The Woolworths Thread (30 Viewers)

[townie]

so does anybody know anything more about these Thomas Dux thingies woolies is gonna open

 

[babikakez]

I don't know anything about them but now I'm curious. Someone tell me more.

 

[shinji]

yes, they could of, but then they would have been yelled at by management for staying longer than their roster thereby having to be paid more and eating into profits, managers go apeshit if they have to pay you extra

and then they yell at the remaining staff members for taking so long to serve the customers. honestly, that's what the manager at my deli is like.

We're 9 staff short than what we were last year.. and then she goes on and on about what we have to do. blah blah blah, and then keeps on asking "are u done yet? are you done yet?" while having to serve the customers. ergh.

So annoying. I'm gonna quit soon hopefully.. mmm.

 

[Pilotdude]

We've been unusually quiet for the last month or so, thus why hours have been cut. So yesterday, there were three checkouts open when I started (I was called in to close smokeshop), another operator was about to come back from lunch and myself and another supervisor were about to open. But within ten minutes I swear our checkouts were about eight trolleys back. This is when I start to have problems with our hours being cut - if we're not needed then thats one thing, but its not fair when the six registers that were eventually opened were eight trolleys back with customers. It is two weeks before christmas, we have hired NO new staff, and our casuals are getting between 3-8 hours a week, while full time staff are being asked to take holidays. Customers already don't want to come into our store because parking is horrendous and if they have to wait 10 minutes or more at the checkout then its no wonder that our sales have been badly affected.

Thats stupid, thats like our store they cut and cut and cut and they make a good profit but there is constant queues, good thing for us is customers dont really have a choice the only other supermarket in town is coles and its an absolute joke there no more than 3 checkouts open even on saturdays and there is NOTHING on their shelves where as ours are constantly full, trashed and then restocked lol. Some days we will have 10-12 at checkouts if we have no staff but we just say to the customers who complain (most a pretty good) we have application forms if you want to help

so does anybody know anything more about these Thomas Dux thingies woolies is gonna open

What are they? tell me more lol

 

[watatank]

anyone knows how pay rates work? when i started 7 months ago i got $13.04, then after 3 mth probationary period i got $13.73 and now i'm getting $13.97. i've been 18 the whole time. is there a pay rise after 6 mths or is it a new pay system?

 

[townie]

all i know is that paddington and one other store will be converted to something called a "Thomas Dux Grocer" with a focus on fresh produce and stuff. google search shows up nothing

 

[CieL]

anyone knows how pay rates work? when i started 7 months ago i got $13.04, then after 3 mth probationary period i got $13.73 and now i'm getting $13.97. i've been 18 the whole time. is there a pay rise after 6 mths or is it a new pay system?

The workers union boosted my pay by a few cents a couple of months ago

I read the mag.. Red Rooster employees got boosted the most.. but I dont blame them, they work for bananas.

 

[fuzzyfaction89]

Coffee Club Macquarie Centre Ftw

 

[Pilotdude]

Everything i can find on the Thomas Dux was only posted on the net yesterday so Woolies has only just let it slip by the sounds of it sounds interesting.....

Woolworths is preparing to launch a new food retail concept in Sydney.

Woolworths has internally codenamed the project Project Basil – and a spokesman says they will be branded Thomas Dux Grocer.


Monday’s subscriber-only edition of Inside Retailing Weekly reveals the first two Thomas Dux Grocer stores will open in April or May next year. One will be located in the lower north shore suburb of Lane Cove, in an existing Food For Less supermarket site at 62 Burns Bay Rd, the other in a site currently home to a small Woolworths on Glenmore Rd in Sydney’s Paddington.

Lyn White reports in Inside Retailing Weekly that while details at this stage are scant, it is understood the new concept will be locally driven with a bigger fresh food offering and a bigger deli section. A Woolworths' spokeswoman said the interior would be "smart", but not as high-end as David Jones' Foodhalls.

A spokesman for Lane Cove's Food For Less said the store would close on January 13, re-opening about three months later under the Thomas Dux Grocer brand.

Australian supermarket group, Woolworths, will start a new concept in retailing in 2008. Woolworths plans to offer mainly fresh foods, in smaller supermarkets, under the Thomas Dux Grocer brand. It will open the first two stores in Sydney in early 2008. A spokesperson for Woolworths notes that the offering will not be gourmet foods, but it will be different to ordinary supermarkets. In the Thomas Dux supermarkets, around half the floor space will be dedicated to fresh foods. Analysts have welcomed the move, saying that innovation is vital in retailing, the company is playing down suggestions they are planning on opening 60 stores nationwide.

 

[wooliesboy02/09]

hi all, just wondering if anyone here has or is working in/on "back dock"? i start (by my self) tomorro morning and wondering if anyone has any tips? Also on saturdays i work in perishables: back dock- 6.30am to 10.30am, then perishables: 10.30am to 6pm! long day for a 15year old! lol.....but its fine with me. Also my boss has left me by my self in perishables this saturday and last saturday! i've only been working in perishables for about 6weeks and i'm gonna be the only one there! but i was told all i have to do is fiil milk.....witch is all i know how to do basically! lol.......have thought about complaining to store manager.....but not sure wether i should.......thoughts?.....comments.

