The Woolworths Thread (8 Viewers)

Jolyon

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Jolyon:
Ahh okay, haha what do the younger ones do?? Theres this one guy who's currently 16 (i'm 17) who really wants to be supervisor, but he's not getting it... well til he's 17 anyway. I often let him supervise my ten minute break, but tell him to jump on a big checkout if it gets busy and to just call to staff to the smokeshop if need be, or call me back from my break if there is ever a difficult situation. He'll tell me "no, company policy is that you CAN NOT leave on your break" even though I'm more than willing to help out. Funny how he only seems to follow the "company policy" when it will work in his favour.
Yep, that is like this one guy I work with. He HATES it when I put him on a checkout.. so I do often because he works for the store... not himself. If it gets busy and I am on any sort of break, they call me back first (no excuse). I am on a salary and the 2IC, I am expected to come back when it gets busy. If they don't call me back shit hits to roof (cause I get busted my the SM so I bust whoever didn't call me back).

But I do work with alot of awesome people, just the view non-awesome ones make it that little bit harder ha.
 

iMatthew

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I can't stand people who have issues with getting on a register. Why are you working at the store (especially in the service department) if you have an issue with serving?
One of the 6.30am starters (finishes at 11.30am) had an issue with my request for them to fill cigarettes the other day.. Like, what do you want? It's not even that hard of a task.. :\

The younger operators at my store are PARTICULARLY annoying. We have a new young operator that started a few months back and he fkn thinks he runs the store I swear. He is loud/annoying/doesn't shut up/thinks he knows all the policies and procedures/thinks he is the supervisor. You have no idea. I usually sling him on the furthest register just so I don't have to put up with him.

Oh, and the attitude from him.. It's only the young ones who seem to have a (minor) issue with me as a young supervisor. I am extremely good at what I do though. Management love me as I never really have any troubles or complaints, I get the job done always (including stock which is a huge issue at our store). I try to maximise my throughput of staff and work by reducing staff that are bludging and what not.

I have a feeling they'll want to make me duty very soon but I really don't think I want to do it. I'll get paid exactly the same and have half the responsibility.


With Project Evolution, we have only had the new RF points installed and new internet connection (afaik). Really REALLY eagerly waiting for the new phones. All our phones are dying. The main phone we use at service died recently and we have been given a mini-phone from the tearoom. You can't place calls on hold (601 etc) nor can you pick calls up. Worst fucking thing ever.
 

spilla2003

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I can't stand people who have issues with getting on a register. Why are you working at the store (especially in the service department) if you have an issue with serving?
When you're in another department (like longlife) and keep getting called for an express alert every 10 minutes because one customer has to wait an extra minute, it gets REALLY fucking annoying.

I didn't mind when it was actually busy, and there was actually a need to help out, but when you couldn't even get your own job done because you were on fucking checkouts for half the day...

Half the time I just ignored the calls, just like the other guys in longlife. :)
 

iMatthew

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Oh nah I'm not talking about longlife staff, specifically service staff that hate getting on a register. I try and avoid calling longlife for express alerts unless I absolutely have to.
 

spilla2003

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Oh nah I'm not talking about longlife staff, specifically service staff that hate getting on a register. I try and avoid calling longlife for express alerts unless I absolutely have to.
Had a feeling that's what you meant.

Just needed to vent! :p
 

Jolyon

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Oh nah I'm not talking about longlife staff, specifically service staff that hate getting on a register. I try and avoid calling longlife for express alerts unless I absolutely have to.
The only time I call long life "inventory" is when it is either really busy OR if one customer is waiting and our Area Manager is in, cause he bloody hates any sort of lines.
 

bensneddon

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The Half Year Profit Results presentation was today. Here are some key points from Tjeerd's section.

If anyone has any questions about it, let me know and I will try and answer them :)

The supermarket division is performing well, with sales up 5.9% and EBIT up 6.3%. 25 new stores were opened in the first half of the financial year, and 14 more are scheduled to open in the second half, making a total of 39 stores in the financial year which is a record for the company.

