‘Make it make sense. Why am I working full-time hours just to get the basic training I should’ve gotten on day one?’: Retail new-hire thrown in as supervisor without training and told she has to work overtime just to learn the basics

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Nov 26, 2025 7:00 AM EST

New supervisor juggling university and a retail job discovers training is mythical,, schedules change on a whim, and management thinks overtime is the solution when everything else fails. A job market held together with duct tape and denial, staffed by people who treat basic courtesy like an optional accessory tucked behind the lost-and-found counter. First day in, there's no onboarding, just a rotating calendar and endless requests to stick around after hours so someone can feign competence long enough to explain the job.

Hierarchy becomes a spectator sport when the resident supervisor greets newcomers with the warmth of a broken freezer, making entry-level leadership look like a parade of petty power trips and missed introductions. Schedules get updated by telepathy or crossed fingers, leaving everyone to guess when work's being done and whose weekend is about to evaporate. Turns out retail isn't a stepping stone to anything but mild existential dread and a waiting room for the next set of unreasonable demands.

Advertisement

  • Just started a new job and the dysfunction is unreal

    Cheezburger Image 10579626752
    via Nicoleta Ionescu

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Entry-level careers rarely come with parades, but this one hands out secondhand stress and a front-row seat to how not to motivate staff. Onboarding feels like an urban legend and the only thing clear at the end of the week is why nobody with options hangs around. Retail life in 2025: consider this a warning and a compliment to anyone still clocking in.

  • So I finally landed a retail job to hold me over until I go back to university next year.
    via Ok-Taro-4648
  • It's a part time supervisor role... which sounds nice on paper, but honestly? The job market is actually broken, and so are the people running these stores.
    via Ok-Taro-4648
  • Cheezburger Image 10579651328
    via Nicoleta Ionescu

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I've been here a little while now and have received zero training. Not a single proper introduction, walkthrough, nothing.
    via Ok-Taro-4648
  • My rota keeps getting changed last minute without anyone actually telling me. I literally just open the schedule and surprise!
    via Ok-Taro-4648
  • My life has been rearranged by someone who couldn't be bothered to send a text. And now I'm being "expected" to work overtime so the manager can finally train me.
    via Ok-Taro-4648
  • Cheezburger Image 10579651584
    via Nicoleta Ionescu

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Make it make sense. Why am I working full time hours just to get the basic training I should've gotten on day one?
    via Ok-Taro-4648
  • To top it off, the other supervisor was straight up rude to me when we met.
    via Ok-Taro-4648
  • Didn't introduce herself properly, acted like I was beneath her... like girl, what ego trip are you on?
    via Ok-Taro-4648
  • It's retail, calm down. Anyway, I needed to vent. If this is what "entry level supervision" looks like in 2025, no wonder half the world doesn't want to work anymore.
    via Ok-Taro-4648

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

management terrible coworkers workplace discussion employment issues boss workplace-stories hr manager bosses work colleague PTO managers supervisor workplace Horrible Bosses work-life balance
Scroll Down For The Next Article