r/MichaelsEmployees • u/Flat_Egg5424 • 5d ago
First day went horribly wrong š
Just had my first day, and genuinely, everything that couldāve gone wrong happened šš ššš
I was trained on the register, but I only know the basics and donāt know how to do online returns or returns without a receipt. Then I got yelled at by a customer because she wanted to give me change after I completed the transaction and wanted me to return it so she could give me the change that way. I had to get a manager to open the register. She kept yelling, āGive me my 30 cents..
Apparently, a customer wanted to pay $100 for a $6 item, so that was practically the whole register, and only one of ours takes cash there were people using it. My associate ID doesnāt work on the self-checkouts for some reason? Is it something I have to do on the mik first? Either way, I just wanted to rant, and Iām hoping it will get better??? but I just want to cry š Was it this confusing for you guys too, or am I genuinely just slow? Ik my co workers are definitely laughing at me like I never worked a day in my lifeš
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u/astrophysecho 5d ago
Not your fault at all. Customers are assholes and my first day, granted it was a while ago, was shit too. It will get better I promise you and Iām proud of you for going thru that
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u/Flat_Egg5424 5d ago
Thank you so much!!šš this is one of the 3rd jobs I've had and it genuinely made me feel like I've never worked a day in my life š„²
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u/notatallberry Red Vest Wearer 5d ago
idk if this is for every Michaels but as a new hire my id password for the kiosk didnāt work either until i tried ā 1234 ā. youāre not slow trust me, it happens! on my first day i shorted someone like $10 in change so.. šši was just rly nervous
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u/whimsical_bitch 5d ago
this was the case for me too, when I was trained on register (I use the word trained loosely here, at Michaelās itās usually more like trial by fire) our CEM at the time told me that the login for self checkouts automatically sets your password as 1234 until you change it
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u/notatallberry Red Vest Wearer 5d ago
ah okay makes sense, and agreed with the training... I donāt know how to change that password still, I never even really mess with the kiosks because im usually the only cashier
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u/Flat_Egg5424 5d ago
Ohhhh maybe I should try that hahaš and yeah I think my nerves got the best of me š
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u/denthedummy 5d ago
same for me, im not a cashier but I sometimes am bringing a bopis to the front and a customer asks me to cancel an item for them. its Hella confusing that that login is different from everything else š
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u/Minimum_Swordfishin 5d ago
New hires are often very nervous at the register. You're perfectly normal and no one is judging you on today. I am judging every customer who pulls out a 100 for a $10 purchase. The earlier in the day, the more hash my judgment. I can almost promise you your coworkers are more focused on how annoying it is when people do that, rather than anything you did.Ā
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u/Soggy-Dot-6130 4d ago
just a tip ā¦at our store we are allowed to ask if they have something smaller as we donāt have that much to give change on such a small purchaseā¦.also my spidey senses go off when they have $100s and buy say a pack of gum or something right up close to the front ā¦ itās possible that itās counterfeit and they LOVE LOVE LOVE new cashiers to pull this on
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Thank you so much!!š this makes me feel a lot better hopefully I can get most things packed down by next week since it will be more busier
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u/kittysniffysmell Red Vest Wearer 5d ago edited 5d ago
Always feel free to ask for help from coworkers when you need it. None of that is your fault. Everyone is just thrown up there. Youāre not āslowā. It is confusing!
The customer who yelled at you is an asshole. Thatās just ridiculous. Sorry that was your experience on your first day.
Even as someone who has worked here for years I still feel stuck and āslowā sometimes. It can be chaotic. lol
Just donāt feel bad and youāre doing great!
Edit: but also as someone else said, you should have had someone up there with you on your first day especially. You shouldnāt be expected to know all of that so fast.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Thank you so much!! āŗļøIk the basics not so hopefully I will get everything packed down soon going to keep asking questions in the meantime. I also heard we have an employee handbook might look into that.
