To want to work in a shop?

[Cavalierchaos]

There's a small shop near me (think Tesco metro) and I think I'd like to work there part time.

I used to work in a large superstore and enjoyed it but it was just too big and I could never learn all the products and where they were.

Am I crazy? I'm currently a part time teacher, not enjoying it. I don't need much money as I'm very frugal, so the pay cut is fine.

Financially you can take the hit and remain solvent
You've enjoyed working in a similar environment
You don't enjoy your current job

Doesn't sound like there are any reasons not to apply and see what happens

I knew you were going to say you were a teacher x

Me too

the only thing is the whole pension thing really? Also your weekends are gone (always wanted to work in a shop that was closed on a Sunday😅). But if you think it would make you happy maybe go for it!

As someone who worked in retail for 2 decades.....
Don't do it.

Do it. If you hate teaching it's best to just get out of the profession rather than be one of those teachers who sticks it out but is really very unhappy

Do keep in mind there is a lot of violence against shop workers though

I worked in a supermarket as a teen and have been in my career with children for the past 17 years. I often think it would be lovely to return to a supermarket job where there isn’t much pressure or responsibility.

@Cavalierchaos are they actually recruiting staff?
The problem with retail these days is they are all about flexible contracts.
So one week you might have to work Monday 8 - 12, Thursday 3 - 10 and all day Sunday.
The next week it might be Monday 8 - 6, Wednesday 12 - 7 and all day Saturday.
Do you really want a job that's so random?
(I really wish I understood why so many retailers did this)

I feel like supermarkets are trying quite hard to phase out actual people (all this pushing towards self service checkouts) so it might not be a secure long term option.

If it's a Tesco metro or express I'd stay teaching. Both are severely understaffed and there's more violence in them than larger stores.

Plus you've got to work over Christmas and new year, express doesn't close on Easter Sunday either. I don't know why people think retail is a walk in the park, since covid it's got worse and shows no signs of improvement, I don't think it's the stress free environment you are after. Look on Reddit at the Tesco sub and see what staff are saying before you make the decision.

Me too.

I often envy the staff calmly organising the shelves in Waitrose.

Why don’t you try some shifts around your job, to test it out.

You may find the reality, and lack of pension, doesn’t appeal - or you may be happy with it. Always good to rest the water first.

It's not that easy to get a job in Tesco. People on MN seem to think anyone can just walk into a supermarket job.

@stripybobblehat Sadly, there's also a lot of violence in schools now.

YANBU but don't let on to anyone working there you don't think shop work is as important as any other job or somehow beneath you!!!

That's what's jumping out at me from your post.

As someone that currently works in retail in a larger (but not massive) supermarket and enjoys it - I would say don't do it, not for a smaller Express type store. You will be multitasking every day - you won't be able to get the shelves filled because customers need served at the till, and they'll get grumpy because you aren't there waiting for them. Everybody that I have spoken to that has come to our store from an express type, have been surprised at how much they prefer it.

If you hate your PT teaching job, why don’t you become a nanny? If you’re a mother and teacher with a knowledge of first aid and can drive, that’s good enough experience to be a nanny. And the pay is good.

Then you can apply to all the shop jobs you want and see if they want to hire you.

I work in a small supermarket. I like it but that's partially down to it been in a close knit community and also many of the staff(including myself) have been their many many years too. So it's a bit like an extended family. I work various jobs including checkouts, shopfloor and bakery. You do have to be flexible but our management is reasonable and will always sort out a day off for something if you need it. That is store specific though, so it depends on what the management is like. Pension scheme isn't too bad either.

Maybe it's a bit crazy if you are a teacher but with teacher's been in desperate need, if you didn't like it you could probably get back into it. Or do both jobs part time, so if you don't like, you can just leave.

I often think it would be lovely to return to a supermarket job where there isn’t much pressure or responsibility.

It’s a different type of pressure- these have to be out by x, prices need to be changed, there’s new stock in, the managers are coming, there’s a delivery get x out on the floor but I need someone on the till, customers complaining etc etc. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry so of course it’s not like that because you can’t kill anyone but no job is stress free

StarSlinger · Today 14:43

It's not that easy to get a job in Tesco. People on MN seem to think anyone can just walk into a supermarket job.
Same with McDonald’s, Aldi etc. Just go get a job In McDonald’s 😅 Oh ok then!!

I went the other way Op, from retail in a Tesco express to teaching. Teaching is 100% easier than a Tesco express job.

It's beyond me why people think retail jobs are easy to do and easy to come by. They're not. They are obviously easier than teaching. You just have to read the millions of threads about what arseholes the general public are. I work in a small supermarket and am retiring soon and I cannot wait.

This. The amount of friends I have that come to me because they can't pass the online test is unbelievable.

On the Morrisons thread,supermarket workers are called grumpy,nasty,morons amongst other names. Working in a supermarket with the general public who love to look down on you is not all you think it is.

Given that op used to work in a supermarket, she probably has a good idea as to what it's like.

I took a supermarket job as a temporary 'COVID' job. I'm still there. I could be doing a better paid job in a different industry, like I have done for most of my working life. But you know what? My 'crappy job' (not my description) is really rather good. I've worked in jobs with much more cachet, that pay significantly better - and I wouldn't swap this job for those. Most of my colleagues are similar - they are more than capable of doing jobs that are 'better' on paper, but choose to stay there instead.

I hate that supermarket workers are always thought about as being downtrodden and treated like shit. If that was the rule rather than the exception, it would be very easy to get a supermarket job as nobody would stay.