What exactly does a Quantum Services Inventory Auditor do? The high-level answer is, they count. They count candy bars, tobacco products, beverages, and store merchandise. Inventory Auditors are people who can make sense of a sometimes-disorderly mess and clean it up as they continue to provide accurate inventory details. When asked what she does for a living, Division Manager of Canton, OH, Kayla Young, responds followed by a giggle, “I count candy bars for a living” while recognizing she works for a company that she can always “count” on, pun intended.
Joining the Quantum Services Team
Kayla describes her transition from delivering pizzas and working at Toys R Us to becoming an inventory auditor as an accidental blessing, saying Quantum Services really chose her. Prior to her position with Quantum Services, Kayla was working 2, sometimes 3 jobs to cover her bills and make ends meet. Tired of the inconsistent schedules and lack of work-life balance, she began looking for something else and stumbled upon the job postings for Quantum Services online. Beginning her new journey and starting a position she knew little about, Kayla quickly saw the benefits of this job, and not only is she still with the company after 5+ years, but looks forward to her days, her team, and the C-Store employees she gets to interact with.
Kayla worked her way up to Division Manager and plays a significant role in maintaining and promoting the hidden treasures of her job, especially work-life balance. She talks with corporate and is the voice of her team, bringing up positive aspects of the job as well as things that need improvement. When we spoke with her about her experiences, Kayla highlighted the way she feels heard and knows that Quantum wants to take care of their employees and provide them with work-life balance, saying “Quantum Services is great at work-life balance, but are always trying to improve and be even better.”
The workday offers variety and consistency at the same time. Opposites working together to provide her with the balance she was craving and seeking. She admits that at first, the 10-key calculator can be intimidating. Watching everyone who had been there for a while key swiftly without much hesitation, had her wondering how she would ever be able to count that quickly. However, after getting used to the process, she noticed that her fingers were dancing just as quickly and accurately as her one-time trainers were. She starts her day early and focuses on the incoming deliveries that may not be on the shelves yet – making sure to get them unpacked and counted first. After that is complete, she moves on to the merchandise out on the floor and then shares the results with the C-Store manager for comparison to their records. After performing any re-counts or fixing any possible miskeyed information, she is done to wrap up her day and head home. Knowing how her day is going to go each day, familiarized with the stores she visits, she can accurately determine how long her day will be offering that consistency. However, the enjoyment she gets out of being at a new store each day provides that piece of variety, keeping her out of the “workday slump” so many of us know all too well.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
In an effort to be honest and transparent, we asked Kayla to share the best parts of working for Quantum Services, the most challenging parts, and what new applicants should know before applying. Here was her feedback:
BEST PARTS
- Quantum Services helped her grow personally and professionally in so many ways. Starting her job at 23, she started overly confident and realized how much Quantum has taught her about communication. “I’ve really matured on how to talk to management, how to talk to corporate – I’ve learned a lot of communication skills working for Quantum Services.”
- Kayla recognizes the relationships she has formed working in her position. She has met great people, great friends, and formed lasting professional and personal relationships.
- Quantum Services cultivates a culture where everyone is comfortable asking questions and knows that when they do, they will get an answer. Kayla appreciates having an employer she can “count” on to always be there when something goes wrong, she needs assistance or has a question. Being encouraged and heard goes a long way, especially when you are first beginning your inventory auditing position.
MOST CHALLENGING PARTS
- For Kayla, the most challenging aspect of her day-to-day is when a store is not organized. Coming into a store that is not “inventory ready” can be difficult and time-consuming. When products are still packed up and not out on the shelves, there is a lot of physical work you need to put in to move merchandise and count it. However, Kayla loves the fact that she often leaves a store in a better condition than she found it.
- The other obstacle faced is constantly being around delicious snacks! She laughs as she shares how hard it is for her to resist all the snacks and candy as she counts in C-Stores throughout the day.
WHAT NEW APPLICANTS SHOULD KNOW
- If you are thinking about starting a career with Quantum Services as an inventory auditor, Kayla wants you to know that you must “want to work.” There is not a lot of downtime in this position, making it fast-paced and constant. “You need to be very dependable to do this job.”
As we ended our delightful conversation with Kayla, she left us with a testimonial of how she feels about working with Quantum Services:
“I really do love my job. I think this is a great place to work. I really enjoy coming to work every day. Every day is a new challenge. You get to work somewhere different with different people every day and it keeps it fun and interesting.”