It's nothing spectacular... not quite the 'leaning back watching DVDs that everyone assumes it to be.
Things you do:
- hire movies to customers (greet customer, find/unlock discs, scan, fiddle with the computer, take money, farewell)
- return hired movies (scan them, remove/lock discs, take covers back to shelves)
- fill chip/drink/lolly displays
- put new stock 'on file'
- clean and tidy the shelves in quiet periods.
That's basically it. When you first start your job will probably only be returning covers to the shelves for the first few weeks (to familiarise yourself with the store layout). That's how it is at my store anyway.
Pay rates:
I'm 21 and get $19.75. Double or double and a half on pub hols (I cant remember if there is that extra half or not), and time-and-a-half on Sundays. If you're lucky you'll also get to hire free movies and get to buy movies at a discounted rate or maybe even for cost price, but all of that depends on the store I guess.
Bad Points:
- you'll probably never have a weekend social life as long as you're there - or until someone new comes along. At my store the newbies always work weekends. I've been there ages and have earnt not having to work Friday and Saturday nights
Good points:
Once you know what you're doing it really isn't hard work at all. If you're wanting to go to uni as well, working nights comes in handy. Weeknights aren't particularly busy so it's not too taxing on the brain after a day at uni.
If you work at a store using EzyRetail (the POS system exclusive to VE) then you pretty much have the skill to work at any VE store (except the ones who still use the old-fashioned VideoMinder)
Advice:
Choose a store that seems to always be busy, and preferably is the only video store in the area. A lot of video stores seem to be closing down lately, or at least cutting back on staff. If there's no competition (such as a Blockbuster down the street) then that also looks like the store has less chance of closing.
Be available as often as you can. Be prepared to work all weekend, every public holiday, work only at night, and to be called in at short notice during 'busy periods'. The more you're available and willing to work the more you'll be liked by the manager, the more shifts you'll get, and the more likely it will be that you end up getting to choose your own shifts (not on Friday and Saturday nights)
