The Reality of Working for a Supermarket in 2009/Return to Victorian Britain

fc123

Afriend wrote: »

Maybe the thread was based on a genuine question and the suggestion (which was just one of many) that it was to spread misery was taken as an insult. It's easy to misread and accidently bite on something. I have had posters do the same to me.

Yah...probably the wondering line about reading a bit of misery? Perhaps it reads differently to how I meant to say it....more of a simple query really rather than a snide aside. (That's quite a good rhyme):o

bo_drinker

fc123 wrote: »

Yah...probably the wondering line about reading a bit of misery? Perhaps it reads differently to how I meant to say it....more of a simple query really rather than a snide aside. (That's quite a good rhyme):o

My fault for asking why would someone ask OP/s original question if only to drag up some more misery after your simple query.
Then for some reason he decides to stalk my other posts ?? :rotfl:

Anyway back to the topic.....sorry.

fc123

bo_drinker wrote: »

My fault for asking why would someone ask OP/s original question if only to drag up some more misery after your simple query.
Then for some reason he decides to stalk my other posts ?? :rotfl:

Anyway back to the topic.....sorry.

Ooooh an internet stalker .....let us know how it goes.:D

Off to bed now...night all.

Kenna

@ tesuhoha: seems to me that you're hell bent on defending this guy. Don't get me wrong- I'm not saying that Tesco is treating people fairly...but you do not seem very objective when dismissing any options given by posters (getting different job, etc).
As for unfair work practice- I work in retail for good few years now and, believe me or not, but you still have people working for 3 quid per hour, no sick pay, no holidays, unpaid overtime etc. One big sports store in central London expects that their employees will work overtime- of course unpaid- to make up for the stolen goods (even if it was their day off when the actual theft took place)...that's modern stock loss management for ya...don't even let me start going on this, please

Shakethedisease

work in retail for good few years now and, believe me or not, but you still have people working for 3 quid per hour, no sick pay, no holidays, unpaid overtime etc. One big sports store in central London expects that their employees will work overtime- of course unpaid- to make up for the stolen goods

That's awful !! Please do start...

In my experience of working for supermarkets the op is correct. They are determined to squeeze every last drop out of their employee's.. The first one I worked for actually timed toilet breaks. I once got taken aside for 'a word' after a toilet visit.. ( demeaning in itself having to hold up one's hand like a kid to ask permission to go to the loo )..and told in future to use the customer toilets, downstairs near the check-outs, rather than the upstairs employee's one as it took 'too much time'. I had to point out that my tampax and sanitary towels were in fact upstairs, in my bag. I was also contracted for 3 hours 45 mins per shift, rather than 4 hours.. this was so I didn't get a break. But was frequently 'locked in' at the end of my shifts because by the time they'd let me off ( more put my hand up and wave, ignored, at the end of my shift), the store had shut and they were cashing up. I also was not allowed to talk to other girls on the check-outs near me as it didn't look professional.

I complained higher up and was 'let go' a few days later.:rolleyes:

The second one I sat through a week of 'induction' and loads of company policy and dire health and safety vids.. only to be plonked into the supermarket kitchen my first night and not shown how to work any of the equipment in there. I was supposed to be working check-outs. I came home with a scalded arm.

Absolutely DIRE working conditions when I was there a few years back.

My dad works at tesco now part time and he says the young ones there are shafted, right, left and centre especially from the agencies and job clubs. He says they are treated like s**t. Often asked to come in at all sorts of odd hours, night-shifts etc often they work a full shift for nothing more than bus fare money in the hope they'll get taken on.. only to get their marching orders and replaced with more eager fresh faced teens hoping they will get lucky.

Pasturesnew was so right when she spoke about disposable people. Poor sod, I hope it all works out for op's friend.

LydiaJ

Generali wrote: »

The best thing IMO is for people to do business with companies that act decently for the most part. When I lived in the UK, if I ever shopped in a supermarket it would be Waitrose whenever possible as they seemed to treat their staff properly.

I have heard that Waitrose treat their shop floor staff well. Does anyone know any reliable information about how their treat their warehouse staff? Or how Ocado treat their staff?

PasturesNew

Peacocks distribution centre appears very well run, with very good treatment of staff and conditions. Very safe and very clean ... it is very odd, however, to be walking around and seeing signs in Polish everywhere.

I say "appears", everything can appear lovely on the surface, it's not until you're on the inside that you really see what's going on anywhere is it.

Generali

LydiaJ wrote: »

I have heard that Waitrose treat their shop floor staff well. Does anyone know any reliable information about how their treat their warehouse staff? Or how Ocado treat their staff?

I knew people in England that worked for the John Lewis group in many capacities. A colleagues wife worked as a 'checkout chick' for Waitrose and thought they were great and I used to know several people who worked front and back of house at John Lewis in Kingston.

I also used to know one of their directors a few years back and I reckon she'd have been kicking some bottom if she heard staff were being abused or bullied. She wouldn't stand for that sort of thing and I think there's a strong ethos of that although no doubt there are individual bad stories.

chopperharris

For decades there has been warnings of the supermarket killing the high street , we never listened.They destroyed the high street shop , now they are into banking.

We buy their wares , mostly imported , at the cost of british manufacturing and farming.Your old british brands are being made overseas yet you dont know and continue buying them.

They appear to be rivals , well what supermarket chains are left , while colluding on price fixing.

Read a book called fast food nation , you can apply it rather well to supermarkets not just fast food...they use the same practices for procurement.

Councils can no longer afford to fight the planning process of a new supermarket being built.SO they just dont bother as its more cost affective.

But hey every little helps.

bendix

So to sum up. What we have here is a thread about the plight of someone at the bottom of the economic ladder having to work hard for the minimum wage.

I dunno - I'm struggling to see what the issue is. That there is a minimum wage is, presumably, a good thing for the young person in question. As the OP said in the first post, that person earns enough to send home to their family wherever they come from.

What exactly is the problem here?

If there weren't supermarkets prepared to employ unskilled migrants (who, as an addition) seem to have limited English language skills, noone would be complaining, would they? Or would they? I don't know.

The young person came here to work and that is what they are doing. Then to say that they hate the UK because of their treatment does seem to be rather biting the hand that feeds them (and their family back home). Nobody is forcing that person to do the job - they are not indentured or slaves. They are quite free to walk away from it at any time and make their way in the world in other directions as every freeborn Englishman (or not) is.