how do the rest of you use tide pods?

Pod goes in the empty drum first, clothes on top. Not in the detergent drawer, and not thrown on top of the load at the end - that's when you get the gooey film left on clothes. One for a normal load, a second for a really big or filthy one. Handle them with dry hands or the casing starts dissolving before it's in the machine. If you're still finding residue, the drum is probably packed too tight.