The Woolworths Thread (24 Viewers)

[NNS7]

hi all.

I have recently got a job at Wooloworths as a perishables assitant. I've done the 8 hour induction and start my first training shift monday.But i'm nervous as hell where do i go? and i don't know what exactly i do as a perishables assitant as i applied for nightfill?

Hi Stretford welcome to the board,

Perishables is chilled dairy stock eg, yogurt, dips, cheese, meatex, juice, desserts, and meals like pasta and garlic bread. all frozen food, milk, and eggs. As a perishables assistant you could be doing many things, but most common and easiest duties are filing stock, keeping in mind to rotate dairy and eggs (this will be explained further to you in your training) not hard once you get the hang of it, but very essential. Filling milk/eggs, providing customer assistance and working overstocks "overs" or loose stock. Rule of filling stock: 50% of the carton or it doesn't go on, eg. if you can't fit more than at least half the carton on the shelf then don't open it.
best advice I can give you as I was once was, and very very occasionally still am a perishables nightfiller: go out and buy yourself some gloves, gardening ones with latex if possible (from bunnings about $10, the ones woolies provide, if they do, are $hithouse), you will need them for the freezer esp when "facing up" (pulling stock forward and presenting it). very important esp if you are working in a store with older style freezers, they are v. icy, best $10 you will ever spend.
Any Q's I'll be happy to answer anything, this is my domain! lol
yay thats 2 peeps for perishables 100000 for checkouts! lol

Goodluck, and when you first arrive just go up to the service desk and ask to see the perishables manager, they will hopefully be expecting you and will usually walk you around the store and provide some basic training eg, show you how to fill the milk. They know your new and don't expect you to know anything, if your not sure about anything, ask questions, you will find that most people are friendly and love to tell you how it is lol

 

[shinji]

^There's only like 1 or 2 deli people here as well (me being one).. mostly either bakery/checkouts/groceries. XD

Agreed with the buying glove thing. and also - make sure you wear warm clothing. You'll be going into the freezer/coolroom pretty often.

 

[wixxy2348]

^There's only like 1 or 2 deli people here as well (me being one).. mostly either bakery/checkouts/groceries. XD

There's only MMacka and me from bakery afaik.

 

[NNS7]

There's only MMacka and me from bakery afaik.

I'm 2nd dept bakery, but you guys know way more than me, I only know mostly propbake and bakery stock take stuff.

too long ago lol

 

[ytrbut]

Bakery assistant was my formal job title for about a year, despite working about 15-20% of my hours actually in bakehouse ... now I think I'm formally employeed as an SSA or Storeperson, one of the two.

 

[babikakez]

This is fucked, finally give my SSM my completed Final Med Cert Friday, what the fuck have I ended up with today? A massively swollen, bruised forearm that hurts every time I try to open plastic bags.



Same arm too as before.

 

[babikakez]

There's only MMacka and me from bakery afaik.

ha our bakery manager is trying to swap me for one of her shit as people.

CSM/SSM are having none of that

 

[Harry778]

Going back to work tomorrow =D
Strat at 5am though =( Now I have to learn everything about the cash office.

Haaahahahah. My mum is so scared about being SSM at her new store tomorrow! They have no idea what they're in for..feel kind of sorry for them. Its funny cos she says she really "dislikes" the CSM there, apparently (my mum) almost jumped through the cash office window at her at another store cos she heard she was pissed of my mum was going to her store HHHAHAH. I said to her..you hate her dont you mum? And she just goes "no..I dislike her" I"m like yeahhh sure =P

Better go to bed. I have to be up at 3.30am =(
FUCK.

 

[adistar85us]

I don't see hierarchy's in the store based on position, I see a hierarchy based off the experience a person has with their job.

For example, whenever management tried to put supervisors on (straight from induction) they quit. Why? because no-one listened to them lol. I can remember one lady was supervising, and no-one listened to her so they put her back as operator so she could understand what it was like before she became a rude, uncaring sup. She quit. Staff who go into management and start bossing round like there is no tomorrow fail, because they don't get enough experience before they start to take charge.

Thats how it worked at our store - you have the experience - you get the respect, otherwise, you do not

This 2IC sounds out of line - disrespecting staff who have had more experience in what they do.

Really... I do think there's more to it than 'experience'.

>experience on how to properly influence staff to do your bidding while upper management take notice.

>most woolies managers are not well adept at doing this ^ and some have managing styles that are downright repulsive.

>most managers that have climbed the top are not really exceptional at what they do. Some really suck. Its how you present yourself to upper management that counts as well. I once had two dept. managers get demoted because they had no idea what they were doing. They had been with woolies for a fair amount of time.

>if what your saying about heirarchy=experience then most woolies veterans would be running the store (telling management what to do) because I have met quite a few that knew more than managers on how to run a respective department.

>manager= proper people skills, getting noticed for those skills (means you have to step on peoples heads to climb up), good understanding of how to run department, and of course budgeting wages , sales etc.

 

[NNS7]

Hey, I was in perish for like 2.5 yrs!! lol

And Saturday was my day... Loved Saturdays

alright! *high fives*

Saturdays are my least fav day, big load, lots of sickies and no one wants to work

 

[MMacka]

There's only MMacka and me from bakery afaik.

One of the funniest things happened today in Bakery. Well we have another store doing their production through our Bakery for about 4 months because their store is having a refit.

Anyways I was on my lunch break with SSM and we got this call over the PA asking us to return to the Bakery. So we both laughed and ignored it, so SSM went back 20 minutes later and then I got this frantic call from SSM asking me to return to Bakery asap. So I went in and all the floor was covered with this steamy black/brown water that was rushing out of the Rotel oven. Our store has a double rack oven so its pretty massive.

