To be really really annoyed at River Island's treatment of my daughter at interview

[BadHairDyeDay]

DD17 applied for a job with RI - 8 hour contract evenings and Saturdays and would fit around school no problem. On Thursday she an email asking her to attend a "recruitment event" yesterday morning at 9.30 and to bring "proof of eligibility to work in the UK". Excellent so far.
So yesterday morning DD gets her National insurance number letter and I drop her off for the interview. As I'm walking back to the car I get a phone call from DD to say she needs either her birth certificate or her passport. I ask her what for. She says she was supposed to bring either one. I said no it was proof of eligibility to work in the UK, I.e. National insurance number. Birth certificate = proof of identity. Passport = eligibility to travel outside your own country. That was problem no 1 . Anyway RI had said she could come back at 10.30 with said documents and have interview then. So I made the half hour round trip home to fetch BC.
All fine then. But no. Problem no.2. At the end of the interview DD is asked when she can work (which she had set out in detail in her application form and was the same as the advertised position). So she tells them again and they say "Oh so you can't work XX?". DD says no. They say not at all? DD says sorry no it was in my application form and I didn't think I had to! End of interview!

So AIBU to be raging that they didn't ask for the documents they actually wanted at interview and also that we completely wasted a whole morning due to the fact that they didn't read my DD's application form properly and changed the criteria at the last minute anyway!!!!!
I have a good mind to complain to head office because that's is just plain incompetence - and in their eyes my DD looks like she is in the wrong!!!

P.S Sorry this is so long!!!

Jesus Christ. Chill your boots.

@Kewlwifee What about driving licence with BC? I no longer have a passport. I intend to get one eventually when I can afford to but would be annoyed at having to get one just for a job!

It’s standard practice now to bring a passport for proof.

At one of the Universities I worked at in what seems a millennia ago two employees were deported as working illegally, one was an American who worked for international student services which seemed a little ironic.

You seem highly strung overall.

@adaline because someone wanting to stack shelves, especially if they have done the job before, should not be asked to attend a day of silly talks, role play etc. It's an insult to be honest.

Yes the Asda interview that I didn't attend was 10 years or so ago but interviews have got even longer and more involved now. Giving up a day to be made to role play and work out how you would get out of the 5th floor of a burning building with a bit of cardboard, some string and balloons is a waste of time. Most people have better things to do with a day then spend it like that and not even get paid for it

@KatherineJaneway please tell me how the girl "tried to accommodate" me?

There were plain croissants on the counter. All she had to do was go and get a slice of cheese. If necessary I would have put it in the croissant. I am vegetarian so of course just taking the ham out is not ok and certainly did NOT accommodate me.

I worked in retail for around 10 years. It is true whether you believe me or not and, yes, I did put myself out for customers unlike the girl in the eating place.

Of course there are rules in retail but I am pretty sure in an eating place where they make sandwiches etc there is no rule that says you can't get a slice of cheese and put it in a croissant. You are just being silly.

In my last retail job a customer wanted a certain item urgently. If we had ordered it in it would have taken at least a week. I searched to see what other stores had stock of the item and found a London store had it. Me and DH were going to London the next day to a show. I rang the store, asked them to put the item aside and the next day me and DH collected it while in London. We had to drive as the item was quite bulky, Then the next day which was my day off I took the item into my store for the customer to pick up. The customer was over the moon and bought me a bunch of flowers to thank me.

I've interviewed with ASDA (and got the job) and it's certainly not an entire day of role play in the way you describe. I applied 9 years ago and we had one role-play/team session which lasted maybe 15 minutes. The rest of it was learning about the company and their expectations. It didn't last all day either, I was there maybe 2-3 hours tops and had a job offer at the end of the session. I started work the following day.

Nobody gets paid for job interviews - why would ASDA be any different? If you don't to give up your time like that for a job, then surely you just say "thanks, but no thanks" and apply elsewhere? Some people have no choice but to apply and interview for these jobs - it's belittling to tell them that they could be replaced by trained monkeys.

We actually had quite a few people at my group interview who had a bit of a "I'm too good for this" attitude. Needless to say none of them got offered jobs.

I think a lot of people belittle other people's jobs and write them off as being low skilled and low value.

I'm not going to start arguing that stacking shelves is intellectually demanding as such but it's pretty clear to anyone who has been a customer in a supermarket that actually some people can't (or won't) do it very well.

A lot of highly paid highly qualified jobs aren't hugely intellectually demanding either. The exams you take in order to get the job in the first place are very demanding but the actual day to day ins and outs of the job are not hugely demanding intellectually a lot of the time. We're all trained monkeys in our own way - everything is easy when you have learned how to do it.

Of course there are rules in retail but I am pretty sure in an eating place where they make sandwiches etc there is no rule that says you can't get a slice of cheese and put it in a croissant. You are just being silly.

I'm not 'being silly' thank you very much. According to you the assistant said she "couldn't do that" not "wouldn't do that", therefore if she was polite and pleasant to you, it stands to reason she didn't go out of her way for a specific reason. Maybe instead of going off in a huff you could have asked her what the issue was.

