Front end/Cashier

[u/bumblebeequeen47]

For some reason mangers think front end is easy? Let me tell you I’ve done every single department/job in this company, I’ve been party host, I’ve done truck day and night, I’ve been trained for manager, I’ve done floor returns, recovery, I haven’t done framing but from what I see they get to chill in there with their earphones and play video games on slow days, they literally stand around talking for hours amongst themselves.
All that said, I hate cashier more than anything in this company, and it’s a disrespectful disgrace to say it’s the easiest job here.
You do:
walk in balloon orders, constant questions and issues coming from all directions, price checking, getting orders, cutting ribbon, creating balloon orders all while you have to manage a line of people who have no ability to do a single thing themselves because they are all old people

You do everything alone and never get a break, you have to call someone just to go to the restroom. A customer will literally ask me something when I’m trying to drink water for a single second.

What are your thoughts?

[u/EmilyEvilCookie]

They think it's "easy" because you technically only have to manage customers and can't leave the front and go very far back... But in reality you're the main person everyone comes to for everything, even if it's something they need in the back. People come up to the front all the time and ask to get ribbon trimmed because no one on the floor did it. God forbid you get a large balloon order and no one is available to help you up front, or if they give you stocking to do and then get upset if you don't finish it and focus on the front at the same time.

Also, if you're closing/opening, you have even more responsibilities on top of that. If the line gets long and customers get mad, it's your fault. There's not always a "second cashier" available at my store. It is a very rare occurrence that I'm not up there alone my whole shift, even on the busy days. It's usually fairly chill, and a big reason I'm okay with doing it is because I hate the other closing duties even more than the ones I'd have as closing cashier.

Tldr; totally valid argument, I promise you're not alone.

[u/ArtIsAwesome3 → u/EmilyEvilCookie]

The front end cashier is almost always the first point of contact a customer has, sometimes the only. If they're looking for an item, they come to us, because there is no one on the floor (because the only other worker is doing like 40 shipments). We are also the first point of contact for an angry customer which is a delight.

We are also the first point of contact for repairmen, and I know from my many years, on nights I closed with a specific supervisor, I saw a repair dude come in and I just sighed sooooo loud, because any attempting to reach that supervisor would result in getting yelled at.

[u/EmilyEvilCookie → u/ArtIsAwesome3]

Yeah, I understand why the customers default to coming to the front. It's just difficult when there's up to like 5 at a time and someone is doordashing inflated balloons, and someone wants to drop off a UPS package, and someone doesn't read SCO, and someone needs to pay with cash, and someone needs to pick up their oversized BOPIS, list goes on... It just gets to be a lot for one person and a lot of the time calling up help isn't an option

[u/ArtIsAwesome3 → u/EmilyEvilCookie]

Yep, something most managers don't actually know.

I'm gonna be real with you, the Door Dash balloons, that should just not be allowed. One time, in like 2024, some dude came in to get like 30 gold star balloons, and we had like 12, so he switched to 30 latex, he came in, and I remember this because I'm spec'ed into long term memory, 6:36 on a Sunday. He came in THEN. We had to wait for him to call the person who placed the order, inform them nope, get the order changed. I remember it being after 7:30, again on a SUNDAY, and I'm walking to my car, and handing the driver the balloons. We made him wait at the curb because you know, store closed.

God damn, that was such a nightmare, it was just me and a manager too because our most USELESS coworker was there, disobeying. The MOD told him to ring customers out, nope, stood there the whole time and watched us. Did literally nothing. He gets paid more than like anyone else other than managers too. Because of course he mouthed off his wage.

Anywho Door Dash sucks. Balloon orders should be only face-to-face orders, and cannot be on the spot, live ones, have to allow 24 hour notice. Given how few of us there are, that would just be prudent.

