One thing strikes me as "normal" at the local sainsbugs where I work part time. There is a tremendous turn over of staff or movement from one department to another. This leaves the managers on an endless treadmill of trying to hold it altogether.
So it is with a tinge of regret that I say au revoir to my former team leader colleague, "lets call her Molly", She has started college to be a nurse and needs to cut down her work commitment so will now only work on what we call "the counters" probably the fish or deli counters.
Last Sunday I was informed that the new team leader, "lets call him Dave" would be with me all Monday. A master stroke on someone's part as the day is relatively light on customers and it would be ideal for me to really "break him in"
Monday came and went, "no Dave", it turns out that it was his birthday over the weekend and his partner had sorted it with HR that he would have Monday off? I was told late Monday that he would be with me Tuesday. "Oh that will be nice", I commented but I dont need a hand helping out a friend chop up a load of firewood for the winter. I never work Tuesday unless the boss, "Lets call her TracEy" invites me to.
I turn up Wednesday my last day of my 6 shifts before the obligatory 7 days off to be told that "Dave" will be in at 1300 to learn how to "do the reductions" This involves printing off a report and searching the shelves guided by the report, for items with that days date on that are then affixed with a yellow label and new barcode with reduced price on.
At the appointed time Dave turns up and I show him how to print off the report and then employ the old teaching maxim of "explanation, demonstration, imitation, practice before going back to re-filling the shelves with bread.
I notice the stack of empty bread trays I use as a mobile desk to print off the reduction labels is parked up at the end of the isle apparently abandoned. Dave is behind the counter serving creamy cakes, strange as I observe 3 other colleagues in the bakery who normally handle this task.
A few minutes later he is out again "reducing" then vanishes a second time, I find him this time in the warehouse doing what we call disposals, in effect writing off items form the previous which have not been sold and are out of date. He explains that the colleague who should be doing this is too busy to do it.
Cynic that I am I return to the shop floor and complete a few reductions while observing the "busy" colleague doing nothing. A few minutes later I leave the shop floor like a rat from a sinking ship at 14:59 with a name for the new team leader "Dash around Dave".
The Christmas run up has started in earnest now with one of our bays in the isle turned over to the various puddings, logs and other edible goodies. We always get the exasperated comments from the shoppers about this how early it is that this fayre appears . I normally counter this by saying that he "Easter eggs" are out in the warehouse!
I enjoy this busy period not only because the shift time go's past even quicker but it is nice to see everyone picking out their favourites ready for the xmas holiday. I do hope "Dash around Dave" enjoys it as well.
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