Oh, I'm not for one minute arguing that shelf-stacking is the hardest job there is, but belittling the people who do it is really rude imo.

I've always worked in retail, from a part-time sales assistant right up to management level. I happen to really enjoy my job but the number of customers who think it's acceptable to speak to my staff like they're thick, stupid or just utterly beneath them never ceases to amaze me.

Teenagers often apply for jobs without their parents' help, so they should have been specific about what they wanted

I am a grumpy old boot but - really?
Teenagers have never not had access to the internet! Surely they are dab hands at googling stuff and know that the answer to everything is on their phones. I'd have thought they would be more savvy at this than their parents!

@mydogisthebest you could have asked the woman to get her manager and asked them. I’m sure it will be company policy rather than the woman being purposely obtuse.

I worked in Greggs years ago when I was at uni and it was the worst job I ever did. I used to stand cursing under my breath at some customers, they were so unbelievably rude. I remember one guy who used to come in every Sunday morning with his wife and ask for their sausages to be sliced in half. If you’ve ever eaten a Greggs sausage sandwich, the sausages are smaller and thinner than your baby finger and they’re also roasting hot. I had to burn myself and risk cutting my fingers just to chop his fucking sausages in half, I dreaded serving him.

Sorry, that was a rant. I teach now and can confirm it is an easier job than working at Greggs...

Asking for passport or driving license is common practice.

because someone wanting to stack shelves, especially if they have done the job before, should not be asked to attend a day of silly talks, role play etc. It's an insult to be honest.

No you took it as an insult.

And it's not a whole day. it's not now. Every asda store recruits the same way. Its not a full day and wasnt 10 years ago. It's a few hours.

If you feel that's beneath you. That's up to you. But no one was insulting you or wanting to waste your time.

Of course there are rules in retail but I am pretty sure in an eating place where they make sandwiches etc there is no rule that says you can't get a slice of cheese and put it in a croissant. You are just being silly.

Clearly you dont get it. Because not everyone will be able to food prep, or they have certain stick and when it's gone, its gone and they arent allowed to just knock another one up.

Well it was definitely a full day when I applied at Asda. I only knew because I mentioned to a dog walking friend that I had an interview and she said it would be a full day of group tasks, role play etc.

I told DH this and he laughed and said "don't be stupid, as if they would want you to do all that". So I phoned Asda and asked and yes, it was a full day and they said it would be tasks etc.

Yes I took as an insult because for anyone of my age and experience it is an insult. I did not think the job was beneath me and if you bothered to read my post I did shelf filling for a number of years.

Just about everyone I told of my age or older said it was ridiculous and an insult so I am not alone in my view.

Maybe I should not have said that you could train a monkey to stack shelves but, honestly, it really does require mensa level of intelligence does it?

Of course I don't expect to be paid to attend an interview but I don't expect to give up a whole day for the privilege.

Out of interest I have this morning telephoned the eating place and spoken to the Manager. I said that I see they serve croissants filled with cheese and ham but, as a vegetarian, I would like to see only cheese ones also served.

He said they used to sell only cheese but found the ones with ham and cheese sell better and as their space is restricted they just make them up and put them out. I had asked the girl if they had cheese and she said "yes".

He also said that as long as they had plain croissants in stock (which they did) his staff would be more than happy to make one up for me if I went there!!!

So much for rules eh!

Oh, I'm not for one minute arguing that shelf-stacking is the hardest job there is, but belittling the people who do it is really rude imo.

I know you weren't. And I agree, belittling other people's jobs is rude. I realise reading over my post that it sounded like I was disagreeing with you, but actually I was trying to agree with you. It sounded like I was saying it wasn't an insult to call people trained monkeys, but actually I meant the opposite! My job is more poorly paid than my husband's job, his skill is more valued by the job market than mine is, but he would find mine difficult all the same.

Yes I took as an insult because for anyone of my age and experience it is an insult. I did not think the job was beneath me and if you bothered to read my post I did shelf filling for a number of years.

How is it an insult? They have to treat all candidates equally. Supermarkets don't care about your age or "experience" elsewhere - they just don't. Training is given to everyone on the job regardless of where they've worked in the past. I worked with people from school leavers to ex-retail managers to semi-retired people in their 70's and everyone was treated in the same way at interview.

If 100 people are all applying for the basic job, they need to be treated in the same way. Group interviews are the quickest and easiest way to determine people's personalities and abilities. Shelf-stacking in ASDA isn't a job that requires past experience - all they really care about is that you turn up and are physically capable of doing your job. What you did in your last job is pretty irrelevant.

@isabellerossignol yes I see that now! :)

Well it was definitely a full day when I applied at Asda. I only knew because I mentioned to a dog walking friend that I had an interview and she said it would be a full day of group tasks, role play etc

Its not a full day and never has been. You were miss informed. But let's say that's right. Its not a full day now. So your point about interviews getting harder and harder isnt right. Asda, according to you is less taxing as interviews go now, than it was 10 years ago.

