New job

[Aimee1875]

So yesterday was my first shift of my new job which is in a very large retail department store. I was either on tills or in the fitting room. My issue is with the tills and I've barely been trained and only shown the basics,but when customers come up with loads of vouchers or asking to pay bills etc along with rude customers,I start to panic and feel like I'm about to burst with tears. It's too much for me to cope! I'm only 16 and my very first day consisted of an 8 hour shift on the busiest day of the week. I can't keep panicking every time I get faced with an issue and I'm so scared the other staff with get mad with me and I'm ruining my job! I can't stop thinking about how my next shift will plan out and what mistakes I'll make this time:(

[SLA]

First off, you are 16, and this is natural. I remember feeling like that when I started at Waitrose.

Secondly, do not worry. The consequences of getting any aspect of your job wrong are so small they may well be non-existent. If you make a mistake, the worst that can happen is that some old lady gets a bit annoyed.

Relax! No-one expects excellent service from a 16 year old. Embrace having a job that doesn't really impact the rest of your career!!

Laugh at your mistakes. They do not matter.

[Aimee1875]

Hi there,thanks so much for your reply. My next shift is tomorrow after school and I'm just terrified because I'm not sure what I'll be put down for. If I have to go straight from school and I don't think I'll get a break because I'm only working 4 hours,I don't finish till 8 and won't eat until around half 8 when I get home which means I will have an empty stomach for roughly 7 hour plus I'm currently on a really heavy period (sorry tmi) and worried I feel sick or end up fainting. My friend starts on Thursday so I'll be happy when I have someone who's also new and may have the same worries and I'm able to discuss them with her but I hope tomorrow goes fast because I can't cope with the worry of messing up and doing things wrong:(

[PunkyFish]

Hi

Starting a new job is terrifying! I know it's hard but try not to worry about messing things up or doing things wrong. People who have worked there for years probably make mistakes all the time. We're human so we're always going to make mistakes. Once you've been there a few weeks you will of learnt the ropes and you will be fine and you will think to yourself why was I worrying all the time about that!

If you find yourself in a situation you are unsure of then ask for help and try and remain as calm as possible. I find that deep breathing helps to calm me down if I'm feeling panicky. If you're on the tills and you make a mistake or you are unsure just say to the customer I'm sorry I'm just going to get my work colleague to assist me. Your employers are not going to expect you to be amazing at first. Make sure you have something to eat before your shift, even if it's just a chocolate bar or some crisps. I'm sure you will do fine!

All the best.

[Aimee1875]

Thank you so much for your reply! The other staff have been so lovely and saying 'we're here to help so don't be afraid to ask' which I'm not but I don't want to feel like I'm not learning anything. I think tomorrow I'm gonna start writing down how to do things I find difficult and if I need help I can just refer to that. I don't want to panic and get upset in front of customers over me being silly