Hello everyone! Today I am here to talk about some crazy ape shit stuff, no I am kidding. I am actually here to talk about my job, and my view on it. So lets start on some reflecting. I work for a huge company “Sheetz Inc.” and I work at a store in a little town (at least I feel its a little town) and I also work with a different group of people almost every time I go in. So over the last seven years I have seen alot of faces come and go, I have made many great friendships, and I have watched some of them get destroyed by multiple different things.

When I first started at Sheetz I won’t lie but will admit it was hell on earth to get the hang of being the guy who receives the truck deliveries and puts it all away. Mind you this was my first official job aside from working at VBS and Church Camp, so this was something completely different for me. Something much harder in a different perspective and sense. Within my first year I was hustling to make a name for myself and prove myself as the “Truck guy”.

I struggled a lot and I even heard people say that they felt as though it wasn’t going to work out for me in the end after only 6 months, that’s how poorly I was doing. No excuses I sucked ass at what I was doing, and I sucked real hard. But it was up to me to change that and fix the problems. Inevitably I had to come up with a solid routine which over the years has changed several times to meet not only my own needs but the needs of others.

Within the last several years I have been through enough experiences to say I know what I should and shouldn’t be doing. I know where things go and where things don’t go. I know what needs to be stocked and what doesn’t need to be…wait what? Everything in the store needs to be stocked. Either way, the fact of the matter is my job is just more than putting a truck delivery away. It’s making sure that product is being rotated properly, that its done in a PRODUCTIVE way that fits the needs of the store.

I’ve had my fair share of talks with my Manager about how I can do things better or how I hadn’t been doing this or that. By no means am I going to sit here and say that I am the greatest truck guy this store ever had because that might turn out to be a crock of bullshit but that’s besides the point. The point is for seven years I have been busting my ass and proving over and over again that I can still do this job.

But, there is this lingering problem that always exists no matter what job you have or where you work or what you do. It’s this thing called Drama or another word for it would be nitpicking. Two things that I absolutely hate in a work place. Fact of the matter is in a work place you don’t need those two things going on within the store or place of work regardless. You realize that it just tears down the person(s) involved? You realize that it just tears down the team as a whole and makes the work environment toxic as hell?

I realize that, and I have realized that for far too long. Like I said earlier I have seen many faces come and go and this happens to be one of the underlying issues as to why people leave their jobs for something else. It’s one of the reasons why I left and was gone for a few months. Fact is though that you can’t have a team that gels really well if you don’t put into motion the standards and rules that need to be followed. Otherwise the store or workshop or whatever is going to fall apart.

I honestly have realized that when I left the first time people wished I hadn’t left to begin with. But, why is that? Why would people wish that? It took me a little while to figure out the real reason but I think I figured it out just now. It’s because people realized how valuable of a worker I was and still am to this day. Now I am not perfect and I am not striving to do my job perfectly but, what I am striving to do is to do my job as BEST AS I CAN.

I am there to do my job and strictly my job, not other peoples jobs, not others works, or be other peoples bitch. I am there for me to do my job to make sure that other workers are able to get what they need and know that things are where they need to be. Now if something doesn’t come in on my truck well, that’s not my fault and rather the person who should’ve ordered said things to come in for not ordering what needed ordered. But, I will say this one little bit.

For seven years I have done this job, time and time again, and still I have those same people that were so happy I was back complain about how I am doing my job. Now mind you its the same people that complained about how I did my job before I ever left the first time around, imagine that?! Thing’s never change and people still like to nitpick and talk shit and do this and do that but here’s the ice cream with the cherry on top…question, I mean…question.

I know and imagine its like this everywhere else, but management teams seem to have their points on certain matters, and they also seem to be completely wrong about certain matters as well. Now I imagine its like that everywhere, where one person on a management team could be like “No! That person is doing amazing.” and another management team member could be like “No! That person is doing poorly.” obviously they have their differences internally right?

That’s right and honestly I think anyone working in retail has experienced that once or twice or a few times right? I know that I have. My problem right now is all I am trying to do is go into work, focus on my work and get my job done so that I can go home. I used to love going into work and being able to talk with people here and there. But now its changing and I am changing with it. I go into work and all I end up saying is lets see what I did wrong the past day I worked.

