Sainsbury’s Trading Assistant Advice

I’ve just finished my first official shift at Sainsbury’s (Sunday 17:00-21:00).
For the first 20 mins of my shift, my manager asked me to wait outside her office, she didn’t teach me how to check in or out (I had to get another member of staff to help).
Then all the managers left and I was on my own wondering around, I wasn’t told what to do or where to go. Again, I had to ask another member of staff to help me but they equally didn’t know what to do. Eventually a manager came to help, she gave me the job of topstocking 3 isles. She didn’t tell me how to do it properly and when she came back she’d always pick on my work. I’m also only 5’2 and when I reach for the top stock, I have to go on my tippytoes where I can barely reach them despite having a stool. The boxes are also very heavy and it becomes quite dangerous. After a while I began to feel quite sick and dizzy from reaching above my head and constantly looking up and down and started to feel quite overwhelmed. I suffer from anxiety so this made me panic quite a bit. Again my manager came over and picked on all the bits I’d done (or didn’t do) and when I told her I didn’t feel well and didn’t think this job was for me, she literally walked off. I wanted to burst out crying and have just got home and am crying. By the end of my shift I’d only completed one isle. When it came to the end of my shift, I had to get rid of cardboard in this machine which nobody taught me how to use, one of the other colleagues dumped their cardboard on me too. I didn’t finish until gone my scheduled hours and I couldn’t find my manager to let me out (store was closed at this point). I’m just looking for some advice or support as I’m feeling really let down from this job. It’s my first ever job and it seemed really easy when you think about it but it’s not. I feel quite disappointed in myself and embarrassed as I know people are going to think I’m pathetic but I feel like I couldn’t handle it.

Reply 1

Costajambo

You are not pathetic at all, why would you even think that? You were given a lousy first shift and not trained at all. Leaving you alone at the baler untrained is frankly dangerous. I would suggest you go in a bit early before your next shift and ask to speak to the most senior person in charge at that time. Explain what happened and mention you don't want to get anyone in trouble but you expect to at least be trained how to do your duties. If you feel you may get anxious doing this jot down a few bullet points on paper before you go in and refer to that so you don't get muddled and forget to make a point. Good luck, stick at it a while longer, things will hopefully get better soon.

Reply 2

Zarek

Retail jobs are demanding and you weren’t given a good induction. If you want to stick with it, you need a positive strategy. You have precious few rights at the moment. Speak to your manager and ask if you can have some mentoring to help you settle in and also to help with jobs which your height make difficult. See if you can find some colleagues who are allies to work with. And join a trade union for advice and representation if needed, a sensible idea for any job. Hopefully things will pick up