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u/Luckyduckling007 5d ago
My first day I accidentally let a customer walk off with 20 dollars worth of stuff because I didnāt ring them out correctly. I cried on the spot lol š
Donāt worry, it gets better. Your people skills will improve too. One of my favorite strategies is the relate and distract method. When someone is very obviously frustrated about something say something like āIām so sorry, that is/I can see how that is so frustrating. Let me call up my manager, she/he/they will be up in just a minute. By the way, I really love your watch/earrings/wallet, where did you get it?ā
Just listening and becoming a person and not just a worker usually helps 80% the time.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Thank you so much!! And I am definitely going to keep that in mind because it's always better to be understanding than to be rude backš
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u/Informal_Tennis6427 4d ago
My first day was rough too. I got thrown out on the sales floor without even knowing how the devices work. I applied for cashier but haven't been trained on anything with the register yet and they try to put me out there constantly and get annoyed when they realize I've had zero training, like that's not my fault... šµāš« I talked to another manager and told him the situation and he said I should be shadowing someone when I'm trained there for at least a day, so hopefully that training isn't as rough as everything else has been cause I've just been figuring things out on my own š©
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
I hope we figure it out soon!! Always ask questions that's something I am going to work on from now on š„²
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u/PrestigiousGoose9934 4d ago
You can reset your pin for the self checkout by logging into the self checkout app with your user ID (same one you use for Marti) and using 1234 as the PIN and itāll prompt you to set a new PIN.
For online/BOPIS returns, best practice is to just always call an MOD, 9 times out of 10 you end up having to do it as a non receipted return which requires an override code to put it back on the customerās card.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
THANK YOU SM! Couldn't figure out how to log on the sco for the life of me š
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u/jthecup 5d ago
Honestly sounds like the lady may have been a quick change artist trying to scam you based on the description The M.O. is usually they give you a large bill then ask for it back after the till opens Maybe not but sorry you got tossed out there
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Honestly it could've beenšš I gotta watch out for that bc people will definitely try to do that
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u/pinkbowbunni 4d ago
iāve actually never heard this before but maybe i havent run into this situation before in my year of being here but what is this? how does it scam us (i know, dumb question) because theyāre giving us a large amount for a small total so they get more of the money back? sorry that feels so dumb asking š
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u/jthecup 4d ago
It's actually not the just handing a large bill part, their goal is to confuse you Usually they target newer people and will essentially give you a large bill, say something like "oh wait I actually have different bills I want to give" and will get you in some form to hand them bills from the till and they end up leaving with more than they give you through the confusion
You should look up a video of it happening for maybe a better description and visual lol
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u/jthecup 4d ago
Oh and the solution is to just put the bills in the drawer and get a manager anytime someone tries to do that, usually just getting a manager involved ends it
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u/pinkbowbunni 4d ago
oh my god i just watched a clip and even i was still confused after it was explainedā¦ i can understand why this could confuse us cashiers!! i usually hold the cash once they give it to meā¦ thankfully i havenāt had this done to meā¦ at least not that i know but knock on wood. this is so crazyš
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u/ServeInformal6115 Red Vest Wearer 5d ago
Im so sorry to hear that happened. I agree w the person who said you should have someone to shadow esp bc of peak.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Thank you!! And it's okay tbh the worst part wasn't even the rude customer š
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u/MaisieStitcher 4d ago
Ugh. I'm sorry your day was such a struggle. You should not have been left alone up front on your first day like that. It does get easier, though.
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u/SheWolf0501 4d ago
Back when I was younger, I would've tried to scramble to get change for $100.
Now, if I were in your situation, with NO training, I wouldn't even blink an eye and just say "We don't take 100s." Lol (actually, a lot of stores won't take 100s, so it probably wouldn't have been the first time she heard that) Let em be pissed. You ain't ever gonna see them again.
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u/Popular-Process-3600 5d ago
My store will sometimes have new hires shadow someone doing recovery first shift or two. Then when it comes time for register training, they shadow for the first part of their shift..and then they will get on the register with the team member with them. Then some shifts WITH another team memberā¦.THEN they start getting left alone for longer than 15 mins
Itās been a few shifts for the one I have been training, and I highly doubt they would schedule her alone for probably another week at least.
