Are you in the job market, browsing potential openings, and you’ve stumbled across a listing for an “Order Fulfillment Associate” at the Home Depot?
Are you wondering what that means and what chores you’ll be expected to fulfill if you apply for the gig?
Keep reading this article; we’ll cover everything you need to know about what an Order Fulfillment Associate (OFA) does at Home Depot.
Order Fulfillment Associates at Home Depot are responsible for a variety of roles.
Principally, they are alerted on orders created by customers and will need to pull and prep those orders.
In addition, they are often required to help load the orders into customers’ vehicles.
When not pulling and prepping orders, ORAs is expected to float around the store, helping in every department when additional staffing is needed.
Previous Order Fulfillment Associates listed the many pros and cons of the position, which this article will inform you of.
Home Depot is the largest construction retailer in North America, operating out of a multitude of locations. With over 490,000 employees, you may be looking to join their workforce.
But is Home Depot a good place to work?
A Brief Overview of Home Depot
The Home Depot (often shortened to Home Depot) is a “big box” store that sells tools, construction products, services (both fuel and transport), and appliances.
Some of their locations also rent tools and trucks to consumers. The Home Depot is the largest home improvement store in the US and has locations in Canada and Mexico.
The Home Depot was founded in Cobb County, Georgia, where it is headquartered. Their mailing address is in Atlanta, Georgia.
Did you know that Home Depot has a mascot? His name is Homer D. Poe, and he has been the store’s mascot since 1981.
Look for Homer on one of the Home Depot’s 5-gallon orange buckets. His cartoon (inspired by one of the founder’s neighbors) appears on every bucket.
The Pros of Being an OFA at Home Depot
Every job on the planet has advantages and disadvantages. Let’s look at some reasons you might want to become an Order Fulfillment Associate at Home Depot:
1. Know Your Schedule in Advance
Home Depot employees know their schedule 3 weeks in advance. Knowing when you’ll be working is a big plus, as you can schedule your activities around your work schedule.
2. Shifts Go by Quickly
As an OFA, you’ll be running around like a chicken. There will always be work for you (sometimes in other departments if all your orders are fulfilled), so you won’t need to look for something to do to kill time.
That means that your shifts are going to fly by. Time flies when we’re busy, and you’re guaranteed to be busy as an OFA at Home Depot.
3. OFAs Can Get Promoted
If you’re looking for career advancement, look no further. Becoming an OFA is an excellent way to start moving up the company ladder. OFAs at Home Depot are often considered for management positions.
Show up on time, work hard, and be courteous to fellow employees and customers. In short, be a capable worker; you could see your career and income take off.
4. Work Stress-Free
Being an OFA at Home Depot means less stress. It’s widely considered a pretty stress-free job. You’ll be pulling, loading, and prepping orders – you’ll be so busy you won’t have time to worry about the little things.
5. Work Autonomously
This one depends on your local Home Depot. Not all managers or management styles at every Home Depot encourage or allow for autonomous work conditions.
However, most OFAs reported being left alone to fulfill their tasks. Their managers didn’t care how they did things. Instead, they cared that things got done.
If you’ve ever had a job where your boss was breathing down your neck during your entire shift, surely you’ll enjoy an autonomous work environment.
The Cons of Being an OFA at Home Depot
No job doesn’t have some downsides. So let’s look at why becoming an OFA at Home Depot might not be the dream job you envisioned.
1. Retail Hours
This one is a biggie, particularly if you’ve got elderly parents or small children who require care. The hours you’ll be working as an Order Fulfillment Associate vary and can have you working both early mornings and late into the evening.
While you’ll know your schedule three weeks in advance, that might not be helpful if you cannot be at Home Depot at 6 am or stay until ten at night.
Those late nights might put a cramp on your social life, as well. For example, you may have to work one night late, then be scheduled to come in early the next morning, cutting into your sleeping time.
Keep in mind the fluctuating hours if you’re considering applying for a job as an OFA.
2. May Need To Work Several Days in a Row
Once again, you will be working retail, so your schedule will be all over the place. Sometimes, this might mean you’ll be scheduled to work seven or eight consecutive days. That’s a lot of work.
Conversely, you may be able to stack several days off in a row.
If working long stretches does not appeal to you, this may not be the right job.
3. Working Retail Means Working Weekends
Weekends off? Maybe some. But you can count on having to work some weekends if you decide to become an Order Fulfillment Associate.
The Home Depot is open seven days a week, which means they’re staffed seven days a week. As an employee, you’ll be expected to shoulder the occasional weekend.
4. Mediocre Pay
You’ll be getting compensated as an OFA at Home Depot. Just don’t expect to buy a Mazeratti or Rolex anytime soon.
The pay is competitive but not spectacular, so you’ll be getting enough cash to pay for rent and food but not the premium things in life.
However, if you perform your job well, becoming an OFA is an excellent springboard to other positions within Home Depot.
Other Features Associated With OFA
As the old saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Unfortunately, that can apply to jobs as well.
What might sound like a huge perk to you may be a major drag to another employee.
Let’s look at some things about being an OFA at Home Depot that might be a pro or a con, depending on your perspective.
1. Moving Heavy Items
If you’re a gym fanatic, getting paid to move heavy items might be a dream come true. If so, becoming an Order Fulfillment Associate at Home Depot might be the perfect job for you.
Construction items are heavy. You’ll be asked to help lift massive, 4×8′ sheets of plywood, OSB, and drywall. Your legs, shoulders, biceps, and triceps better be up to the task.
If they’re not, you’ll have your body whipped into shape in no time as an OFA, and you’ll be tossing around treated lumber like it’s Styrofoam.
That said, moving and loading heavy items is not for everyone. Perhaps you’ve got a bad back, weak knees, or other physical disability. If that’s the case, you might want to apply for an alternative position within the company.
2. You Are on Your Feet All Day
Again, being paid to be on your feet all day sounds like a great gig to some people.
You get to move around, get a nice little workout in, and you’ll be helping people out in the meantime. And you’re guaranteed to get your 10,000 steps in.
But to others, being on your feet sounds like punishment. So if you’re not physically fit, disabled, or a senior citizen, becoming an OFA at Home Depot might not be the right career choice for you.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article addressed all your burning questions regarding what is expected of an OFA at Home Depot.
You’ll need to procure, prep, haul, and load goods scattered across the store. Often, items are misplaced, and your responsibility will be to track them down.
Being an OFA at Home Depot isn’t for everyone. Weigh the pros and cons presented throughout this article, and decide if you’d be a good fit for the position.
Your joy for the job often comes down to your relationships with coworkers and management – try to get a good feel for the work environment in your local Home Depot before applying for the job.
