Anyone ever worked for those catalogue stores?

CliffyBiro

CliffyBiro

CliffyBiro

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Currently filling out an application form for what I assume is the largest of the catalogue stores.

As I've found out from previous jobs, I tend to dislike working directly with customers and so, this application is for stock assistant.

It's just Part Time as I'm now on a course but has anyone here ever done this role or knows somebody who has? I'd like to know what they thought of it and what it entails.

I'll obviously find out what it entails if I get an interview, but it's nice to know early so you know what to expect and also any other tasks that could be asked of you that won't necessarily be mentioned. :)
 
You'll be the mythical keeper of the treasure.
you'll need to limp a bit, be able to throw boxes down ramps/conveyor belts, lift boxes and organise stuff, if you've any steel toe shoes, they're a plus ;)
 
You could do worse :)

Friend worked at the retail store I think your talking about and quite enjoyed it. Work wasn't overly hard and the hours weren't too bad.

As with most jobs, people tend to play a big role in if you'll enjoy it or not.
 
Tummy said:
As with most jobs, people tend to play a big role in if you'll enjoy it or not.
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True.

Muffin` said:
Stock rooms easy peasy. You applying for a small store or a retail park Extra? if it's the latter expect an easy life of being assigned one thing and just doing that for the shift, either picking, stocking or checking. Former will probably involve doing stock checks whilst picking. hopefully they'll have the handheld blackberrys for doing stock checks and no the old dot matrix, a pencil and then manually updating the stock afterwards.

I had more of a laugh working for ***** then mates seemed to with other retail stores like Tescos and Smiths.
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Normal store but the busier of the two in the city.



Anyone know what the mood is like behind the scenes? It's not too restricted, is it?
 
I worked in the best known catalogue store on and off for 3 years before Uni, it has its pro's and con's. Stock assistant can be one of two things:

Delivery - this will involve you possibly bringing the cages in off the lorry, signing them off and sending the driver on his way, from there you will:

- Pick a cage.
- Take items out of cage.
- Take items to shelf, put items on relevant shelf.
- Go back to cage for more items.
- Repeat until cage is empty, close cage, pick next cage, repeat.

When I was there you printed off a sheet that tells you the location of the item, apparently they are now trialling a headset system which you basically speak the catalogue number in to and it will tell you where to put it. If you don't like people, I guess this is great as you won't have to worry about anyone but yourself. This isn't everywhere yet though.

Delivery is fine, if not extremely tedious doing the same thing over and over (this goes for everything stock-room based though). The problems come when deliveries are late or management screw up timetables so there isn't enough staff/time to put away all the items so they then roll on to the next day and then the next day etc.

The other stock-room thing is picking items that customers have bought. This involves:

- Stand by machine and wait for ticket to print out.
- Ticket tells you what the item is and where it is, go there.
- Get item, put the item on the collection point that the ticket tells you to.
- Go back to machine and repeat for 4 hours.

This, again, is fine. It's easy until you get way too many tickets, not enough staff and realising that somehow, the public only buy things that are on the top shelf, specifically, the top shelf that doesn't have a ladder anywhere near it. So by the time you get that one item, 10 other tickets have printed out.

Since it's getting to xmas though, there will be shed loads of xmas temps so staffing won't be an issue. Stupid people are still an issue however and the above problems will still arise out of their inability to do a very simple job :)

Mood very much depends on management and other staff, the two stores I worked at (both Extra stores, Kempston + Lincoln) was pretty good and we had a laugh while working. Be aware though that some stores like people to be trained on collection and tills as well as being a stock-room monkey. This is lame. Especially collection, it's easy but you are in the firing line when previously mentioned idiots aren't sending the items out quickly enough.
 
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skippi90 said:
Anyone know what the mood is like behind the scenes? It's not too restricted, is it?
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if it's anything like my store (not of the book of dreams company) the stockroom manager sits about all day, moves boxes, has his music blaring away and avoids real work, should do you nicely ;)
 
Nimzicki said:
I worked in the best known catalogue store on and off for 3 years before Uni, it has its pro's and con's. Stock assistant can be one of two things:

Delivery - this will involve you possibly bringing the cages in off the lorry, signing them off and sending the driver on his way, from there you will:

- Pick a cage.
- Take items out of cage.
- Take items to shelf, put items on relevant shelf.
- Go back to cage for more items.
- Repeat until cage is empty, close cage, pick next cage, repeat.

When I was there you printed off a sheet that tells you the location of the item, apparently they are now trialling a headset system which you basically speak the catalogue number in to and it will tell you where to put it. If you don't like people, I guess this is great as you won't have to worry about anyone but yourself. This isn't everywhere yet though.

Delivery is fine, if not extremely tedious doing the same thing over and over (this goes for everything stock-room based though). The problems come when deliveries are late or management screw up timetables so there isn't enough staff/time to put away all the items so they then roll on to the next day and then the next day etc.

