The job posting tells you the pay, the shift, and maybe that you’ll need to lift up to 50 pounds. It doesn’t tell you that your calves will ache by Wednesday, or that you’ll spend most of day one watching safety videos. So here’s what the first week usually looks like, pieced together from what people tell us after they start.

Day one is mostly paperwork

Most people expect to walk in and start picking orders. In reality, the first day is usually orientation: ID checks, tax forms, a building tour, safety training and a fair amount of sitting around.

Bring your documents for the I-9 form. That’s usually a passport, or a driver’s license plus your Social Security card. Have your bank details ready for direct deposit, and pack something to eat. At some sites you can’t leave the building on breaks until you have a badge, and you won’t have a badge yet.

Wear the shoes you actually plan to work in. If the site requires safety toes, it will say so in your offer, and nobody is getting on the floor without them.

Your feet will complain before your back does

People worry about lifting. Lifting is usually fine. You get shown how to do it properly, and most items are lighter than you’d expect. What catches people out is the walking and standing. Ten hours on concrete is a lot if your last job was at a desk, or at a register with one of those rubber mats.

A few things that genuinely help:

• Decent insoles. The cheap gel ones from the pharmacy beat nothing, and a proper pair is worth it if you’re staying.
• Two pairs of work shoes, swapped every other day so they dry out.
• Wool or synthetic socks instead of cotton. Cotton holds sweat, and that’s how blisters start.
• A couple of minutes of calf stretches before your shift. It feels silly. Do it anyway.

Rate matters, just not yet

A lot of warehouses track how many items you pick, pack or stow per hour. New hires normally get a ramp-up period where the target starts low and climbs over the first few weeks. Ask your trainer what the ramp looks like at your site. It varies a lot, and nobody tends to volunteer it.

Don’t try to hit the full number on day two. People who sprint early get sloppy, and mistakes count against you too. Learn the scanner, learn the layout, and the speed shows up on its own.

Learn three names

Your trainer, your area manager, and whoever handles HR or the on-site help desk. When your schedule shows the wrong shift or your first paycheck comes up short (it happens more than you’d think), knowing who to ask saves you a week of being sent from one person to another.

It’s also worth getting friendly with someone who has been there a few months. They’ll tell you the things nobody puts in training, like which break room microwave actually works.

Eat more than you think you need

You’ll burn a lot more energy than you’re used to. Plenty of new starters skip lunch, hit a wall around hour seven, and decide the job is too much for them. Often it’s just low blood sugar.

Pack food you can eat quickly on a short break: wraps, nuts, fruit, leftovers. Keep a refillable water bottle with you if the site allows it.

Sleep is the part you control

If you’re on nights or a very early shift, that first week is hard on your body clock. Try to keep your sleep times the same on days off, make the room properly dark, and keep your phone across the room. Basic stuff, but tired people make more mistakes and get hurt more often.

When to speak up

If something hurts in a sharp way rather than a tired way, report it. Same if a piece of equipment feels unsafe, or you’re asked to do something you weren’t trained on. Every legitimate employer has a process for this, and reporting early protects you if it turns into something bigger later.

And if a couple of weeks in you realize it’s not for you, that’s fine. Some people find they’d rather drive, or work at a smaller site, or try a different shift. You can compare warehouse, delivery and fulfillment roles near you on our jobs page without starting from scratch.

The night-before checklist

• Your ID documents and bank details
• The shoes you’ll actually work in
• Food and a water bottle
• The building address and the right entrance (big sites have several)
• Your start time, plus 20 minutes for parking and security

That’s really it. The first week is the hardest one, and it gets easier faster than most people expect.