The new vision to promote growth in the division is pushing ahead, with four key areas:
-First choice for fresh food
-Unbeatable Value
-Exciting new offers
-Shopping tailored for our customers

Our people is what separate us for the competitor. There have been some changes within the senior Supermarket management team.
Tjeerd Jegen - MD Australian Supermarkets and Petrol
Rod Evenden - GM Strategy
Cheryl Rae - GM HR
Lizzie Ryley - GM Marketing
David Marr - GM Finance
Gordon Duncan - GM Private Label
Mike Whalan - GM Design & Construction
Pat McEntee - GM Fresh
Ziggy Kwarcinski - GM Store Operations
Alex Dower - GM Longlife and Private Label (due to start in April)

A new advertising agency will be announced shortly, after a review late last year.

Good growth in fresh - particularly bakery, deli and meat. Supply chain enhancements are being made, with the goal of reducing lead time from "soil to shelf" by one day. So far, it has been reduced by half a day. This initiative is in line with customer feedback saying that they want "fresher for longer"

The 2015 store format is generating significantly higher fresh food sales and the "Recharge" pilot stores are performing even better. Improvements from Recharge will be integrated with new stores and refurbishments.

Woolworths is continuing to build on a strong meat business. We've been buying our meat directly from farmers for over 20 years, which is a unique skill in the retail industry. We have achieved Meat Standards Australia (MSA) accreditation on 13 key cuts, and are the only national supermarket to do this. The MSA standard means that the beef matures for longer, and changes in the deboning process and supply chain.

The MSA accreditation means tender, juicy beef, no matter how the customer cooks it. Since getting the accreditation, double digit growth has been recorded in the category on a traditionally flat market. More cuts will be launched in line with the change of seasons, and an MSA lamb range is going to be launched.

Woolworths is making good progress on providing value. A new ticketing system has been launched which highlights savings made on specials. We have implemented new ways on giving value at key events, e.g. $5 off ham at Christmas, $10 off leg of lamb for Australia Day. These offers had 97% validation, although some difficulty was experienced coping with demand.

Reducing shrinkage is a priority, and there is currently 30 projects in different phases designed to combat shrinkage. In the first half of the financial year, shrinkage has been reduced by double digit basis points, and Tjeerd is confident that this trend will continue.

Tjeerd likes customers being involved in decisions, which has resulted in "category labs" with six dedicated teams. These teams have completed "deep dives" on 35 key categories.

Customer talkback sessions are also taking place, with customers, a store manager, an area manager and an independent moderator. Customers are free to voice their likes or dislikes about the store. This process is good for the store manager, who can make improvements to their store, and good for the company who can make nationwide improvements to key areas like layout of stores, space utilisation and ranging.

Private label products are important, but customers still like range. The most important part of our current range is a strong national proprietary brands offering, supported by private label products. Woolworths is working with key national suppliers to support growth in proprietary brands. Some key examples are the launch of OMO Laundry Pods which have 3 times higher customer value than traditional laundry powder or liquid. Woolworths supported this product launch better than any other national retailer.

Woolworths is also supporting smaller companies, such as 5:am organic yoghurt which has seen $6.5m in new sales since launch at Woolworths. They are now signing a contract to partner with Macro.

Macro is a key brand. There are four components - Organic, Natural, Free Range and Dietary Needs. Macro is the fastest growing brand, particularly the poultry range.

The Woolworths Select brand is also performing strongly. One example is the frozen pizza category, which was experiencing negative growth. Since the new Select pizza range was launched, the category is now performing positively.

Also of note is the launch of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable seafood, which was met with applause at the presentation to investors.

Woolworths is continuing to tailor the shopping experience to suit the customer through multi-channel retailing. 1.5m customers have downloaded the mobile app, and 500k have upgraded to the latest version in the last 2 weeks. A "Click and Collect" (similar to Dick Smith) has commenced and virtual shopping has been trialled in Sydney and Melbourne.
 

BSammy

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Agree with before, people who have an issue about being on register.


