Frustrated retail workers say they're getting overloaded with work due to chronic understaffing

• Everyone knows that the labor crunch can mean headaches for customers.
• But under-staffing is also a major problem for retail workers.

When Terry started working in the produce department of his local Whole Foods - pre-pandemic - there was always something to do. He could help out the floral section, chop fruit, or assist customers on the floor. But that was before the pandemic, when his store was "pretty darn well-staffed."

During the pandemic, Terry found himself tackling tasks completely outside his job description, like washing carts outdoors in the freezing Pennsylvania winter or finishing work left by the dwindling overnight crew, like unloading pallets. Now, managers have to taken to posting printouts enticing volunteers for overnight overtime.

Whole Foods did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

UKG, a human resources and management solutions firm, found in a recent survey of retail store owners, operators, and managers that 55% of respondents said they expected their stores to struggle with understaffing at least once a week and 78% of retailers planned to cross-train employees to work multiple store roles.

But understaffing isn't just a problem for employers. The job crunch has also altered work for remaining employees, especially those working in frontline industries like retail. A joint survey of workers conduced by CNBC and Momentive found half of respondents said their companies are now understaffed, and 43% of those workers said they considered leaving their job in the past three months.

Terry, who is using a pseudonym, told Insider that he doesn't blame the situation on his store's leadership, but said he believes the problem starts at the regional level and up. Insider verified Terry's identity and work records, and is keeping him anonymous over fears of retaliation and because he is calling for a general strike at the retailer on December 4.

"Amazon has been making money hand over fist throughout this whole pandemic," he said. "They should be setting a precedent of how a corporation should treat its employees."

But Whole Foods isn't the only retailer dealing with short staffing and workflow changes. Gloria Song is a member of United for Respect, a labor activist group. She works at Walmart and was once responsible for picking over 4,000 items daily for digital orders. She said her numbers dropped by about 1,000 after she started taking on other responsibilities.

"Our market manager is having people in my department help stock in the mornings," she said. "Everybody basically has to chip in."

A Walmart spokesperson told Insider that "digital associates are cross-trained in stocking and are responsible for helping stock as needed to make sure merchandise is available for customer pickup orders." The spokesperson said the company is hiring 150,000 workers in the run-up to the holiday.

Isabela Burrows is another United for Respect member who works at PetSmart. She said her store has endured short staffing and longer days. On one recent, busy shift, she had to juggle checking customers out, answering phone calls, and helping with web orders, all at the same time.

"I felt like a chicken with its head cut off," she said. "I've seen how it's affected my associates because they'll start to get really stressed out. Sometimes they'll leave and they're like, 'I don't want to come into work tomorrow' because they're so tired."

A PetSmart spokesperson said the company has invested "heavily in hiring and training talent and held two national hiring days in the past few months across our 1,650+ stores." The spokesperson said that the company has raised wages and paid "nearly $153 million in additional compensation" to frontline workers since the start of the pandemic.

Unlike their white-collar counterparts, retail and service workers do not have many opportunities to work from home. Workers in these roles have also dealt with abusive customers and grueling conditions throughout the pandemic, and there's no end in sight as major retailers strive to avoid major issues around the holidays.

Fight for $15 member Enaiajaht Slaughter has been a McDonald's employee for a year and a half. Due to short staffing in her restaurant, she's had to juggle tasks like filling up drinks, running food out to parked cars, and taking orders, all at once.

"The claims made by this individual are concerning and counter to the experience we expect for those working in McDonald's branded restaurants," a McDonald's spokesperson told Insider. "We're incredibly grateful to the restaurant crew and managers who have stepped up and made a difference in our communities during these extraordinary times."

But Slaughter said that on a few occasions, she's had to run back and forth between the freezer and the drive-thru because no one else was around to move products, resulting in spilled bags of food.

All the while, she said she's also expected to train new hires on the job.

"I have to also keep my composure and keep a smile on my face and be happy, when I know I'm feeling very tired," she said.