The Woolworths Thread (5 Viewers)

[Ethicks]

Aldi will definitely impact you guys alot. Maybe not first 2 weeks but once people find out where it is and starts to get traction, you will feel it. I reliefed for fairly busy city store whose sales where $1.4mil a week, and it dropped to just under a mil because aldis was just around the corner. To add insult to injury, shoppers there will go to woolies, taking our trolleys and using them at aldi cause we dont have the coin security mechanism on ours lol (stupid stupid)

I don't think that is true at all, people will go to Aldi for a few items but we've all heard them say you can't get everything at Aldi so the next place they venture is Woolworths. Long term Woolworths will out perform, even the shopping centre I go to now has an Aldi but still Woolworths is always packed with people. This is the case in my town also, Aldi has been open for years which didn't impact Woolworths.. heck they even opened a second store.

With an Aldi right next door to your Woolworths.. People will go to Aldi then get the rest of their stuff at Woolworths.

 

[bernie14]

Had a guy buy nine packs of condoms the other night. He asked if I knew what they were (why wouldn't I?), then asked if I had ever tried them.

Served him very quickly and sent him on his way!

 

[bernie14]

Also, been thinking about getting my RSA and asking for a few shifts in our liquor department. Has anyone worked in there, and can tell me what it's like? Challenges and difficulties they've faced?

 

[FrontendFreak]

Don't have liquor because QLD is stupid haha also, does anyone know the whole process of a store getting a refit??

 

[FrontendFreak]

Had a guy buy nine packs of condoms the other night. He asked if I knew what they were (why wouldn't I?), then asked if I had ever tried them.

Served him very quickly and sent him on his way!

Haha I've sold 6 bottles of lube to some guy once. That was it! Haha I think he must have been a competitive masturbator.

 

[Ethicks]

Haha I've sold 6 bottles of lube to some guy once. That was it! Haha I think he must have been a competitive masturbator.

I remember when some older couple were buying lube for their son/step daughter or something and they asked me if I knew what it was etc not like they need to make it any more awkward then it was. I also found it awkward when parents bring their children shopping and tucked away under some grapes is a packet of condoms or something I could just imagine the kid picking them up, waving them about and shouting "Mummy what are these?"

 

[FrontendFreak]

No sunday trading? That sucks! No penalty rates!

 

[nanakid12]

Yeah and the only public holiday we ever open is Easter Saturday.

We Sunday trade the two weekends before Xmas though.

So everyone keen for Easter?! I am! I'm going to Melbourne


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[FrontendFreak]

I'm super pumped - we actually have a decent budget this year for rosters, and I'm doing service all day Saturday and Monday, and I still get paid for Sunday! So great!

Has anyone else heard about the whole "skeleton staff" thing woolies has been doing for the past year or two? They slowly weaned off the amount of staff a department is able to roster on through wage cuts, to see how well stores work running on the bare minimum staff. Turns out IT DOESN'T WORK So I don't know about other stores but we got a pretty generous increase in the wage budget, and it makes supervision so much easier with more staff. Stuff actually gets done!

 

[nanakid12]

Ummmm... yeah that was to try and improve Big W and Masters which haven't been doing so well.

It has been stressful to say the least.

But apparently they've realised that, there was a news article a month or two back that the supermarkets haven't made as much money as they like, so they're going to focus on their "core" business or something. Good news for everyone!!

 

[FrontendFreak]

An intelligent decision made by woolworths? Won't see that again any time soon! Haha

 

[T_Knight]

Also, been thinking about getting my RSA and asking for a few shifts in our liquor department. Has anyone worked in there, and can tell me what it's like? Challenges and difficulties they've faced?

Its pretty cruisy, did a relief shift in liquor and enjoyed it. Just watch for IDs, thats the hard part because specific types of people are really tough to pick age-wise (e.g young asian girls) so it's best to be overzealous and ask frequently, even if the customer turns out to be 27 years old.

Don't have liquor because QLD is stupid haha also, does anyone know the whole process of a store getting a refit??

