What is an HWAID you ask? In supermarket superstore speak it is "How Well Am I Doing" which in laymens terms is suppose to be an assessment of your customer relation skills. And I had mine yesterday.
Bearing in mind I am on a till (all day) serving customers (all day) with the use of one hand (due to medical conditions preventing me from using the other.).
One of the criteria of this HWAID is being observed by some jumped up know it all . Needless to say I failed on this because I could not pack customers items. I really find it hard to take this job seriously when so many of the people I work with clearly abuse the system by disappearing off the tills for long periods of time leaving the rest of us to cope - yet they are the ones given the responsibility, they are the one given Shinning Stars and they are the ones management likes. I know this world is unfair but that just about takes the cake.
Anyway, I did badly on this HWAID because I am disabled and unforunately this is not taken into consideration. But who do I go to? Where can I turn?
Wednesday 31 October 2007
Tuesday 23 October 2007
Half term madness
Half term is a wonderful time of the year if you have kids - or it should be. It never ceases to amase me that parents would rather bring their kids shopping than to spend quality time with them. I know when my daughter was younger, I would look forward to being with her at half term, doing things going out for the day, making things anything but shopping.
It is such a shame that most parents seem to replace quality time for shopping time. Let's face it there is more to life than spending money.
Working on a supermarket checkout you certainly see all forms of life including very loud and unruly kids who appear bored by shopping too.
Why can't we go back to how things use to be inexpensive but meaninful?
It is such a shame that most parents seem to replace quality time for shopping time. Let's face it there is more to life than spending money.
Working on a supermarket checkout you certainly see all forms of life including very loud and unruly kids who appear bored by shopping too.
Why can't we go back to how things use to be inexpensive but meaninful?
Wednesday 17 October 2007
Celebrity Spotting
Working in a supermarket superstore you get to meet a lot of celebrities. All kinds of celebrities, TV, sportsmen and women, radio, famous people, successful business people and many American Express Black Card members but I think the highlight of my day is getting the chance to meet "normal" people who have achieved astonishing feats.
No one could make up the takes that Joe Public tell you. For instance, in the course of serving a customer - who looked pretty ordinary - I found by making a comment about the contents of their shopping that they had started a business dealing in organic baby food - making everything from raw materials and not mass producing it. It is the kind of idea that you think "I should have thought of that" because the concept is so simple - just put in pure indegrients, organic foods, no colourings etc.. and this woman has gone from strength to strength because her idea has captured a niche market.
Someone once said to me, how do you do it? I replied, I just have a sincere interest in people and am a good listener.
No one could make up the takes that Joe Public tell you. For instance, in the course of serving a customer - who looked pretty ordinary - I found by making a comment about the contents of their shopping that they had started a business dealing in organic baby food - making everything from raw materials and not mass producing it. It is the kind of idea that you think "I should have thought of that" because the concept is so simple - just put in pure indegrients, organic foods, no colourings etc.. and this woman has gone from strength to strength because her idea has captured a niche market.
Someone once said to me, how do you do it? I replied, I just have a sincere interest in people and am a good listener.
Wednesday 10 October 2007
Migrant worker vs. British
I read in the Daily Mail yesterday that Sainsburys prefer migrant workers because they work harder than the British. You've got to ask yourself why is that?
Part of the reason, I think is the way management treats you. Most supermarket managers regard their staff as thick, lacking in ability, not useful for anything and never use their brain. Their employees are sub-normal and sub-standard. So it is no wonder that workers lack motivation, inspiration that transpires into just not caring. After all most managers don't care either. As far as they are concerned they are above the workers and are always right - perhaps this is what they are taught when they train as managers or maybe it is in their blood - who knows? But what is annoying is that a company like Sainsbury's who is one of the major companies who disregard their staff to the point that they either leave (after a short time), or end up on anti-depressants because they are bullied should then produce a statement along those lines. What chance is there for anyone then if this is how they think? It's not good enough if you ask me.
Part of the reason, I think is the way management treats you. Most supermarket managers regard their staff as thick, lacking in ability, not useful for anything and never use their brain. Their employees are sub-normal and sub-standard. So it is no wonder that workers lack motivation, inspiration that transpires into just not caring. After all most managers don't care either. As far as they are concerned they are above the workers and are always right - perhaps this is what they are taught when they train as managers or maybe it is in their blood - who knows? But what is annoying is that a company like Sainsbury's who is one of the major companies who disregard their staff to the point that they either leave (after a short time), or end up on anti-depressants because they are bullied should then produce a statement along those lines. What chance is there for anyone then if this is how they think? It's not good enough if you ask me.
Tuesday 2 October 2007
I didn't like yesterday
Sunday was not a bad day, it was just a normal Sunday - very busy but not excessively busy. Monday was the problem. Unbeknown to me MegaMouth had a bad day on Saturday - fortunately, I didn't see her on Sunday so it wasn't until Monday that she became annoyed with me. What did I do to deserve her wrath? Come to work was enough.
For some reason she thinks she is a manager and tries to behave like one. The problem is that chronologically she is an adult but mentally she is only 10 and a school yard bully. Her life must be so empty because all she cares about is picking on someone - she has worked her way through members of staff. Regretfully, our manager has tried to put her in her place but she is not dealing with someone normal but someone with a host of problems, in particular, her lack of interpersonal skills. She is not able to talk to people - any person. Yet she is put in charge of people and even those both customers and staff have, over a long period of time, reported her to their managers and personnel, nothing is ever done.
It isn't fair because anyone else would immediately get the sack but not her. She is unbearable to work with. Your worst nightmare!
So Monday, she was more of a problem than she is normally because of the row she had (in front of a customer) with another member of staff and she also missed out seeing male strippers because she had to work.
I don't wish ill luck to anyone, but her. She is pure evil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For some reason she thinks she is a manager and tries to behave like one. The problem is that chronologically she is an adult but mentally she is only 10 and a school yard bully. Her life must be so empty because all she cares about is picking on someone - she has worked her way through members of staff. Regretfully, our manager has tried to put her in her place but she is not dealing with someone normal but someone with a host of problems, in particular, her lack of interpersonal skills. She is not able to talk to people - any person. Yet she is put in charge of people and even those both customers and staff have, over a long period of time, reported her to their managers and personnel, nothing is ever done.
It isn't fair because anyone else would immediately get the sack but not her. She is unbearable to work with. Your worst nightmare!
So Monday, she was more of a problem than she is normally because of the row she had (in front of a customer) with another member of staff and she also missed out seeing male strippers because she had to work.
I don't wish ill luck to anyone, but her. She is pure evil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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