FedEx workers have long used TikTok as a platform to share the perils of their job. One user documented the many bruises their legs have developed as a result of working for the company; a second pleaded with customers to stop ordering heavy packages via the service.
Another FedEx worker even claimed that he was given a truck with no left mirror or brakes with which to make deliveries. Despite these limitations, he was still expected to deliver 185 packages.
Now, this conversation has continued thanks to another former FedEx worker. In a clip with over 6.2 million views, TikTok user @bewhitten recounts his negative experience in the role, saying in the video’s caption that he’s “never quit a job so fast in my life.”
Issues began on the first day, he said. The TikToker claims that he had signed up to work the early shift, which runs from 3am to 9am. He claims he did this because the shift paid the most of the available hours.
“I was under the impression that I would just be loading up the typical box FedEx truck that makes all the deliveries,” he explains.
During his first shift, the TikToker claims he and the 20 or so other new hires were lined up “in front of a group of managers…like an auction block.” The managers chose which workers they wanted, and the TikToker was selected to work on the “heavy side” because he looked “kind of fit.”
“Heavy” doesn’t begin to cover it, the TikToker says.
“Y’all, they had my Black a** lifting up bunk beds, deep freezers, weight sets, barbecue pits, lawnmowers —not push lawnmowers, a riding lawnmower,” he details. “I’m lifting up 97-inch flat screen TVs. I didn’t even know flat screens came that big.”
The large TVs in particular were an issue, he states.
“I’m trying to find a grip on it, and one of the managers, he walked by like, ‘Hey, rookie! Make sure you’re using your legs to lift!’ I’m like, ‘Kiss my a**,’” the TikToker recounts. “Got me over here lifting this jumbotron for the Staples Center up by myself—I need a forklift for this!”
The pain of this job caused incredible stress on the TikToker’s body to the point where he had to excuse himself on the job.
“I’m taking ice baths after work. I lasted 13 and a quarter shifts, and one day I was like, ‘Hey, I’m about to get ready to go get me some water,’” he recalls. “I went straight to the car, went home.”
After a conversation with his wife, in which he was told he was “too angry every time [he] came home,” he decided to quit.
“Anybody that you see that works at FedEx, kiss them, hug them, ask them how their day’s going, offer them a massage,” he concludes. “They need it.”
FedEx has historically had problems retaining staff. According to the Memphis Business Journal, “the company’s turnover rate stood at 102% in FY 2022, nearly double the rate of FY 2021.”
@bewhitten I’ve never quit a job so fast in my life…. Shout out to all the FedEx warriors moving those heavy packages around the world…y’all some real ones. My whole left side would be hurting after my shifts.🤦🏾♂️😂🤣😂 ⭐️Follow for more ridiculousness #fedex #iquit #cantdoit #funnytiktok #comedy #explore #viral #memes #fyp #memes #follow #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Be Whitten
In the comments sections, other former FedEx workers recounted their own experiences with the job.
“I worked FedEx for 1 day and told em to mail me my check,” said a user.
“Working at FedEx for almost 3 1/ 2 yrs made [me] wanna better my life and go back to school to never have to break my back like that ever again,” added another.
“when I worked for FedEx I was a size 16 in pants when I left I was a size 4,” shared a third.
We’ve reached out to FedEx via email and the TikToker via Instagram DM.