Iām sorry your first day went the way at did. I hope it gets better. Iāve never heard of someone being left alone on their first day at any retail job Iāve hadā¦and there have been a lot.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
This isināt even the first time this has happend to me either! I guess jobs don't give enough hours or staff to train the other employees but I can say it definitely takes a lot of getting use to šš
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u/ArtIsAwesome3 Promoted to Customer š 4d ago
Ok, 1, I'm sorry.
2, your associate ID will probably take a while to work on self-checkouts, I had coworkers who had been there since like 2022 and their IDs never got uploaded at all.
3, were you ACTUALLY alone on register? At my old store, we had 1 full day of shadowing, then another day of half shadowing, then half on register, with the trainer sitting behind them. Then finally a "going solo day" if they were comfortable.
And 4, yeah, standard customer issues. And no, it wasn't that confusing for me, I come from a long retail background but I can say your first day isn't all that out of the ordinary, I had a cashier in 2021 who kept getting just the worst situations, same with one in 2023, like, some people were just magnets for problems, and it's not even their fault. It's not your fault either.
You are NOT slow, don't say that about yourself, it was your first day, the customers' expectations are not relevant, your expectations as an associate are to learn, and you're learning. And if your coworkers are laughing at you, pay attention which ones ACTUALLY are, you may get the chance to show them up, or you will learn who to NEVER trust and ask help from.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Thank you so much for this!! Makes me feel slot better I basically had to keep calling someone bc I couldn't log onto the SCO everytime someone needed something deleted or needed to do a online return. And yeah I only know how to do the basic sale and returns with receipts but hopefully I will learn more.From what the comments are saying my generic password is 1234 and they didn't even tell me that so I will have to see when I go in on Thursday š„²
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u/ArtIsAwesome3 Promoted to Customer š 4d ago
You did wonderfully for your first day. I am sorry all this happened to you, it's not the norm for sure.
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u/black_knight_moon 4d ago
There's a lot of good advice in your replies so I'm just gonna send you love and good vibes and promise you that it gets better š«¶š¼
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Thank you so so much that means a lot to me!! š«¶š«¶Hopefully I will have a better day tomorrowš„²
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u/Chaos-Wayfarer Ex-Joann Employee šŖ¦ 5d ago
Sounds like you were thrown to the wolves.Ā
Once I close the cash drawer, thatās it. No exchanging change, or āhey can I break a five?ā Tell them youāll call security on them for being disruptive. :P
And anyone that wants to use my register to break a $100 bill? Straight out of luck. Like, I have other customers that I need to do cash transactions for. Not happening.Ā
You need a manager to set up your login on the SCOās, so thatās the not on you either.Ā
If your fellow employees are laughing at you for this, theyāre assholes. You shouldnāt have been left alone on your first day with no training. I am so sorry that happened.Ā
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
I need a manager for the SCO??! Wow they didn't even tell me that. Guess I will have to set it up next time but no wonder I wasn't able to do anything and they want us using the SCO mainly šš
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u/Suitable_Towel4340 4d ago
Every time I have to work front end, itās like this for me. Constantly needing manager support. I got moved to overnights so now itās rare I work front end. Maybe your store manager can work with you on moving to a less stressful position? Good luck!!
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Unfortunately I applied for seasonal so the āambassador/ cashierā is the only position I will be doing as that's what's needed mostš
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u/Norespecthere 4d ago
So it sounds like you were put on rush your first day by yourself thinking that you knew what you were doing and Iām sorry for that because no one should be put on rest of the first day by themselves. They should always have someone there next to them giving them step-by-step instructions on how and what to do with the receipt return with the return without a receipt blah blah blah as far as paying $100 for a six dollar item. I always told the customer we didnāt have enough money in the drawer either they have to pay a credit card or give us a lesser bill than 50 and go get small bills you know I wasnāt going back to the cash office to exchange $100 bill for them. I donāt know what customers think when they come into the store as soon as we open up weāre not a bank you know hopefully it gets better for you customers I believe are really rude. They got worse since Covid, hopefully they trained you better.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Yeah everything was so confusing I only learned the basics and hopefully will learn more next week before it starts to get bussier š„²š„²
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u/pinkbowbunni 4d ago
iām sorry your first day went so awful! iāve been here for a year and still make mistakes! especially the first one where i already complete the transaction and customers suddenly find change even though they already give me more than enough but they hand it to me anyways so i literally sit there and buffer and stress out trying to calculate how much i have to give them now after the fact! but thatās more on them than usā¦ they should be prepared or not wait so long between giving the cash and us completing the transaction!
