroughly as possible and see if it gets better. I’m 27 years old and I really can’t just leave a job again, I’m still stuck living with mom and I don’t want to be back to unemployment hell searching months on end for someone who will actually hire me. I’ve learned in this current job market that my degree, variety of experience, and work ethic just isn’t enough to cut it anymore.

I’d appreciate any insight, advice if I keep going, maybe some similar feelings you might’ve felt at this point… anything. Thanks. I’m sorry if I sound really pathetic.