Then again sometimes I walk in thinking great, lets see what else I am going to get called out for even if its something that I didn’t do in the first place. Fact of the matter is every single time I go into work anymore, I don’t know what I am going to get and I am sorry but to me that is bullshit. I shouldn’t have to feel like I am always doing something wrong or have done something wrong.

The fact of the matter is this is how I view management teams and what they should be doing. They should be addressing issues within their place of work and fixing the issues. They shouldn’t be encouraging drama or nitpicking on their store level employees. Instead they should be running the store like a well oiled machine and working to improve the work environment and keep everything satisfactory as hard as that may be.

They should be working just as hard as their store level employees with no excuses. Just because you are a supervisor or assistant manager or manager doesn’t make you invincible or almighty. Honestly if anything it makes you vulnerable to those that you work with and work around. Store level employees know what they are doing whether its right or wrong, and yes its managements job to talk to said people individually or as a group at a meeting about what is being done wrong.

What I don’t understand though is why is it that if I am doing my job and say I have a big amount of product coming into my freezer which mind you is kind of small. Why am I being called out for having things stacked up? Why is it being questioned as to why I have product that isn’t put away where it should be? Here’s the answer and its very simple. If I don’t have a place for it I am going to stack it because there is no room.

But, that just doesn’t seem to be right thing for me to do in a situation like that or at least that’s the vibe that I am beginning to get anymore when I do my job. Hell I still get told I don’t rotate properly. But, here’s my last question, why is it that when these people on a management team make these comments, why is it always someone else coming and telling me instead of the person who actually said it? Huh? Riddle me that.

I just don’t understand how someone can have such a target on their back but yet no one wants to speak up to the person they are targeting or have an issue with about what they are supposedly doing wrong. Quite honestly it makes me sick to my stomach. I work my ass off to provide not only for my wife and my little girl and I know I do a damn good job at what I do. But, its never enough in some peoples eyes, and that’s anywhere right?

Although keep this in mind my perspective and opinion on Management Teams are simply this, unless you are the Manager you are NO BETTER than a store level employee. You are holding a TITLE and that title gives you so called “Power” but you are really no better than anyone else you work with. So try and remember that instead of making others feel like their less than what they truly are. I will say this I have a lot of respect for my Manager and two current Assistant Managers, and haven’t had issues with them.

My issues are with current specific Supervisors and that’s a fact, and that is going to change one of these days. All I am saying is if you are part of a management team and you feel someone is doing their job improperly then instead of bullshitting and beating around the bush and spewing your garbage to everyone else working at the store about that person. Just go to that person and reason with them and tell them what you feel they are doing wrong and what they could do better. GUIDE THEM that’s what you are also there for.

You aren’t there to tear your store level employees down, you are there to help them figure out solutions to the problems you are seeing or that you feel are problems. But keep in mind those problems that you feel may be problems, may not even be problems at all but rather your perspective and view on it is completely wrong. People tell me to stay busy and keep my mind off things, well I like to say don’t be busy, BE PRODUCTIVE. So to all the people out there who are part of a management team, remember you are a management member yes.

But unless you are THE Manager you are no better than a store level employee, I don’t care what title you hold and I don’t care how much you get paid, you are there to do a job, and you need to do that job. You need to also make it known that you are there to guide your store level employees. No excuses, no bullshit, no beating around the bush. Guide them DO NOT tear them down.

Also keep in mind that don’t tell them “Hey I am so glad you’re back.” and then behind their back say that their not doing their job properly. RESPECT what they’re doing, not just for you but for everyone else too. Quit creating unnecessary drama and quit nitpicking over small bullshit that is irrelevant and focus on the REAL PROBLEMS. Like I said before don’t get me wrong I love my job and I love working hard and being productive.

But I can’t respect people who think with their title and not their damn brain. You people are smarter than that, and you guys should know better. Get off the power trip and realize you’re an imperfect human being working with other imperfect human beings trying to do your job as best as you damn well can. Don’t tear down your co-workers and expect them to be able to keep giving the store their best, because man let me tell you they eventually just give up and don’t care anymore. In the end they feel its not worth it to try any harder anymore.

That’s my view, that’s my perspective and anyone is able to disagree and anyone is able to agree. My opinions, my views, my perspective, but as always to anyone out there who works hard and is productive, GOOD JOB and please know that if you’re giving it your all that you’re appreciated and thank you for what you do even if you don’t hear it a lot.

Keep it spicy folks,

~Zeb