 

[Pilotdude]

hi all, just wondering if anyone here has or is working in/on "back dock"? i start (by my self) tomorro morning and wondering if anyone has any tips? Also on saturdays i work in perishables: back dock- 6.30am to 10.30am, then perishables: 10.30am to 6pm! long day for a 15year old! lol.....but its fine with me. Also my boss has left me by my self in perishables this saturday and last saturday! i've only been working in perishables for about 6weeks and i'm gonna be the only one there! but i was told all i have to do is fiil milk.....witch is all i know how to do basically! lol.......have thought about complaining to store manager.....but not sure wether i should.......thoughts?.....comments.

By saying backdock wonder if your just doing groceries or fixing up pallets and organising back dock unless you know how to recieve orders?? If so RUN RUN run as fast as you can its a horrible horrible job!!! Especially when you have deliverys missing like today, our whole sydney order disapered into thin air nowhere to be seen, didnt show in Perth either so god only knows where all our stock is lol

Nah you should be happy they have left ya on your own, best thing to do is fill milk, pull forward special bays and anything you think may need filled that you can find, fill it. Do overstocks etc just ask manager on duty.

But one thing that ALWAYS impresses managers is iniative, pull forward stock up etc but make sure to say to a manager, "im just going to pull forward as i was told to only fill milk" etc.

Enjoy!

 

[babikakez]

Lol, Pilotdude, my smoke load today ended up in Mirrabooka. Which is over an hour and a half from my store. And I didn't get it until 3.30pm. Which meant it didn't get dealt with until after 5pm - so now I have an awful lot to do tomorrow morning.

 

[Pilotdude]

Dont ya hate that!

How many boxes do you get in your smoke loads?

Generally we get 700ish cartons of ciggies on a friday and we will sell them all by monday CRAZY crazy people who smoke lol

 

[babikakez]

Today we had six or seven, but I was missing heaps. As in I have two lighters to last until monday...plus the three packs. I have no Dunhill or Cambridge, and I'm sure we'll run out of Holiday 50s tomorrow.

I remember once I worked on smokeshop on a public holiday Monday, we hadn't had a load since Sat morning. What made it worse though is that we're one of only a few centres allowed to open on public holidays, so we have heaps of out of towners making smokeshop really busy. Twas freakin horrible.

 

[S7iCkSt3R]

Hi, I joined this forum coz I was looking for the Woolworths EBA on the internet and ran into this... but anyways...
I'm a Checkout Operator at a very crappy Woolworths store (in SA). We use footpedals to move the conveyor belts... I mean footpedals???? I didnt even know they could move conveyor belts until I started working there...
I'm still on probation, but I think I'm as quick as the older guys... I used to work as check outs at Kmart, there you have to count your own till. So glad we dont have to a woolworths, lol...
Anyways... Today, I was on from 1 to 5:15, obviously 4.25 hours right?
So At 4:10, I ask my supervisor (who's the bitchiest one...) if I could go on a break soon (since it was nearing the hour before we get to go home, because we're not meant have to have a rest break in the hour before the end of our shift, as stated on the EBA...)
So she says that I'm only on for 4.25 hours, and I go so what? She goes, you only get one if you work for 4.5 hours... I was sooo grumpy after that, I had no doubt that it was more than 4 hours and we're entitled to a break...
So I just checked the South Australian EBA on the SDA website and it states:

"46.8 Tea Breaks - South Australia and Broken Hill
All employees who work more than 4 hours in any one day shall be entitled to a paid 15 minute tea break. All
employees shall be entitled to a second paid 15 minute tea break after 8 or more hours work. The specified tea
breaks are inclusive of walking time."​

I'm talking to the front end manager on Monday... or should I talk to the store manager tomorrow?... hmmm... I'll leave it 'til monday...

EDIT: Font was bad...

 

[babikakez]

Today I was the only supervisor on front end for the first time. So okay it was only for half an hour. But thats not the point. I was very proud of myself.

 

[S7iCkSt3R]

Congrats, I got a tea break when I wasnt supposed to, so that cancels out the one i didnt get yesterday

 

[peterperthh]

The CEO of Woolies Michael Luscombe came into my store this morning...
Needless to say everyone was stressed to the point of breakdown, and a whole bunch of the STM's in my area came in to make the place look presentable before he arrived.

Funny thing is i wasnt rostered on, and they didnt mention anything about the little visit when they asked me if i could work a 5am to 3pm shift..

 

[babikakez]

I'M NOT GOING TO BE ON CHECKOUTS ON XMAS EVE. HELL YEAH!!!!

Well, not for the whole day anyway. See, tickets need to be changed on Monday, not Sunday. So I'm leaving front end at 1.30. And my name is not going to be on the express alert sheet. And since I need to leave early, I'm so begging to be on express or something. And the csm can't say a word, lol.

Its gonna be the best thing ever

I heart tickets.

 

[Pilotdude]

Very lucky, im doing 14 hours on xmas eve............

Open till Close, no choice apparntley its fucked. So angry, why do they need 3 supervisors working open till close and 1 doing 12-9pm?? ahwell.

Not looking forward to thursday night.....