My previous store i first worked at had a refurb when I was first employed, so i'll try to recall the process. Basically we had a refit team come in as soon as the shop closed, and work all through the night doing all the electrical and 'demolition' work (you see a lot the tradies holding a lot of 'artist impression' maps and schematic drawings). Any departments getting done that wasn't on the shop floor such as bakery are just covered up with hoarding and was done progressively over say a 1 month timeframe. Also, can remember a team of people come in to move the stock back and forth off the shelves and another team to install the fittings (shelving, registers, EFT terminals, LCD screens etc). For the checkout department, the whole refurb was done like clockwork overnight - did close that night and came in the next morning to see it completely renovated in 1 night. Was a ridiculously fast turnaround.

 

[FrontendFreak]

Hmmm well I really hope our store gets one soon... We've been open since 2000 and haven't been given a refit since... So you could imagine how horrible and run down the checkouts look. With that foul green colour scheme infesting the place...

 

[subtekjr]

I'm super pumped - we actually have a decent budget this year for rosters, and I'm doing service all day Saturday and Monday, and I still get paid for Sunday! So great!

Has anyone else heard about the whole "skeleton staff" thing woolies has been doing for the past year or two? They slowly weaned off the amount of staff a department is able to roster on through wage cuts, to see how well stores work running on the bare minimum staff. Turns out IT DOESN'T WORK So I don't know about other stores but we got a pretty generous increase in the wage budget, and it makes supervision so much easier with more staff. Stuff actually gets done!

I would certainly believe it. We've only hired 4 casuals including myself, and 7 I think full timers in my store's Produce section. I'm the only guy out of them all who can work Monday nights to 7:30, everyone else is gone by 6. I've picked up the flu atm, so now my Manager has to work a 11.5 or 12 hour day to finish pack up, when he normally works 10 hour days, gets paid for 8 and doesn't get overtime. I'm hoping that we click and hire a few more people who can work flexibly. Even just one or two casuals who can work any day of the week to help cover.

For a week after one of our casuals who could work Mondays was axed, it was just me on pack up that Monday, and just me and the Manager for the Saturday shift. We do need to hire a few more.

 

[FrontendFreak]

That's a lot of people in produce department! 11 staff, surely they can work out a better roster!

 

[FrontendFreak]

What do you guys think: on days where supervisors are solely in charge of the frontend and the CSM and 2ic aren't in, E.g. I run Saturdays and Sundays, do you think the supervisor should be wearing the white shirt and tie/scarf in place of a manager for those days. I think it puts up a more professional front for the customers.

 

[subtekjr]

That's a lot of people in produce department! 11 staff, surely they can work out a better roster!

Well we've got in our 7 full timers, one knocks off at 2 every day starting at 9 IIRC, doesn't come in Saturdays. One knocks off at 3 everyday starting at 6 or 7, same situation. Another knocks off at 5 or 6 depending on the day, again no Saturday. Manager rotates his 8-6 shift with 2IC's 6-4 shift when they are both on, one of them takes Tuesday off while the other takes Saturday off, and vice versa. Then we have two full timers who can work lates, but their days off are both Monday, and one of them (always the same guy) finishes at 5 on Saturdays.

Then in Casual areas, I'm on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday until close, starting at 4 during week, 9:30 weekends. We've got twins working as well, but they only work Saturday 5 or 6 hour shifts, and one does Thursday until 9, the other does Friday nights. The other one can only do Thursdays and Tuesdays.

So even though we've got plenty of people, it's a matter of rostering them all on. It's a big store, we get smashed for stock on the floor if we have less than 3 filling as a rule. Even during the week, I'll rock up on Mondays and there is so much that isn't getting filled, partly cos we only have 3 people on, and one is sorting the new load that shows up at 3 or 4 in the afternoon.

 

[nanakid12]

I'm just curious, what happens when someone wants to return a damaged mobile phone? We always just replace it with another one of the same model. But aren't we supposed to send it back to the manufacturer or something?

Just curious. Thanks!

 

[nanakid12]

What do you guys think: on days where supervisors are solely in charge of the frontend and the CSM and 2ic aren't in, E.g. I run Saturdays and Sundays, do you think the supervisor should be wearing the white shirt and tie/scarf in place of a manager for those days. I think it puts up a more professional front for the customers.

Nah, not really. That's only for the actual manager and 2ic.

 

[FrontendFreak]

I'm just curious, what happens when someone wants to return a damaged mobile phone? We always just replace it with another one of the same model. But aren't we supposed to send it back to the manufacturer or something?

Just curious. Thanks!

You're supposed to keep it to the side and when the rep comes in, they will collect all damaged products and give the store a credit.