Tesco dotcom worker at Christmas

[SalVallay]

Dd has just got a temporary Christmas job at Tesco. She will be working on dotcom doing the picking.
I'm happy for her but also a bit worried.

Like many, i've shopped in Tesco in the run up to Christmas and haven't been able to move due to the amount of people in the store. She's expected to push a big trolley round and fill it in a certain timeframe.

Does anyone on here work for tesco specifically as a picker? Can you please share any experience on what it's like to try and work there around Christmas?

What you worried about? Is she too weak to push the trolley? Do you think she will be crushed by the hoards in the aisles? Is she so short the people wouldn't see her and walk over her?

Shops are busy but not dangerous.

She'll be fine, especially if it's the early shifts as the shop is quieter at that time. Sunday means a few hours picking before the shop even opens. Hardest bit is getting up for the early start! My DS started with a dot com Xmas temp job and is still doing it five years later alongside uni. Pay is good too!

I have in the past, the carts aren’t that big and just “excuse me coming through” will be fine also it’s never as heaving early in the morning.

I have worked as a dotcom picker for Tesco for 8 years and it's fine. Normally as it gets closer to Christmas our pick rate goes down as it does become busier than normal.

Also it is usual that the week leading up to Christmas our shifts start earlier than normal (if you can get into work). For example my shifts normally begin at 6am but Christmas week I have previously started at 4/5am. This allows us to get ahead by picking when the store is not open so when it does get busy the orders are still getting out on time.

If the aisles get too busy to get down with our trolleys we leave the trolleys at the end of the aisle and bring the items to the trolley.

The trolleys can get heavy but they are not impossible to move. There is a computer system that decides how many trays orders are split into as the trays have a maximum weight due to needing to be stacked by another team member once picked. The heaviest I have picked is when there is a 24 case of cans in each tray and some smaller items.

The best advice I got for picking at Christmas is not to worry too much as we know it is a difficult time to pick just do our best. I hope this helps.

My daughter has an interview later this week for a "festive" role at Tesco. Any interview tips?

It will be great exercise and she'll learn more about herself. I worked in retail as a teenager in holiday periods. The fittest I've ever been, moving stock constantly around. Great for memory too having to take requests and remember orders. Decision making, working to speed, all good to learn.

I suppose I'm worried about her getting injured due to the way people push and shove when it gets busy. I've been punched in the back before ( accidentally but it still hurt). Also, customers can be extremely rude. I'd hate for someone to upset her for just doing her job.

Sadly, she is going to haave to learn that life outside home is not all fairycakes and sweetness

She will absolutely encounter rude people. As most young people do when they begin working. It's part of learning how to navigate this world and the sometimes difficult people in it. She'll be fine. Tesco are quite supportive of their staff.

Good on her for getting a job, you must be proud and excited for her. Tesco seasonal roles are a great way in, they kept my dd on afterwards. She was fine OP.

I think you need to loosen the apron strings. Retail work is hard, and yes people can sometimes be real twats, especially at Christmas..... but I'm sure she will be just fine, she's not going into a boxing ring! - I think it should be a right of passage that everyone works at least 1 Christmas period in either retail or hospitality!

How old is your daughter?

I suppose I'm worried about her getting injured due to the way people push and shove when it gets busy. I've been punched in the back before ( accidentally but it still hurt). Also, customers can be extremely rude. I'd hate for someone to upset her for just doing her job.

Genuinely, if this is the environment she's been raised in, the resilience she'll learn from it will do nothing but good.

How do they find all the stuff? I mean I know Tesco like the back of my hand so I'd have no bother 😀 but the average teenager won't know the products well. Can they look them up on something?

I used to manage one of these warehouses attached to a supermarket (not Tesco, but similar!) and in the 3 or so years I was there I dealt with more baked bean incidents than injuries from customers 😂 Customers are awful, especially in the run up to Christmas, but really all you can do as a picker is wait for crowds to clear and then move in to wherever she's picking.

What I would suggest is going over heavy lifting best practises with her if you're concerned/if she'll listen! ~ she'll watch a video (that everyone ignores!) but honestly younger pickers were known for being very speedy, often at the mercy of their backs longer term.

They have codes (if it works the same way other stores do) ~ so each item will be displayed with a location - something like (Aisle) 22 - L (left hand side of aisle) - 10 (10th 1m bay along the aisle) - C (3rd shelf down) - 4 (4th item across) ~ miles easier than finding it from sight and pretty easy to pick up!

My 16yo DD works in retail and got screamed at by a customer so much at the till that the shop called the police and she had to give a statement.

She was upset that day and they sent her home but she got over it by the evening.

It's busy at Xmas (it's not a supermarket) but they all just get in and deal with it.

I used to be a dotcom manager. Yes it's busy but a lot of dotcom orders are picked very early in the morning before the rush starts. Customers are always the biggest problem pickers face because they are either in the way, want to know where something is or have you got any more of something that's out of stock. In my store everyone would always muck in over Christmas and the experienced staff always keep an eye out for the temps. Tell her not to worry or get overwhelmed by her first few shifts, she's new and learning but if she doesn't understand anything then ask because there's no such thing as a stupid question and you don't know until you ask.

Don't forget that for every rude customer there's also a polite, friendly one. She might meet some lovely people

Op, with all due respect I think you need to loosen up a bit.

Thousands of teenagers do supermarket jobs. Temp or not.

You're coming across a bit like a helicopter parent.

Crikey, of all the things to worry about! My daughter started in Tesco as a picker a couple of years ago at Christmas and has been kept on.

she does a very early start which fits in well with her family. The company are good to work for, and she’s made good friends with colleagues. Has never once mentioned difficult customers as an issue. Staff discount also useful!

This! I was dreading going back into retail (well, semi retail) after not having done it for at least 15 years, but it's actually nowhere near as bad as I expected. Yes we do get rude, aggressive, occasionally actually abusive customers. But we also get friendly, fun, polite and helpful ones too, which makes the days go much better. Don't forget she will also have colleagues to chat and laugh and vent with.

I know it's a worry when they get their first jobs and you can only think the worst, but if you let them know you're anxious you could well pass it on to them and make the whole experience worse. I have learned this lesson myself! My eldest is now in his second ever job, I've let go (a bit!) and let him deal with things his way. His manager is thrilled with him and he's generally very happy.

This is a good idea. I worked in a supermarket for years (school and uni) and the biggest issues I had were back pain.

You are being too precious op. She has a good first time job. Don't worry!