I owned some stores for quite a few years, sold them when I retired.
It sounds to me that you are doing great. There is a lot of different stuff to learn, but once you have the major things down everything will fall in to place. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, or even re-ask them. That’s what training is. Keep a close eye on the people training you. Watching how they do things will help you to establish what ways work for you. Card everyone buying smokes or booze. You don’t want to be the one that ends up paying a huge fine.
I’ve been where you are, O.P. My last job was the very first back-of-house restaurant job I’ve ever had in my life. Retail, sure, customer service, sure … but using a fryer, let alone three at once? Dafuq? And you want me to do what with HOW many pounds of raw pork?
My first day, I genuinely thought I was gonna drop. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, I was being bossed around by kids less than half my age, it’s hot and chaotic and exhausting.
I dragged my sorry carcass home thinking there was no way I’d survive to see my first paycheck.
Coupla months later I’m standing up for “those kids” to a new manager, because they turned out to be a damn fine crew; I was running all 3 fryers at once while also taking orders via headset while also explaining stuff to the new guy while also remembering that thing from 20 minutes ago I needed to finish.
You’ll get the hang of things, I promise. Just keep showing up, keep asking if you don’t know something - trust me, it’s far more annoying to have someone guess, and be wrong and now we gotta clean up your mess - and above all, show that you’re TRYING ultimately that goes a very long way.
It’s been many years since I’ve worked in that type of environment, but it sounds like you did just fine. The first shift always feels like being thrown to the wolves to me, but that’s perfectly normal. You’re just getting a sense of the lay of the land, the jobs you are expected to do, the little quirks of their system. Perfectly normal and to be expected from the first few shifts until you start getting the hang of the routine. I find this true of any job. For me, I consider the first couple weeks or so an acclimation period, and I wouldn’t sweat any errors or mistakes I made in this time period, as long as I learned from them. Making mistakes is how we learn (or at least how I learn.) So, once again, perfectly normal for a first day (or first week or even month.)
You’re doing fine. Hopefully you have a good set of employees and manager behind you.
I do. My manager and my 18-year-old co-worker, who was helping to train me most of the day, were both very patient with me.
My favorite customer story of the day was when I suggested this guy get a pack of honey-roasted pistachios, and then he came back later in the day and told me he loved them.
I worked at what was the busiest 7 Eleven in Michigan back in the '80s doing just what you are. I went on to manage that store for 4 years.
The fact that you cared enough to post this post shows you have a lot of character. Are you working directly with the franchisee?
You know, I’m not sure if it’s a franchise store or a corporate store. I do know that several of the employees are related. I believe the 18-year-old is the nephew of the manager who hired me. I think they’re Filipino.
It only takes once to be a highly memorable experience. Trust me on this.
I’ve never worked retail, but I have made an overgenerous portion of nacho chips back when they let customers ladle their own sauce from the cauldron of almost-boiling sticky cheeze substance. It was … memorable.
I haven’t worked at 7-Eleven but I do work retail and I have also worked at the gas station connected to our main store.
I find that saying “I’m new here, please be patient because I’m not quite as fast as the experienced staff” can go a long way towards getting customers to slow down, especially in regards to things like requesting elaborate lottery ticket orders or piles of cigarettes or the like. Will it always work? Of course not, we’re talking about retail, but it will help.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I find saying “Hey, just want to be sure I have this correct” before asking about something you were told before helps.
Some people will give you a hard time asking for ID’s. DO NOT let them intimidate you. The law is extremely unforgiving about that sort of thing.
A surprising number of people do not seem to understand that, for instance, being scheduled to come in at 9am means that you need to be ready to work at 9am, and not just mosey on in at 10:30 or 11:00.
Listen hard to this advice, if you get caught not following the law in your state, not only will the store get a big fine, most likely YOU will as well. Card everyone and if management doesn’t back you up, contact their bosses.
Don’t take shoplifters and vandals personally. They really don’t care about you at all, you are just part of the furniture. Don’t take crabby people personally, you are not stupid and you are a good person, the person screaming at you over 7 cents in change is not a nice person and isn’t at all important. They can’t get you fired, all they can do is try to take some of your happiness because they don’t have any of their own.
If they do get you fired, walk across the street and apply to the Circle K who has been looking for people for weeks.
I’m hearing this advice enough in this thread that I think I’m going to heed it. I haven’t been doing that. (I was told to just put in my own birthdate). I believe the rule in Virginia is you have to card everyone who you think might be under 30. Or possibly 40.
You shouldn’t just believe, you should know, your employer should have been very clear about the laws. Grumbles about babes tossed to the wolves.
Card everyone, every single time. It is much easier to be consistent, plus you don’t have to hear people whining about “Why did you card me when you didn’t card her?”
Also, when you have a few minutes go to Not Always Right and mentally role play some of the situations you might be faced with.
Good luck to you and thank you for working a sucky job so I can run in and white cheddar popcorn when I have the munchies at 9 pm. You are doing a very important job and most of us appreciate that.
Yeah, do this. Depending on where you are at, you are personally responsible. I know someone in Texas who spent some time in jail and longer on probation for not carding someone for alcohol. If you card someone who’s of age, they should be flattered. I’m sporting a skullet and a white beard. Getting carded is comedy for me, but it still happens.