I hate it when people are on register but are fuckin eager as to get off. they ask to do jobs and that, which is fair enough, but i can't have everyone do jobs, need someone on reg.

if they complain, i point out they are rostered on as an operator, and are being paid as an operator, so shut up and operate (a register).

not often, just one or two people who keep annoying me.
I generally use the same people to do the jobs because i know they can get them done. it may be biased, but i'm supervising, not you, so shut up and keep operating.



i don't say that, but i imply it. :p
 

nanakid12

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----
I wrote this about 7 hours ago, but I kept getting error messages. Somehow I just managed to restore it then, so this was for you Jolyon.

nanakid12 said:
Testing... I keep getting this random error saying I've reached the "the maximum number of 0 posts per 0.02etc days set by the admin". The fuck??
------
Ohh how many hours do you have to do every week? Does it fit well in with your uni timetable?
We do not currently have a 2ic as ours has taken a few months off, but when she's on she only does like three 8-hour shifts at the most, and only ever until the afternoon supervisor starts.

I think I have to step up to your level and become a bit of a better super :/ I'm sure my CSM is starting to have doubts about me now, cause sometimes the operators do bludge a bit.

One of my operators was taking ages to fill drinks down the aisle and I kept needing her to come down the front, so I said (partly joking, but quite seriously) "Op, instantly materialize at the register 7" because I was absolutely sick of waiting for her to come down to serve. Plus I still had 7 boxes of cigarettes to check and put away. It was a very stressful night :/
Well, that quote was referring to my Thursday night situation a week ago. Tonight was effing amazing. Got all the boxes of smokes packed away by 6:30pm (usually like 8), got all the cleaning done about 4 times, all the drinks, the stock, and the spot checks all wrapped up by 10 past 9! So then just bludged a bit down the front with my closing operator for ten minutes before locking the money in the safe with the duty manager.

We only had 1 customer in the last half hour of the shop being open, so it was a very quiet night. I'm definately starting to build up my confidence, with telling people what to do. Hopefully nothing screws it up :) also, am particularly pissed off at a customer from Tuesday night, who I served two ice coffees on the smokeshop (even though we are not allowed to) and said "I'll do it this ONE time but not again"

Oh, and iMathew, I also have one of those young kids who's the same. I used to always shove him way down on Register 2 so I didn't have to talk to him or look at him. But now I like having him right next to me, so I can listen and lol at his bullshit, and then I can do supervisory stuff in front of him, like use the workstation and make him jealous :p also Duty Manager, aye? Our store was after a "Longlife Replenishment Manager" a few months ago, which I'm guessing is duty manager. Btw, if you don't mind my asking, how old are you?
 
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iMatthew

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Well, that quote was referring to my Thursday night situation a week ago. Tonight was effing amazing. Got all the boxes of smokes packed away by 6:30pm (usually like 8), got all the cleaning done about 4 times, all the drinks, the stock, and the spot checks all wrapped up by 10 past 9! So then just bludged a bit down the front with my closing operator for ten minutes before locking the money in the safe with the duty manager.
[..]
Btw, if you don't mind my asking, how old are you?
I turn 18 late this month.
Think yourself lucky, you won't get a night like that again for ages!

Agree with before, people who have an issue about being on register.


I hate it when people are on register but are fuckin eager as to get off. they ask to do jobs and that, which is fair enough, but i can't have everyone do jobs, need someone on reg.

if they complain, i point out they are rostered on as an operator, and are being paid as an operator, so shut up and operate (a register).

not often, just one or two people who keep annoying me.
I generally use the same people to do the jobs because i know they can get them done. it may be biased, but i'm supervising, not you, so shut up and keep operating.



i don't say that, but i imply it. :p

YES! Agree agree agree with everything there.
 

quick90

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I feel like the Produce department is becoming slowly more and more neglected... Well at my store anyway.

It would be cool if we could wear those 'macro' polos, The ones in the woolies facbook photos.
 

nanakid12

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@Mathew - dunno why, but I pictured you as like 16 :/ hmm. I turn 18 in the middle of the year :)

@ekul - ohhhhh really? Gotta love the half-job they do sometimes. I suppose the phone line problem couldn't really be helped though... but love how you're looking forward to something that doesn't work properly.