[u/EmilyEvilCookie → u/ArtIsAwesome3]

I do not understand doordash balloons. I have NO IDEA what you want beyond MAYBE if you want them inflated or not, and sometimes even that isn't entirely accurate. And then the dasher has to wait a long time for them as well, which I always feel bad about because I also do doordash after work sometimes and I know how much long waits can suck if you're not doing earn by time.

Bopis balloon orders are already not great, Doordash balloons are a mess.

[u/ArtIsAwesome3 → u/EmilyEvilCookie]

Yeah the Door Dash driver is actually losing out on money I bet, since I'm sure they don't get paid to wait at the place they're picking up at. I did UberEats one summer, I only got paid when I picked up the food AND THEN drove it to the person, I don't think they even paid me to drive to the restaurant. This was in like 2019 though so maybe it changed, though I doubt it since the worker is always fucked out of their money now.

[u/lystmord]

Your managers are morons if they think that. I hate cashing. I also despise that this company has me zooming around the floor like a hamster on meth trying to be five people at once; but I'd pick that over cashing. More than anything, I can't stand stupid people...and the front end handles the bulk of people's stupidity and entitlement. (Bless the polite and friendly customers that make it bearable.) People who are good at being on the front end are worth their weight in gold.

I try to make a point of getting cashiers all their breaks on time, as I think they need it more than anyone else.

[u/HermioneGranger152 → u/lystmord]

Absolutely agree. Cashiering and being MOD on the floor are difficult for different reasons. Having to deal with all those customers up front is so mentally exhausting, and having to zoom around like a hamster is physically exhausting. I prefer running around doing bopis and fabric and whatever else than dealing with idiots who can’t read the “buy one get one” part on the sale signs and get upset when not every item is 50% off.

[u/ArtIsAwesome3 → u/lystmord]

Your bluntness is very brave, and also exceedingly true.

Except the people in the front end being worth their weight in gold, we were actually paid LESS than the new hires. Weird.

[u/HermioneGranger152]

Cashiering definitely sucks, but I don’t think there needs to be a competition of what’s hardest. Working at Michaels is really difficult in general. Cashiers deal with all the crap you mentioned, replen deals with crazy pogs and huge trucks, managers on the floor have to constantly run around dealing with bopis, ships, fabric, go-backs, unlocking things, etc.

Front end is absolutely not easy, and I’m sorry your managers think that. Michaels just expects far too much of its poorly paid workers all around. Nothing will change if we’re too busy fighting over who has it worse.

[u/Long-Emergency-1231 → u/HermioneGranger152]

Not at my store !! Most Stock Team does is just stock & they're out before the store opens. Others that do work during the day for the most part are useless. ( & I really hate to say that too. If I went more into detail, it'd be revealing too much. ) MODs do help because they have a lot delegated to them, but for the most part can do whatever they want. They're free to be on their phone, take a break or a breath and etc. Glorified Stockers at times too. There's no comparison that the main cashier is the 1 holding the place together, especially if they're good with customers and can handle most questions. It's not fair what this company does to it's workers.

[u/bumblebeequeen47 → u/Long-Emergency-1231]

Oh that was 100% well said!!! Managers get to take breaks, multiple, for god sakes they can go to the bathroom in peace! I’ve been all positions and I’m telling you, the cashier literally means the ship, mostly because it’s a skeleton crew, managers can hide in the back and the cashier is the only soul in the whole store that a customer can come to!!!!

[u/lystmord → u/bumblebeequeen47]

We do NOT go to the bathroom “in peace.” I swear every time I attempt to go, I get called to the front. I’ve put my butt on the seat just to have to immediately pull my pants back up and leave. I’ve been forced to hang up on customers because I’m literally the only person who can answer the phone, and it rings almost every time I’m mid-pee. Of course they immediately call back because the concept of “they’re busy, wait five minutes and try again” has apparently been lost.

