I always find it hard to make time for many things. Blogging included. Yet, as my Front End Coach would say, “make time”. So, here I am, making time. A lot has happened and I think it’s worth talking about. Today’s theme is about stability.

DoorDash

The last post I made in 2025 highlighted my struggles financially, which was offset briefly by indulging in DoorDash Dasher runs. I ran DoorDash for about three months. Once it started getting unbearably hot outside (over 80*F) I figured that I’d rather cut my losses at that point. I would be sitting in my car blasting the air conditioning for at least 30 minutes before getting orders which were not worth the time. Seriously. You’d get things like “Drive 5 miles for $2” which on paper doesn’t sound bad. Until you account for driving back to the spot you originally were in because the order after that required it or the zone expired which meant you had to change locations to get more orders. It also didn’t help that my acceptance rating was low since I kept declining the terrible offers.

The Road to Team Lead

A couple of months passed by and my Team Lead, Skye had approached me about moving up in the company. She said that I would make a great Team Lead and should apply. I did this, passed the small test they require to be taken, and that lasts for a year (depending on how well you do) before it expires. Through the next year, Skye and my other Team Lead, Amanda, trained me on the best ways to be a Team Lead for the Front End and all the tasks required like lottery pickup, grabbing tills, cash advances, and more. I learned a lot from them, taking into account how they handled various things like customer interactions or problematic associates. Sometimes I wouldn’t agree with something and I’d kind of roll my own path that best fit my style.

I later found out after inquiring from Amanda what she thought about me becoming Team Lead, which she told me that she was the one that initially recommended me. She was really optimistic and hopeful for me to get the position because the cashiers got along with me really well and how I treated people was preferred over other people who were potentially wanting the position. Aside from this, I personally care about my job. I lost my previous job in the quality assurance industry and summoned the will to work at Wally World. I needed money, which requires a job. I wanted to keep that job of being a cashier by doing the tasks I was given and doing them well. That got me to also working on the Service Desk, which requires a lot of trust due to financial transactions like money transfers overseas or cashing checks.

A position had not opened up in that year, so the exam results expired. Eventually, one Team Lead, Maryam, had left to go back to schooling and a spot opened up. I was excited, but wasn’t able to make time to take that Team Lead assessment once more. At some point, I remember talking to Amanda about needing to take the assessment, but she told me that it was pointless; KP, one of the other cashiers, had gotten it. I was upset, but I also trying to keep my head up. When I asked Amanda about what I could have done differently, she told me that it was a very close call between KP and myself.

Many months later, another Team Lead, Julie, went on Leave of Absence for health reasons. Her spot did open up and the new Front End Coach, Stacy, wanted me to put in for the position. Long story short, I didn’t get it this time either and it instead went to my coworker, Kenzie. Stacy told me that the feedback she got from the higher ups was that I needed to learn how to merchandise. When I mentioned this to Skye and Amanda, they both were confused because that never stopped either of them from being promoted.

Finally, just before February started, our Store Lead told me that there was a plan in place for me. Stacy also told me this and I did my best to keep calm and see what happens. Weeks went by before the GM Coach walked up to the Service Desk and told me to put in for Homelines Team Lead. So I did, and I got that.

Reflection

Since becoming the Team Lead for Homelines, I’ve come across many challenges. Some of it comes from the extra leadership expectations and responsibilities. There’s been lots of days where the higher ups want tasks done by the afternoon meeting, but then we have other priority tasks that need to be done.

We’re told to work with a sense of urgency and to prioritize the tasks, yet if we don’t have the people to delegate to, everything becomes a rock: the highest priority items that must be done as soon as possible. There’s also a weird sense of not being allowed to ask for extra help. Maybe it’s just me, though? Yet from what I’ve seen and heard if you ask for the help and it is approved, you’ll still be in the wrong.

I’ve also learned a lot of things from Academy the past week. One thing is for sure: I don’t feel a sense of belonging at work. I am there to do a job, a task, but I don’t feel appreciated because asking for help is like pulling teeth. I feel that I rarely get a proper sense of direction. There’s no recognition for the good work I’ve done. There’s also just.. a lot put on for some of us Team Leads, more than there should be, even when we prioritize. Hell, we also get pulled to other places like running picks for Fulfillment which can either take some of the shift or the entirety of it.

That said, some of these things are being worked on and change doesn’t happen that quickly overnight. However, part of why I wanted to become a Team Lead so that I can help my associates learn and grow. I want to set a good example and help do my part and change the culture of the store I work at for the better. How can I do that? If I weren’t so tired writing this late at night I’d have some bullet points, but my brain doesn’t work at this hour.

Conclusion

Thankfully the promotion did come with a pay increase. Substantial enough to help not be in more debt than I should be. During the time before becoming Team Lead, I was facing mortgage payment issues. I’ve solved that after the fact - even though the company messed up and didn’t tell me I didn’t fill out a form completely (which was filled out except a random “put your loan number here” in the corner of the PDF). I’m also still behind on the car payments, but I’m able to safely pay those one month at a time, extra if I can.

Amid the transfer and promotion, I almost lost my way on the kind of leader I want to be. I want to be patient, kind, and willing to listen. I wrote something similar on my Academy notes. The reasoning is.. complicated. A lot of conflicting emotions. I think that’s likely because I do give people benefit of the doubt and I’m too forgiving and kind, even when the answer is to hold them accountable.

Currently? I’m still finding where I stand on many levels. Homelines is a different beast from the Front End. It’s simpler, yes, but with just me, another associate, and 49 aisles, there’s a lot that can and will go wrong. I’m bad at prioritizing things and following up. I’ll get better in due time, but for now everything needs to stop being a god damn rock.