@quick90 - ME MUST SEE THESE DELICIOUS PICS! My store is just neglected fullstop.

@EVERYBODY - join: http://community.boredofstudies.org/group.php?groupid=18
 
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quick90

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@quick90 - ME MUST SEE THESE DELICIOUS PICS! My store is just neglected fullstop.[/url]
Heres the ones I mean :) http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...83648174.48930.147632815308858&type=3&theater
And
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...83648174.48930.147632815308858&type=3&theater

or though I will say the larger sizes do not look very flattering.

Also this is a pretty cool promotional idea for online shopping! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...85644893.64738.147632815308858&type=3&theater

Changes with company cars (next year i believe?) ONLY for the store manager to use, any other staff must use their own vehicle...
 
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nanakid12

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Ohhh yeah, I like them! So the girls get to wear the green ones, and the guys get to wear the white-creamy coloured ones? They kinda look like the nightfill polos in a way, but much nicer :)

Also, this whole thing that Woolworths is doing with their app is actually what some overseas supermarket chain did. I watched this video a few months ago
http://www.wimp.com/marketingcampaign/
and thought it was only a matter of time before it started in Australia. I suggest you watch, it's quite interesting :) I think its from June last year.
 
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Ohhh yeah, I like them! So the girls get to wear the green ones, and the guys get to wear the white-creamy coloured ones? They kinda look like the nightfill polos in a way, but much nicer :)

Also, this whole thing that Woolworths is doing with their app is actually what some overseas supermarket chain did. I watched this video a few months ago
http://www.wimp.com/marketingcampaign/
and thought it was only a matter of time before it started in Australia. I suggest you watch, it's quite interesting :) I think its from June last year.
I think wollies is moving to that. I work in the online department at wollies, and I heard that they are reloating us to a brand new location (factory) were the whole process will be done. From personal experience, we struggle to do online shopping in the store with the customers we already have. Some days they have us working 12 hrs per day, which is not even legas as far as i know.
 

BSammy

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If anyone remembers the stuff i posted about the SSA payrate in VIC for the past little while, the backpay turned up for me and at least one of my colleages today.

(Despite saying something about the 'next two weeks' back in at least november')

Perfect timing, while I'm on holiday. :D
 

nanakid12

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I think wollies is moving to that. I work in the online department at wollies, and I heard that they are reloating us to a brand new location (factory) were the whole process will be done. From personal experience, we struggle to do online shopping in the store with the customers we already have. Some days they have us working 12 hrs per day, which is not even legas as far as i know.
Yeah, we used to have homeshop in our store, I'm guessing because it was small and not too busy, therefore it would be easier to do it all. However, it really took off in our area, and our store couldn't keep up with the demand, so they relocated to a bigger, better, busier store in the city.

So is this factory, is there going to be one for each "big" area that gets serviced, like for capital cities and whatever?

If anyone remembers the stuff i posted about the SSA payrate in VIC for the past little while, the backpay turned up for me and at least one of my colleages today.

(Despite saying something about the 'next two weeks' back in at least november')

Perfect timing, while I'm on holiday. :D
Quick question: the hell is "backpay"???
 

iMatthew

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If anyone remembers the stuff i posted about the SSA payrate in VIC for the past little while, the backpay turned up for me and at least one of my colleages today.

(Despite saying something about the 'next two weeks' back in at least november')

Perfect timing, while I'm on holiday. :D
Yep! My friend in the office just got backpay too. She got close to $2k because of the huge difference in grade 4 vs grade 2 for junior employees since July 1 '11.
To think you were the one who started all this! Good job!

nanakid, backpay is a lump sum payment of income they previously withheld for some reason (an error, pay stuff up etc). In this case, employees were not paid grade 4 for cash office work when they were supposed to be. So all those office workers have been backpaid the amount they would have earnt on grade 4 vs grade 2.
 

BSammy

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Oh I didn't start it, but a girl at my store might have, and told me. I never heard about it elsewhere until I actually asked HR myself however.
 

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