I want to quit
I've only been working at Panda Express for about two weeks, but I already feel miserable. My manager gets on my back for every little thing, and it honestly feels like they just don't want me working (foh). They'll say they're taking over for me and send me to the lobby. When I finish everything out there, they tell me to stay in the lobby. Bro... there's only so much I can do before I'm basically sweeping invisible dust.
A week ago, someone sent me to parking. When I came back inside, my manager angrily pulled me aside and told me that if I'm sent to the parking lot, I'm also supposed to clean the lobby and restrooms. I tried explaining that I understood, but that no one had ever taught me that before. They just told me to be quiet and listen :(
Another time, I asked if I should take out the trash because it was completely full. They told me to ask a male coworker to help squish it down since he was stronger. I explained that I'd already been pressing the trash down for the last 30 minutes and there simply wasn't any more room. The manager called him over anyway. He came back and told the manager exactly what I had already said. The manager laughed and then told me to take the trash out. Like... I could've gotten that done way sooner. (Ik this is such a minor thing, but Im venting rn)
Whenever I'm serving customers, I'm apparently doing something wrong. A customer will ask for shrimp, and then a coworker will come back to me with the order saying I'm not putting enough in. I tell them I served 6–7 shrimp because that's what I was taught. They'll count them, realize that's exactly how many I put, say, "Oh," and either add one more or take it away.
I was cutting teriyaki chicken for a customer when my manager stopped me and said I was cutting it wrong. They asked how thick each slice was supposed to be, and I answered half an inch because that's what my shift leader had previously told me. The manager said my shift leader was wrong, that it was actually supposed to be an inch, and that I should listen to the training modules instead. I don't even think I've gotten to the module that covers that yet.
What frustrates me the most is when I'm assigned to P1. I'll be doing my job, and then whoever is supposed to be P2 disappears, leaving me to handle everything. While making someone'sfull order, I'm ordered to stick to P1. So I do. But then I get in trouble because no one else is there and I'm apparently supposed to finish the entire order. Pick a damn lane, please . One time, I even tried telling my manager that a coworker had specifically said they'd work as my P2, and all my manager did was cut me off saying, "No, no." Like... okay?
My next shift is a closing shift, but the day after that I'm scheduled for drive-thru. The problem is, I haven't been trained on drive-thru at all. 🫠
Lastly, I'm always told to be louder and use the place's full government name when welcoming people. Thing is, barely anyone says the full, "Hello, welcome to Panda Express", and most people say it at either the same or lower volume than I do. Sometimes I'm also the only one to doing it but am then told others are doing it louder. Um sorry, I don't think that's possible If I'm the only one saying it.
The only positive thing is that yesterday was basically the first time I actually left when my shift ended. Every other day, I've stayed 30–50 minutes past my scheduled time.
Obviously there's a little more to it, however, I'm tired.
I'm really just frustrated. The work itself isn't bad, but I dread every time I have to go in and spend my shifts counting down the minutes until I can go home. Maybe I'm being dramatic 🫤. My parents are telling me to stick with it for the rest of the month before I go back to school, but I hate it. Everyone is nice, but always full of criticism. It's my first job and the pay is good. I know things arent supposed to be easy and we constantly strive to improve and learn, but I just...dont know 😮💨.