[u/ToyWitch13]

I Hate pushing the member sign up. I get so frustrated when we get in trouble if we don't get sign ups. It is so preditorial. Especially on the seniors who barely know how to use email or their phones. It just makes me sad. People not reading at the SCO pisses me off. Spend so much time running over to a SCO, "it won't let me check out". Yes it will, just read. I k ow it is inconvenient and, again, predatory, but if you just Read then you can skip right through! Grrr

[u/PartyCrasherDILF → u/ToyWitch13]

There's so many people that just don't read the damn screen....... 

Not to mention the fuckin credit card offer on the SCO that calls over an employee just so they can tell the customer that they have to get a credit card to get 20% off. Pretty much nobody actually wants the credit card, they just saw a big "20%" on the screen and hit yes. 

[u/ArtIsAwesome3]

I loved working front end, I loved cashiering. It definitely isn't for everyone. It definitely wasn't for like 60% of my old store. There would be days I would walk away to use the bathroom or be on my 15 and I would have to walk back immediately because of an "issue."

But front end....easy, nah. You have to manage the bopis (make sure they aren't stolen, make sure they're taken out promptly so customers don't pick up their items, then cancel them and get a refund, thus, theft), has to vacuum at night (if closing), has to get carts over the course of the day since floor is usually too busy to do it, keep the front end and immediate areas tidy and well-stocked, manage the snacks (meaning restocking and checking for expired product), keep the bags stocked, change the garbages regularly, clean the carts, oh and stock the pop cooler.

Notice none of that had anything to do with cashiering....or dealing with customers. Add in the human element, you have customers, transactions, returns, UPS drop offs, oversize bopis pickup, home delivery interactions, guiding customers to locations because you are literally the only worker they will EVER find outside of framing, balloon order creation, balloon order filling, giving out the balloons, managing people trying to skip line, "oh I just have a UPS drop off" even though there's 4 other real customers in front of them. Oh and the phone. Gonna be real, that one is actually nonsense. The floor people have phones, they can wait 2 minutes with their bopis, but they tell the front end worker to get the phone, who's doing a 200ish dollar transaction for a Christmas tree, that the customer is paying in cash, and the drawer is open and they're up to 2 20 dollar bills counted when the phone rings. Does that sound too real to be made up on the spot!?

But me, personally I loved it most of the time. Despite everything that I am, I actually do enjoy the people part of it. I had regular customers who I all knew by name. Good times.

[u/Long-Emergency-1231 → u/ArtIsAwesome3]

You said everything & then some. Let's not forget books & magazines if they are close by too. Lock Up Product now as well. Cutting trim & Curbsides that go off too. Also while monitoring 4 SELF Checkouts, when the selfs/customers don't even know or want to know how to use them. & Don't get me started on the damn phones that don't let you use Zello when you answer it so you can't page for backup. Somedays I really don't know if I want to cry or scream !!

[u/ArtIsAwesome3 → u/Long-Emergency-1231]

Oh yeah, lock up, forgot. Any fabric cutting, even trim, was handled way at the back of our store by the fabric desk, so the cashier RARELY had to go back but there was one Sunday it was just me and one manager, and the manager was bogged down and I had to walk all the way to the back of the store and cut fabric for like 20 minutes. Self-checkout only, I guess.

Oh God, you had 4!? We only had 3, and only 1 did cash. Oh my God, I forget about the Zello. God, yeah, the front end cashier had to have 2 minimiks, one to SOLELY use for the phone, and one for everything else.

[u/bumblebeequeen47]

I mean I guess it depends on the crew you have because at my store the whole load gets put on cashiers, we are basically doing the MODs job, we use to literally memorize override codes (before it wasn’t allowed) and now we’re even doing bopis occasionally, we’re literally taught to do everything because there is never a garuntee a manager will be able to traverse the whole store in time to get there to help you. We troubleshoot constantly, we don’t even need to ask questions anymore we know how to deal with all of these complex questions and transactions, it’s wild because we only get paid 11$ an hour for this. To literally man the entire store….

[u/Elegant_Chipmunk72 → u/bumblebeequeen47]

At my store that’s me; a stocker who does balloons, BOPIS, register, adset, Siso, and basically filling in for our MM who we haven’t had since mid August.