Yes I took as an insult because for anyone of my age and experience it is an insult. I did not think the job was beneath me and if you bothered to read my post I did shelf filling for a number of years.

Nope you decided it was an insult because you felt, that you were above the job and therefore you should have had special treatment and not be recruited like everyone else.

Just about everyone I told of my age or older said it was ridiculous and an insult so I am not alone in my view.

Which is the issue. Everyone of your age that found a quick chat was enough of an interview. Unfortunately, businesses and employers evolve. It obviously wasnt working so they have changed how they interview. You need to move with the times.

And sorry, I am calling bollocks on you phoning the shop and the manager explaining that you were exactly right and the girl just had poor customer service skills. Thus proving your point.

Non of your other points have made sense. But this one just happens to have played out to prove you right while you are on this thread.

That's convenient. I would be very surprised if all their staff are trained to make food, when most of them wont.

He said they used to sell only cheese but found the ones with ham and cheese sell better and as their space is restricted they just make them up and put them out. I had asked the girl if they had cheese and she said "yes".

He also said that as long as they had plain croissants in stock (which they did) his staff would be more than happy to make one up for me if I went there!!!

So much for rules eh!

Don't believe you for as second. You see you are losing the argument on this thread so have decided to spin a yarn to boost your position.

You weren't insulted by Asda asking to to an assessment center, your ego was bruised. Asda see CV's by the thousand. Assessment centers make it a level playing field where candidates have to prove they can actually do what they say they can.

In my experience employers always ask for passports. It's about right to live and work here.

You are over reacting.

It usually takes a bit of searching to get a job. Why rage?

@KatherineJaneway so you don't believe I phoned the eating place just like you don't believe I worked in retail. What a strange and pathetic person you are.

I certainly did work in retail and I also phoned the eating place because I wanted to find out what the reason was for the girl not being able to place a slice of cheese in a croissant. I could, of course, complained about the member of staff but I didn't.

@Flerkin I didn't feel I "was above the job". I just love how so many posters on here know exactly what someone else thinks.

I had been doing shelf filling for a number of years before applying for the Asda job so I had experience. I know I would have got a good reference because I was one of the most reliable shelf fillers they had (lots of the youngsters would decide that going out was more fun that shelf filling in an evening so just not turn up for work). I was also one of the faster ones.

I did not want to do tasks and role play because to me they are silly. I would feel ill at ease in a big group of strangers and self conscious trying to do tasks and role play. That doesn't mean I couldn't stack shelves well or work on a till or do other retail jobs. I have worked as a store assistant in several shops.

It was not to do with ego. I get that things have changed, sadly I don't think for the better. As I said, if retail employers are almost all using these group tasks, role play etc then why is the level of customer service not higher?

If this was a thread about customer service in shops lots of posters would be saying they find it lacking in shops quite often and also saying how out of order the girl at the eating place was. But on this thread it suddenly becomes that she was totally in the right and it was me in the wrong.

I have been to that particular eating place quite a lot of times and know that that particular girl, along with a few others, make sandwiches, rolls etc. In fact I am pretty sure all the staff do. If you have a small eating place with few staff surely they are all going to be trained to make food. Your comment that most won't is totally untrue.

I could not care less if I am losing the argument here. I have my views, which are also the views of many people and am just really glad that I no longer work so am not subjected to the ridiculous ideas that are around now.

I think I will start making a note of each time I receive bad service in a shop and come back and tell you because you seem to think shop staff are always fantastic and they certainly are not

What a strange and pathetic person you are.

No, I'm neither. Though you've started to resort to insulting rather than debating so that says a lot about the strength of your argument.

If you had a retail background you would have asked the sales assistant at the time what the issue was and why she would not help you. You would know there are rules that have to be followed that might make no sense to the general public but sales assistants have to follow them.

I didn't feel I "was above the job". I just love how so many posters on here know exactly what someone else thinks.

But you do. You have said so, you also said that you felt you shoildnt have had to go through all that because you had experience. Why because you felt you were better than that. No ones made it up what you are thinking.

I get that things have changed, sadly I don't think for the better. As I said, if retail employers are almost all using these group tasks, role play etc then why is the level of customer service not higher*

As I said, you interviewed 10 years ago and have assumes its longer and harder now. It's not at all. But you woildnt know that because you are talking about 10 years ago. Your original point of interviews getting harder recently, is moot, because your examples arent recent.

And yes customers satisfaction is getting g higher across the board. They is also while customers actually expect more in terms of service.

YOU dont feel that customer service is getting better and feel YOU always recieve bad service. I rarely recieve bad service, I suggest the issue is you, if you consistently recieve bad service while most other people have generally positive experiences

The fact that you and all your friends find asda interviews so insulting and ridiculous (and your comments about retail staff) say alot about your attitude.

I agree with the other poster, its sounds more like your ego was bruised, than an insult.

If you didnt want to do the interview, you could say that's it not for you. Not take it so personally and still annoyed 10 years later.

Yes you are being unreasonable to be RAGING - you need to calm the fuck down love.