Employer letting everyone down

[Mokp]

Work for the orange supermarket. We are struggling with staff shortages at the moment. Three are off from surgery and another two are off with long term conditions. Staff are leaving without being replaced. This is getting everyone down

In March we had systems crash which left customers online orders cancelled - my store where I work doesn’t do online shopping picking. Then over the next few days we had loads of deliveries- non ranged and more of what we normally get. It was hell trying to dress in the non range lines then over the next 2-10 days more time code checking (checking dates on products and reducing) Hardly any of the non range items were purchased.

Now last week the same thing happened again. Again more stock comes in. Why didn’t they make sure that the situation in March happened again in the first place?

The fact that I need to do breaks on the checkouts as short staffed there and the code checking, the code checking isn’t done. It would have been done if I didn’t have to go to do 4 colleagues’ breaks. We are going to get it in the neck why we didn’t do all the code checking. I can’t be in several places at once.

If I didn’t do the breaks on checkouts, customers would be moaning even more. I did ask some have you contacted head office about your complaints. None have. Customers need to contact head office so their complaints etc are passed on to the management. Moaning at the staff achieves nothing but more makes the staff more stressed. This applies to all retail and leisure businesses not just my employer.

I feel very let down by my employer. Firstly more staff is needed and secondly should have done something to prevent the March fiasco to happen. Just want to leave but I would make life for my colleagues even worse. As doubt they will ever recruit staff in the near future.

Trying to be in several places at once is affecting my MH and constantly in tears all last night.

I don’t feel I’m getting the support from the management

dont shoulder the burden, pass on your complaints, every time

Sorry to hear how you are struggling 😢 sadly it's the same at all of them. Husband used to work nights at the blue one. Was awful. Moved to the dark green one because it was more social hours and more convenient but it's the same there. Which is why I left tbh.

Are they trying to recruit but unsuccessful or just not bothering to save money?

I work for a different colour, and honestly have very few issues with my workplace. But I don't think it's the colour of the store that's the issue - it's the people in the specific store, and it's the culture that previous people have created. I know there are other branches of the supermarket I work for that are much worse to work in.

I'm really sorry to hear that you are having such a tough time. Imo you need to do what's right for you - and I think that's looking for work elsewhere. I know you are concerned about your colleagues, but if it's that bad for them, they'll be looking elsewhere too.

Apparently we are 420-460 hours OVER a month what head office says. I seriously doubt they don’t look at demographics of the customers. Each store has different customers and needs. For example my store has a large elderly population. It’s a medium sized store so they don’t like the bigger stores. Then less customers like technology.

Yes my store manager had a go at me and my fellow code checkers as we should have achieved all the code checking, even though we have more stock to reduce! One code checker is first aid trained so had to attend an elderly lady who fainted.

No job is worth your mental health. I’d look for a new job. Retail is always stressful to some degree, but not to this level.

God its a supermarket job, just do the bare minimum and ignore any negative feedback. Or jump ship to another supermarket.

Just leave. It's not worth it. You are destroying your own mental health for the sake of what you think other people will feel. They are fully capable of choosing to leave if they want to. I worked for the orange one years ago (HR manager) and it was much the same then to be honest. Permanently short staffed, no time to do anything, unhappy staff.