preventing muscular pain after exercise

[msmith]

over the past few months i have been employed in a large store with hard floors. i spend 8 hour days there actively walking around the shop floor. usually i am in a hurry to locate products for customers and i find the work physically tiring. after running around the shop for three days, the muscles in my legs are exhausted and painful. i feel tired and more inclined to lie in bed wriggling my legs trying to make them comfortable, than get out of bed and do something useful. this is crap, i need to get the most out of my life! when i first started working there i felt that it was agony, i have gotten slightly used to it over time but i still feel pain in my legs after this activity on the shop floor. usually it takes a couple of days for my legs to feel comfortable again. is there anything i can do in the way of stretches or more exercise at the gym to make my legs recover more quickly from work? should i be stretching regularly throughout my day at work? thanks