Well, it’s generally very easy but like any machine, there can be some snags to work around.
During the startup calibration, the head moves out to the center under the lid camera, maybe jigs around a little bit, then it moves to the left horizontally, then finally moves vertically to the back of the machine, and the head comes to a rest at the home position in the left rear.
Which part of that process does it hang up on? Does the head whack at the back when it stops?
A video showing the “derailing” would help. Is the belt not moving on one side? If so, maybe the stepper motor is not turning? Not good. Maybe a connector came loose during shipping? 
I cannot add any videos here. The one I made is 20s long and it says it is too long to send it here. The belts are moving.
What most people do is post videos to YouTube and then put a link here.
Thanks for the tips, everyone. @julismith, I’m so sorry for the challenging start. I pulled the most recent logs from your Glowforge to investigate, and it looks like the three most recent calibrations were successful. I can see successful movement of the head and laser arm during these calibrations. I also see a print that was cancelled after the material was scanned. If this was where the problem occurred, I’d appreciate seeing the video you captured, as I’m afraid your Glowforge did not log any errors during that time. This video will help us better understand the circumstances around the issue so we can help.
If you prefer, you may be able to send the video to us at support@glowforge.com depending on the file size. Uploading the video to YouTube, as @lightner suggested, is also an option. I apologize again for the inconvenience, and I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to help us troubleshoot.
I just wanted to give an update here before closing this thread. During correspondence via email, we were able to determine that there was a problem with this Glowforge that couldn’t be solved remotely, and the unit would need to be replaced. Thanks again to everyone in this thread who helped out so much.