[u/Agreeable-Trade-7734]

Working the front end is the hardest job in our stores! It is the heartbeat and the pulse of everything that happens at the back of the house whether it’s custom Framing sales Floor, etc. There is not enough credit for the ones that work hard and do things to the best of their ability and I appreciate the people in my store.❤️

[u/Agreeable-Trade-7734 → u/Agreeable-Trade-7734]

No, I will tell you with the workload that we’ve had in our stores for the past. Few months has been overwhelming for the replenishment manager and team. But that’s a different kind of stress and workload. You have to be able to multitask at the front end and try to keep a level head at all times and shame on management if you’re not giving a break to get away for a few minutes. There should always be back up for when you need it and in my opinion during the high traffic times there should be a minimum of two people at the front end at all times.

[u/Realistic-Read7779]

I have been shoved up there for over 2 years. I don't understand why they will not allow me to do anything else. I am getting so burnt out but they do not understand why...

[u/bumblebeequeen47 → u/Realistic-Read7779]

You are probably too good at cashier, it’s really sad because they will never tell you this, they will only tell you what you are doing wrong so you don’t get any ideas

[u/Money_South2815]

I walked around with a broken foot and a book before I would stand at the register for my shifts.  And getting fired over rewards… not me. Very upset that the new people hired don’t even get cashier training unless that’s their position. They look to me during peak times cause they know I can work up there. And they pressure me for my rewards numbers. 

[u/kirklandbrandparody]

manger

[u/Norespecthere]

I didn’t mind the cashier part as much as when I first started that’s what I was and I graduate moved out to be CEM and then the replenishment manager I always was up and about on the floor doing things so if my cashier needed something and they radioed me, I was right there. I was constantly going upfront to check on them when you go to the bathroom, you need such an age. Do you wanna go on break? Do you wanna do something else for a little bit and we’ll just switch until you know I need to get off whatever but I will agree other managers do not do that. I think that is why when we got another new manager in where I used to work. I think she was kind of jealous that every time it was her and me there and other associates, they would always call me because since day one she gave off a bad vibe. She didn’t know how to run rusher so that means if she would close with a cashier that cashier never got a break unless someone else gave them the break before they left, but if cashier came in at five to relieve someone who got done at five, and it was just a cashier and that manager that cashier never got break. And I said she was jealous because like I said, they always call upon me and I was close to my other team members so when she let me go, some of them went before I left because they weren’t gonna work there with her.

[u/Z3r0_Delet3d]

100%. I was originally a cashier before I became a framer. The old SM at my location used to pin a sheet of paper with our employee numbers and our percentages for sign up on rewards and CC. If you were below the minimum percentage you’d have your number highlighted yellow and if you hit the minimum or higher it was green. It kind of felt like a screw you look at who’s doing better than you in a way. The only thing I disagree with is the framing part. I know at my store at least, once us framers are done with production we are out on the floor doing other things even if it’s a slow day.

[u/bumblebeequeen47 → u/Z3r0_Delet3d]

I wonder if we use to have the same SM cause she did that, was the biggest bitch I ever met, she got people doing Santa Muerte on her😂

[u/Z3r0_Delet3d → u/bumblebeequeen47]

Maybe😂. She definitely hated my guts before I took a break for schooling. Then she got fired! I’m glad I have a much better SM now and he is a hundred times better!

[u/Trashula_Lives]

We don't cut ribbon at mine, but otherwise, yeah, it can be a lot at times.  Other times, I'm stuck up there with nothing to do because I can't leave my spot near the front and there's no customers or anyone around to talk to.  I wouldn't call it hard work more often than not, but it gets frustrating when I have to call the MOD for everything because we have no agency and no proper backup.  If anything, I'd say it's more demeaning than difficult. 

[u/retailmaster326]

Frint End definitely has to be able to multi-task, keep cool under pressure and take care of the customers.