So we had to wait 20 minutes for the oven to finish what it was baking and then when we opened the door heaps of water rushed out. There must have been a pipe burst that does the steamer when its turned on, but the water didn't stop even when the machine was turned off.

So SSM called bakequip and they were there today within a couple of hours. We were able to turn off the water supply to the oven but it took ages for us to find the connection which was on top of the oven. Before that we were making sand dams to direct the water into the drain.

 

[TG Fan]

>if what your saying about heirarchy=experience then most woolies veterans would be running the store (telling management what to do) because I have met quite a few that knew more than managers on how to run a respective department.

That is very, VERY true. Our SSM has been at our store for 17/18 years, but she has told me each and every time a new manager comes in they will never take her advice on how to deal with certain situations, or customers in our small town or staff in our store. New managers don't realise that living in a regional location that is 1700kms from Perth is almost like living a different country. It has it's own quirks and distinctive problems. But when she gives advice she gets over ridden by the manager....but she loves it when, after not heeding adivce from her, they fall flat on their face.

 

[Mannequin25]

i had an operator hurt themselves today lifting a 30pk of coke off a register. She tore a tendon in her shoulder i was like AGH FUCK! JUST GO NOW AND SEE THE SSM!!! i felt really bad, shes an older lady and shes prob one of my favs. Seeing her cry broke my heart i jumped on her register and finished serving the customer she was on. The SSM was pissed cuz she should have asked to customer not to lift it up and use drill downs. She made me go along and tell everyone that they MUST use drill downs and she was writing it out for all the operators to sign.

oooh and Mathew please dont think i was trying to be mean or suggest you had been out or anything by what i wrote. It does seem a little OTT to count change 3 times, but i do believe the old MOS actually checked that it was counted 3 times. You can never be too careful. Remember money is everything to Woolworths, no matter how little it is

 

[babikakez]

i had an operator hurt themselves today lifting a 30pk of coke off a register. She tore a tendon in her shoulder i was like AGH FUCK! JUST GO NOW AND SEE THE SSM!!! i felt really bad, shes an older lady and shes prob one of my favs. Seeing her cry broke my heart i jumped on her register and finished serving the customer she was on. The SSM was pissed cuz she should have asked to customer not to lift it up and use drill downs. She made me go along and tell everyone that they MUST use drill downs and she was writing it out for all the operators to sign.

oooh and Mathew please dont think i was trying to be mean or suggest you had been out or anything by what i wrote. It does seem a little OTT to count change 3 times, but i do believe the old MOS actually checked that it was counted 3 times. You can never be too careful. Remember money is everything to Woolworths, no matter how little it is

I don't know if anyone else has the new 'critical issue' MOS, but that requires change checked at least twice.

 

[dimzi]

alright! *high fives*

Saturdays are my least fav day, big load, lots of sickies and no one wants to work

Saturdays were the worst! I refused to work them, but not cause of the work or even the tidal wave of customers buying shit, but because there was no penalty rates!

Back in the day there used to be penalty rates on Sats, apparently, so its yet another thing the useless union ceded to the behemoth that is WOW.

My mum told me I should go back and work in liquor, only to do 15-20 hrs a week and take it easy. She was the one egging me on to quit! I don't understand that woman, seriously.

But just for future reference, is their still a hiring freeze going on? My old store hired a few, even put a couple on salary, so I'm guessing it might have just been a bit of thunder from the top?

 

[Harry778]

Home from work. It took me sooo long to do the change order hahaha! It was so painful. (From whip lash)

Then I have to go pick mum up from her new store this afternoon. She doesnt want to drive her car cos it has a dent in the side of it :mad1: from that idiot driver that smashed into her.

 

[lordtopcat]

Re: Respect

My Store Manager has been working at Woolies for 16 years, but I have no respect for him at all. As soon as he straps on a pair, kicks our SSM back into line and takes back control of the store then maybe I (along with most of the managers) will start to respect him again.

 

[jirwin]

Home from work. It took me sooo long to do the change order hahaha! It was so painful. (From whip lash)

Then I have to go pick mum up from her new store this afternoon. She doesnt want to drive her car cos it has a dent in the side of it :mad1: from that idiot driver that smashed into her.

What actually happened in your accident? How long until you recover?

 

[Harry778]

What actually happened in your accident? How long until you recover?

Someone went onto the wrong side of the road and had a head on with me and my dad. This was at about 60 k/h.

I had really bad whip lash for a while but now it just hurts when I turn to far or lift heavy things. Chiropractor says a few more weeks..as long as I keep heat on it whenever possible.

 

[adistar85us]

I agree with everything your saying. All I was trying to say that the more experience you have in a job, the more respect you gain for it. I never said anythig about managing skills on managing though, so don't try and pull me up on a tangent.

The original discussion was about managers coming to power, and having that power going to their heads, I simply explained that you must have experience in that field, before you gain true respect from other staff members.

You wouldn't appreciate it if someone hired after you, with very little experience was promoted to be your direct manager, then started giving you orders, like you have never worked before. I know I don't like it.

I do agree with what you wrote, but don't read too much into what I originally wrote. Obviously there is a lot more to managing, but it in the original discussion, it wasn't the topic focus

Don't misinterpret my post and try building a straw man and saying I'm reading too much into it.

You were saying a completely different thing in your post. Try reading it again.

If you re-read my post over and over again I am not really talking about managing skills. So maybe its you going in a 'tangent'.

As for the original discussion (managers coming into power), my reply to your post is very relevant.