The other stock-room thing is picking items that customers have bought. This involves:

- Stand by machine and wait for ticket to print out.
- Ticket tells you what the item is and where it is, go there.
- Get item, put the item on the collection point that the ticket tells you to.
- Go back to machine and repeat for 4 hours.

This, again, is fine. It's easy until you get way too many tickets, not enough staff and realising that somehow, the public only buy things that are on the top shelf, specifically, the top shelf that doesn't have a ladder anywhere near it. So by the time you get that one item, 10 other tickets have printed out.

Since it's getting to xmas though, there will be shed loads of xmas temps so staffing won't be an issue. Stupid people are still an issue however and the above problems will still arise out of their inability to do a very simple job :)

Mood very much depends on management and other staff, the two stores I worked at (both Extra stores, Kempston + Lincoln) was pretty good and we had a laugh while working. Be aware though that some stores like people to be trained on collection and tills as well as being a stock-room monkey. This is lame. Especially collection, it's easy but you are in the firing line when previously mentioned idiots aren't sending the items out quickly enough.
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Thanks very much. Really useful that. :)

mac1st3 said:
if it's anything like my store (not of the book of dreams company) the stockroom manager sits about all day, moves boxes, has his music blaring away and avoids real work, should do you nicely ;)
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I'll happily work away as long as I can just get my head down and do it. Controlling managers can get on my nerves some times. My first part-time job I was allowed to just get on with it which I enjoyed and even worked through my breaks quite often.
 
It obviously depends on the manager but the stores are very target driven...ridiculous targets that some idiot in head office makes up that are missed 90% of the time. Generally though that stuff only really applies to till/collection staff - selling insurances, Ar...I mean store card's etc.
 
My first job was being a stock picker for argos, great job. The only time I ever struggled with it was when someone ordered an item that was still in a cage, there were 10 cages sitting still needing to be emptied and it took me the best part of 40 minutes to get to the item.
 
Morgoth said:
My first job was being a stock picker for argos, great job. The only time I ever struggled with it was when someone ordered an item that was still in a cage, there were 10 cages sitting still needing to be emptied and it took me the best part of 40 minutes to get to the item.
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And that is a perfect example of simple people not being able to simple jobs, if the delivery guy did his job properly, the item won't be signed off until it's on the sodding shelf.

Woe betide anyone who has to tell a customer their item is out of stock...after making them wait 20 minutes while you try and find it :D
 
yes you will probably have some ricky gervais type guy as your manager . my last place he was actually called richard which made it more real :D
 
Nimzicki said:
And that is a perfect example of simple people not being able to simple jobs, if the delivery guy did his job properly, the item won't be signed off until it's on the sodding shelf.

Woe betide anyone who has to tell a customer their item is out of stock...after making them wait 20 minutes while you try and find it :D
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At least the picker doesn't have that job, right? :D
 
One thing I would say, generally, strongly computer literate people are much better at the stock-room work than others, getting to grips with the stock checking software helps you understand the whole thing a lot better.
 
skippi90 said:
At least the picker doesn't have that job, right? :D
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Nope, howwweeveerr, the picker DOES have to worry about checking 3, 2, 1's!!1 Verryy important :D Basically, if there is less than 4 of that specific item left, the ticket will tell you if its the last 3, last 2, last 1 etc. If it says last 2, and you can only find 1 then you need to either adjust that on the computer or tell someone else who can do it for you. Stops items being able to be bought when the physical thing isn't on the shelf.

This is really the only way a picker can get in trouble, short of launching a full dinner set down the conveyor belt without putting it on a tray. That happens surprisingly often :) Other than what my mate did, get bored go in to the staffroom, make some popcorn and sit with his feet up on the desk next to the ticket machine munching out of his bowl and not noticing the manager walking up behind him :D
 
Nimzicki said:
Nope, howwweeveerr, the picker DOES have to worry about checking 3, 2, 1's!!1 Verryy important :D Basically, if there is less than 4 of that specific item left, the ticket will tell you if its the last 3, last 2, last 1 etc. If it says last 2, and you can only find 1 then you need to either adjust that on the computer or tell someone else who can do it for you. Stops items being able to be bought when the physical thing isn't on the shelf.

This is really the only way a picker can get in trouble, short of launching a full dinner set down the conveyor belt without putting it on a tray. That happens surprisingly often :) Other than what my mate did, get bored go in to the staffroom, make some popcorn and sit with his feet up on the desk next to the ticket machine munching out of his bowl and not noticing the manager walking up behind him :D
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LOL :D

Sounds cushty.


Knowing my luck I won't even get an interview. :(
 
Are you applying as a xmas temp? If so, the "interview" is a circus. It's a group thing where they test you on your "maths" skills i.e. 14+16 = ?

Then, as a team, arrange a series of items by catalogue number, lowest to highest, so if you can count, go team! Next you get to put the item back on the shelf it's meant to be by using said magical tickets that tell you where they go.

Followed by some crap where you have to make up a radio advert for the store as a group and the usual chat to the person next to you and then tell everyone a fact about them rubbish.
 
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