The Woolworths Thread (18 Viewers)

nanakid12

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There will always be shoplifting stories aye. We've recently banned a couple of people from shopping here for stealing a few hundred dollars of meat (who also had to pay back the cost of the goods, woot) but still finding empty expensive item packaging shoved into the back of shelves. What are we to do? Sit there scouring the camera footage all day for the small percentage of people that do this?

No trolley hoarders, but they obviously end up all over the suburbs over time.
 

T_Knight

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We're still around. You've got to remember all the newer, young employees of school age predominantly use social media & apps like snapchat, facebook, twitter, whatsapp. None of them would even be aware a forum like this exists.

Some employees at our store use google+ but its mainly facebook and snapchat. And then the fact that retail employee turnover is pretty high. Every year a number of long-serving staff will hang it up so forumgoers here will continue to decline.

Its cool though that this thread is reasonably active all things considered.
 

Speed6

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The only thing currently keeping this thread alive is the stories that are shared every now and then.
 

nanakid12

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If i am rostered to a public holiday shift, I am contracted 4.00-9.00 on the day, but working 11.00-4.00 because our store trading hours are only 8.30-5.30 instead of the usually 8.00-10.00, can they ring me up on the day and cancel my shift if its too quiet? I know I'll still be getting paid for it at ordinary rates even if i don't work, but I've offered to work the shift for the penalty rates and they said if it's quiet they will call me up an hour or so before hand and cancel my shift.

I've got an opportunity to do else something that day, and the possibility of my shift getting cancelled makes me a bit frustrated. Can they do that?
 

quake

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guy came in a few days ago, walked straight to liquor, grabbed a bottle of white and a 24 pack of beer and walked right out the entrance. I found the footage, it's under a minute start to finish, probably the most efficient thing to happen in the store that day. we had a security guard, I couldn't see him from the camera angle at first, then a customer must have shouted something and he appeared from behind a pillar in the background like he was in a cartoon. he broke into a jog but then he ran into the store instead of after the guy. amazing.
 

subtekjr

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If i am rostered to a public holiday shift, I am contracted 4.00-9.00 on the day, but working 11.00-4.00 because our store trading hours are only 8.30-5.30 instead of the usually 8.00-10.00, can they ring me up on the day and cancel my shift if its too quiet? I know I'll still be getting paid for it at ordinary rates even if i don't work, but I've offered to work the shift for the penalty rates and they said if it's quiet they will call me up an hour or so before hand and cancel my shift.

I've got an opportunity to do else something that day, and the possibility of my shift getting cancelled makes me a bit frustrated. Can they do that?
If you are rostered within a week of working the shift, then they can't change your public holiday shift to give you the day off without paying you penalty rates for the day off. Basically, they can't take you off the roster/change the shift to another day without 7 days notice to avoid paying penalty rates.

You're rostered for the day, so unless they change it from here until the 19th/20th (assuming you're talking Boxing Day/Boxing PH), you will get the pay.
 

nanakid12

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Oh awesome. Is this applicable to all states or are any excluded?

Also just curious do you know what clause of the agreement this is under, or section even, and I can find it? I just want to have it handy if they try to do this to me, so I can show them in writing.
 

subtekjr

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Oh awesome. Is this applicable to all states or are any excluded?

Also just curious do you know what clause of the agreement this is under, or section even, and I can find it? I just want to have it handy if they try to do this to me, so I can show them in writing.
Section 7, Clause 17: Roster change to avoid benefits

So if your roster is changed to reduce or eliminate benefits for public holidays (pay or time off like when you get a day off if your rostered days off are public holidays), you are entitled to those benefits as if the roster was never changed. Apparently there isn't a 7 day rule either, I was mistaken on that. So basically once the 2 week rosters are up, they can't change that to avoid paying you extra.
 

nanakid12

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In all my years at Woolies, I have never served a customer that smelt so bad I actually felt like throwing up, but that just changed after tonight. Some people are absolutely fkn disgusting.

So glad the CSM keeps an emergency bottle of Glen 20 in the service desk cupboard.
 

mrpotatoed

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Hi guys, parents recently said I have to leave Sydney for Christmas, but I have a shift on the 24th that I cant make. Only found out that I have to leave Sydney today so told them today (22nd) but they said it was too late for them to change the roster and I would have to work on that day. As a casual in nightfill, been working for about a month now, is there anyway to get out of it :/
 

nanakid12

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You're casual. You don't have to work it. And you are fully within your rights to say you can't.

Sure, they'll be annoyed cause it's Christmas Eve. But that's your right as a casual. You'll have to make it clear you can't do it and will not be showing up, despite what they will try to tell you. Casual shifts can be cancelled at short notice, by the company (as casuals at my store frequently find out) or yourself.

From the Australian unions website:

Casual Work
Casual workers are employed on a ‘shift-to-basis’. You generally have no certainty of ongoing work as a casual worker.

But the casual work relationship should go both ways. If shifts are only casually available, you are not obliged to be always available to your employers. If you are unable to work a shift as a casual worker you should not be forced to work it.
Let us know how you get on.

EDIT: If you want to stay in the good books, maybe offer to find a replacement to cover your shift or something, because two days notice on one of the busiest trade days of the year will obviously make your boss pretty annoyed, and may not give you shifts in the future, depending on if they hold a grudge.
 
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mrpotatoed

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You're casual. You don't have to work it. And you are fully within your rights to say you can't.

Sure, they'll be annoyed cause it's Christmas Eve. But that's your right as a casual. You'll have to make it clear you can't do it and will not be showing up, despite what they will try to tell you. Casual shifts can be cancelled at short notice, by the company (as casuals at my store frequently find out) or yourself.

From the Australian unions website:



Let us know how you get on.

EDIT: If you want to stay in the good books, maybe offer to find a replacement to cover your shift or something, because two days notice on one of the busiest trade days of the year will obviously make your boss pretty annoyed, and may not give you shifts in the future, depending on if they hold a grudge.
Yeah... he said the boss would get super annoyed at me. He also said it was in my contract that I had to give a week's notice. That doesn't seem right though, as they have cancelled my shifts literally with a few hours notice. Would be kind of unfair if they could do that to me but I can't to them.
 

subtekjr

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Yeah dude, you're a casual, you can call out of a shift with like two hours notice. Weeks notice is for quitting.

They can get annoyed at you all they like, but they can't do anything about it other than stop giving you shifts, which is a dodgy practice IMO anyway. What are they going to do, stop you boarding the plane? Just go holiday with your family, and tell your store that you are really sorry, it came up last minute and you had no way of knowing.

Trust me, they will not extend you any courtesies cancelling your shifts.
 

subtekjr

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Congratulations on getting through today guys (and all of you still working!). Hopefully everyone didn't stress too much, it was fairly laid back today for my store XD
 

nanakid12

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Yeah Merry Christmas all! Hope you all had an excellent day and didn't have to deal with too much shit!

Mine was excellent, it was nice having heaps of staff :)
 

FrontEndHero

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Was boxing day unusually quiet for anyone else? My storr was like a ghost town and I guess management didn't expect that cause people from Front End and Groceries were sent home.
 

nanakid12

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We were pretty dead, but no one got sent home. Gave us a chance to catch up on all our jobs though which was great.
 

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