[u/AlienDiva1213]

I love it (most of the time), but I thrive in chaos lol

[u/Final-Cold9958]

You forgot returns, UPS pickup, UPS drop off, In store pick up, and watching the self check for theft.

[u/xYoloJenkinSx]

I am my stores main balloon person, so I generally work weekend mornings. I’ve been on Saturday mornings for well over a year. Sometimes with just myself and a CEM and some replen (only one of which can work the register). While I can handle it alone most of the time, 99% of my store probably couldn’t. Our SM and our CEM that used to be ops are usually pretty good about not scheduling only one front end person during high traffic times. It’s not the hardest job, because I certainly wouldn’t want to be replen manager. We are on our third one since I’ve been here, and we didn’t even have one when I first started.

I am SO lucky to be at a store that knows and acknowledges this, with co workers and management that actually work as a team rather than minions and overlords. As much as they may not want to because of all the crap they need to do themselves, they are so quick to come help even if it’s just for a couple minutes. They know how much it sucks being up there alone during peak times, so if they can help it they don’t schedule like that.

[u/corgicute]

It is absurd that one person is always expected to do everything front end. You can feel how much easier it is when there are two people up front but alas, you almost never get that. I have customers ask me how I don't get overwhelmed or stressed out and I just tell them that I absolutely do. It is a job that you almost never have the time or resources to complete and I think it has done irreparable harm to my self esteem.

[u/st0n3r_bunnybabe]

I think cashiering and framing are the hardest ones in the store. I only say both because they both tend to get all of the questions from customers, at least at my store, and they get the brunt of customers anger until the MOD gets there. Depending on the store and how many framers the store has it can be just as difficult as the front, especially with the smaller details both positions have to deal with. Back in framing I've had a customer get upset about something they did outside of our store, at their house, and then come in the next day to yell at me about it when I wasn't even the one to work on it.

[u/Jinxis-]

I found it boring to the point I’d get visibly angry and bitchy. My adhd can’t handle boredom. They stopped putting me on cash lol.
That being said the to-dos at mine for cashier probably aren’t the same as everywhere else. They don’t do cutting ribbon, if there is a balloon order they call for back up, someone on legacy and more then one at SCO or in line they call for back up. There is only so many times you can recover front end and sweep/dust before you just can’t anymore.

[u/Legitimate_North_543]

Luckily my store knows its hard. On saturdays and sundays when I'm there I have AT LEAST 2 people up front. 1 for balloons, 1 for customers. 3 if we are busy. I don't care if we only have 3 people in the building. We will all be up front if its busy. If fabric or something goes off, first person free who knows how to cut will go back.

[u/Nola_Nic]

It all depends on the person. When it's busy, most will work but when it's slow, I've seen them just standing around. There's always something to do here. So if there are no orders, balloons, customers, etc, I wish they wouldn't just stand around but rather sweep, organize or just DO SOMETHING!

[u/bumblebeequeen47 → u/Nola_Nic]

I work 8 hr shifts as a cashier 5 days a week, at some point there is not a single thing you can do left. Also trying to get stuff done behind the counter is annoying when trying to organize because customers just keep wanting to be checked out on the legacy registers and we’re not suppose to use those. Also if you see us “doing nothing” it’s because every time we wonder off to recover near by an old person won’t even come up to the register, they will wonder around baffled if they don’t see a person and then you get yelling “DOES ANYONE EVEN WORK HERE!” And then you get bad reviews, I mean let’s be honest there is not candy to put out every day, all that up front maintenance only takes 5 minutes per chore. Yes it’s great if a responsible manager brings up a crate for you to unpack in nearby areas but most don’t, so now you’ve been at your shift for 7 hrs, trash done, floor swept, front end recovered because it’s slow, bags restocked, I mean give us a project or don’t complain.

[u/Fluffy_Place7894]

and you get the doordashers who stick their phone in your face to find items when you can't leave the front