Career break at Tesco’s baldock store
Like many people, my job was impacted by COVID-19. I was placed on furlough for seven months and eventually made redundant. Because of the financial uncertainty caused by the pandemic, investment in the business had dried up and ultimately my job, a B2B-facing role, was no longer needed. Can’t argue with that! So, now I had the opportunity to find my next job.
With the pressure of a mortgage and bills on my shoulders, I started spamming the job market. I bored myself to tears completing brief after brief for interviews. I felt like a performing monkey in an employers’ market. I applied for roles I would never have previously considered; the sort of jobs I’d leave as soon as the opportunity presented itself. All out of fear; fear of not paying the bills, of losing experience, of never getting another role. But I am a huge believer in not being driven by fear. Everything in life is temporary. So, if you find yourself at a decisive point in your life, and feel you’ve gotten there driven by fear, it’s likely the choice you’re making isn’t the right one in my eyes.
Society drills into us that we must be part of the rat race to be successful, we must obtain that managerial title. But why? How is me putting myself in a job I don’t want, denying the right candidate that position, only to leave it when something better presents itself, a success? Isn’t there something else I can do and learn here?
I’ve decided to take a step back, untangle myself from my emotions, and stop panic-applying. I’ve opened my eyes to the fact that I’ve been working in the corporate world for well over ten years, that I’d never been in a customer-facing role. I realised I could use this opportunity to see how a business works from the ground up. I decided to take some flexible work at Tesco’s store in Baldock while I took time to regroup and search for a job that is really right for me. And I’m so pleased it did. It’s given me routine, purpose, and socializing in the work place again. None of which I’ve had for the past seven months.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be writing about my experiences: from what I’ve learned, to what can be improved, and hopefully some great customer-centric stories. I hope I can encourage others to consider other to take a step “backwards” and see what they can discover too
Week 1 - 4
I interviewed on Tuesday the 25th of August with a lovely manager called Kasha. The interview was very relaxed and conversational. I explained to Kasha my current situation like above. She was very empathetic & understanding. We even got to “talk shop” about working at Tesco’s.
I was in for my induction on the Thursday. This in itself was totally different process to me. Normally it is a minimum of 2 stages of interviews. Spread out over 2-4 weeks. But no. I had been assessed by my personality and my work ethic alone. That in itself I found very complimentary. As I’m sure you can imagine, the experience on my CV was pretty redundant.
My first day was on the Saturday. 5am start. The busiest food shop day of them all. I was trained for a couple of hours then let loose on my own. Everyone is so incredibly nice and willing to help you out.
It can be very demanding physically. My step counter is always at 20k+ now which is super. One more excuse to not do cardio when I get to the gym. But overall a really good job for physical mobility.
I can read the mods and the shelves to find my items. Sometimes I even hit the peak picking rate! (sometimes) I usually average it back down getting lost in the GM aisles getting distracted by Home & Season product. I always glance a smile when I see the Fox & Ivy product and see how far its come.
Current take aways are:
I’ve noticed how a lot of customers buy individual items that you can buy in bulk. Could the Tesco website try prompting them that when adding to basket this option, for a better customer experience?
I never knew there was so many types of ham & apples.
Week 4-8
I’d say I was right at home in the store now. I’m able to let customers know where they can find certain items and I’m more often or not, always hitting my picking rate. I’ve started to chat more with fellow colleagues. One being an air hostess who has been there since March. Another a young lady in the midst of studying her PhD and one young man studying music. He works along side his best friend who is training in the army reserves. Then of course, you have what I would call the mother figures. The ones you can go straight too if you’re ever lost. Ultimately whatever life stage you’re at, we are all on the same mission, singing from the same hymn sheet to get that days pick done.
Its now November 4th, the day before the second lock down. We saw ambient orders rocket. Orders from roughly 500, too 800 to fill in a day. Delivery slots booked out in till December. And very unfortunately in store, beginning to see the rise of panic buying. But I have to hand it to the merchandisers, constantly filling the shelves to assure customers there is no shortage. From my own time at Tesco’s and visiting other stores; I believe Baldock is one of the tops.
The final week
I have been offered another role. A customer & digital marketing manager at the DCK group. I’m really glad I held out & waited for the right role. This of course means leaving my role at Tesco. A weirdly bitter sweet moment. You see, I experienced the lockdown living on my own. I lost almost all face to face human interaction. Along with my job. So I lost routine, structure & purpose. Tesco gave me a reason to set an alarm, put on my clothes & get out of the door. With the brief chats with colleagues & customers, it helped regain the smile on my face & repair some of my knocked confidence.
So at the bottom of my letter of notice, I have offered my service for any business mentorship to anyone within the store and I’ve been handing out my business cards on my last week. Even if its creating Instagram assets for someone’s small business or network connecting; I want to give back. Completely pro bono. Although a flexi dot com role might feel a disposable one, that people come and go from; I personally will hold this role & store close to my heart.
the final Take away…
There’s a really powerful word that comes to mind when I think at my time at Tesco. Working with so many colleagues at different stages of their lives in 2020. And that word is “sonder”
*Definition. “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.”