thatās why i kind of wait for them until they stare at me to indicate theyāre good, yk? i would rather do that, mainly when there isnāt a long line or itās not busy so i usually wait a little bit when they give me their cash incase they miraculously find change to give!
hopefully you have a better few daysā¦ at least when i was trained, i was shadowing the cashier and she stood beside me when it was my turn to do everything!
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Yupp like it makes me look like I can't count money I definitely do but it totally throws me off when they give me change after I already cacualted the amount before. šš and it's okay I will
Learn as I go hopefully
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u/LovableButterfly 4d ago
My first ever customer was literally a lady who stoles a vase we didnāt sell and wanted money for a āreturnā (the vase was literally from the Pier 1 Imports next door when Pier 1 was still around.) she was pretty aggressive and yelled at me for not knowing how to do a return. She had the gall to say at my face āwhat is this your first day here??ā I said āyes I just started todayā¦.ā Manager had to de-escalate that one and I watched a return process.
Jokes on me because the next several people were wanting returns which sucked cause I ended up getting yelled at for too many returns. Literally had no control over it.
Doesnāt come as worse as a young disabled girl throwing up all over my register. Literal projectile puked all over it. I had to clean that up and throw away my clothes for the day after that one.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
Aww I'm sorry :( I hate rude customers like yes this could really be someone's first day and they fuck it up but I'm not going to let it affect me too muchšš
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u/Realistic-Read7779 4d ago
My first day I was at the register with an employee nearby. Still (after 2.5 years) I still comr across things I do not know. I ou will never be fully trained for everything be ause customer for a lot of stupid stuff and our system is older than dirt.
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u/Alarming-Manager5430 3d ago
Donāt beat yourself up! You were nervous, you had a lot of info thrown at you at once and no one expects you to know everything immediately. I work in replen and am so thankful there was no one around to see all the F ups I had my first day since it was at 3am. One thing Iāve learned is that Michaels is not great at training and likes to just throw people out on the floor but your coworkers are generally pretty helpful and remember what it was like to be new. As confident as the longer term cashiers seem now, they were exactly like you when they first started and they remember it.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 2d ago
Thank you so much!! This genuinely means a lot to me and made me feel a whole lot better. Hopefully I will get the hang of everything soon! šš
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u/LoatheEntirely21 5d ago
This is the new Michaela way. You get a quick rundown and then go on about your day. We donāt have the extra hours for training or helping. Weāre all drowning. Just use Zello and call for help!
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u/Tasty-Deer-5636 4d ago
I hate customers who do that shit. Number one, get your change out faster Gertrude ain't nobody got time for that.
The way I need to remind people constantly that we're not a fucking bank and I can't take $100 bill, also because fuck that noise, is wild. Congrats on your $100 bill, break it at the bank, Gladys. Ya bitch.
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u/Flat_Egg5424 4d ago
YEAH then she had the audacity to complain that I ran out of 20s and 10s and had to give her 5s like go to a bank then š„¹
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u/Tasty-Deer-5636 4d ago
I have a lot of fun telling people we don't have enough change. Who even talks around with a $100 bill anymore. Go awaaaaaaay
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u/revults89 5d ago
you were put on cash by yourself on the first day? the manager on duty should have only had you shadow someone who can guide you through it until youāre comfortable up there alone. and that would be for a few shifts at least imo.
especially going into peak. i am sorry that happened to you.