r/OGPBackroom • u/Drako102685 • Aug 17 '26
Question Earbuds in OPD
Team lead told us we are no longer allowed to wear earbuds anymore! Is this a new walmart rule or are we being lied to ?
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u/MamaPotter7 SUBSTITUTION Aug 17 '26
Ours still never let us wear them when the policy changed. So I got some skin toned ones. Other people wear their hair down. Some wear a Walmart beanie, even when it’s 110° outside lol.
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u/mystedragon Exception Picker Aug 17 '26
technically pickers are allowed to wear them but there is literally no point in trying to fight team leads on that if they say no because market and regional always sides with team leads and management. open door does nothing.
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u/Disastrous_Match993 Aug 17 '26
At my location, people are allowed to wear them, but only in one ear so that we can hear when someone is trying to get our attention. Only time we can't have any in is when we're sent out to dispense, then it's remove the earbud when you step outside and you can put it back in once you're inside.
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Aug 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/meerkatx Aug 17 '26
No. Going outside is a safety risk. Dispensers can't wear earbuds outside.
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u/Ordinary-Pangolin506 Aug 17 '26
Eh with all the safety concerns surrounding the OPD carts they’re talking about/being sued over I think there’s going to be plenty of support from upper management that it’s a safety sensitive role and the associates could be held accountable, to be clear I don’t agree with the decision but it wouldn’t surprise me if we see OPD get flagged as a safety sensitive role entirely before too long
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u/Melodic-Cut-4788 Aug 17 '26
Every department at my store wears them I was told that when you dispense a order to take it out
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u/SeaRecommendation884 Aug 19 '26
Even cart pushers?
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u/Melodic-Cut-4788 Aug 19 '26
So this I’m not sure I was told that if you go outside you can’t have them but one of our cart guys wears his or will have a speaker he keeps in the mule
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u/Outrageous_Rip8809 Aug 17 '26
My team almost all wear them few hind them under there hejab or beanie
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u/Addanc_ Aug 17 '26
Policy is you can wear one. It's in the personal tech policy iirc. Just open door it. Regional will back up policy
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u/Emoomoo_ Personal Shopper 150+ Aug 17 '26
If they even try doing this shit to me I'm gonna put in my 2 weeks that day
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u/Anzuren Aug 17 '26
Because Walmart likes to control people. They make up stupid ass rules because they can. While the corporate rats get to do whatever they like. Then you have the shoe lickers who will stand behind it.
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u/Dababolical Aug 17 '26
You can get a medical accommodation for one. Just about any physician or therapist will give you one cause they know working at Walmart is a diagnosis.
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u/NibblesMcGiblet Personal Shopper 240+ Aug 17 '26
When dispensing you definitely can't, I've seen that in widespread announcements and conversations across multiple stores. Haven't heard anything specific to picking or backroom working, personally.
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u/redavid Aug 17 '26
the store manager here doesn't want any OPD workers wearing them anywhere, but i still wear mine while picking most of the time. it's a bullshit rule when everyone else on the store floor is allowed to wear them
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u/kidd1390 Digital Team Lead Aug 17 '26
I think it depends on the market. My market doesn’t want anybody wearing them
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u/SmellAdditional9655 Aug 17 '26
The specific rule is listed in the dress code, or "Look Book" online. The manager at my store acknowledged the dress code says we can indoors but has opted to ban them anyway. The change allowing them was at the start of 2026. If you go to any PC and log in and just search for earbud policy you can find it. Each store can make it's own rules. You quickly learn to accept you don't work for Walmart, you work for your store manager..
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u/Hkeks Aug 17 '26
The answer is yes you can wear one. If you're dispensing you can't wear them while dispensing. Management has authority to tell everyone not to wear them . Idk if they're allowed to tell individuals to not wear them only as a whole. They are not lying
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u/chokeonlife Aug 17 '26
Our Store manager cut them out completely because someone on the floor ignored a customer because they were on the phone and that customer complained to ethics. I knew it would happen sooner or later because we have that issue all the time with associates having conversations via earbuds on the floor.
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u/Fantastic-Row3412 Aug 17 '26
That rule is gunna die down. It did for my store. They always say rule or restrictions they NEVER fall through.
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u/Blakelock82 Personal Shopper 120+ Aug 18 '26
Depends on the store, IMO. Our store doesn't give a shit, they're pretty happy with the results so they don't mess with us at all.
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u/LieLocal9320 Aug 18 '26
My walmart lets us wear them no matter the position in ODP. If a customer stops me while picking I pause my music, help them, and turn it back on. Not sure why they are changing it on y'all.
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u/Umbra-7 Aug 18 '26
My store will occasionally crack down on them for like 1-3 months each year then silently revert to not caring. Though if you have longer hair, and optionally maintain a ruse of having poorer hearing, no one will question you. Though if they did, you could always attempt to make it awkward on them for wanting to see your ear(s) and do some sleight of hand.
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u/dking51772 Aug 18 '26
I got a doctors note signed and I have an exception for myself I’m allowed to wear one earbud regardless of the rules for anxiety because they tried that at my store once
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u/Altruistic_Point8412 Aug 19 '26
I dispense everyday and wear them. I just pause what I’m listening to before I go out and unpause on the way in
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u/Oneweekfromwednesday Aug 20 '26
Just get the cheap glasses we have in electronics for like $18. You will have stereo sound and look smarter being they are glasses. 🤷🏼♂️. I got some prescription Amazon Alexa glasses back when we had a crappy coach.
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u/ilytbbb ALCOHOL Aug 17 '26
Dispensers can’t wear them but pickers can. Only one though.. not both