Start times

[mozziah]

I'm applying for a job as a sales assistant at M&S and the application page asks if I can commit to 7am start times, and I can't. I'd have to get up at 4.30 - an hour to eat/get showered etc., at least an hour to drive there as I live in the middle of nowhere, plus about 20 mins to then walk to the shop. I know lots of people get up at that hour, but it isn't really doable for me. Perhaps as a one off but I can't commit to it. If I say I can't commit though, do you think they will just reject my application? I really want the job!

if you cant just try and find something else.

Just apply anyway

Shower the night before and take breakfast with you/eat it on the walk to the shop. Saves you an hour and you can get up at 5:30 instead, which plenty of people do every day.

Presumably the 7am starts wouldn't be every day?

Supermarkets only advertise for what they need. They work and recruit / employ in a lean way. If you can't do 7am starts, it's very u likely you can do the job. Most of the days work in a supermarket happens between 7-9am.

An hour and 20 mins each way commute seems very long to me whatever time of day it is, is there no way of reducing that? Is that what you are looking at for any job? That aside I think yes just apply, they may just reject you but you haven't a huge amount to lose - also you could potentially find out when you get there that the 7am starts are very infrequent, in my admittedly limited experience of retail the early morning shifts were actually quite popular as meant people could finish at 3 and get their kids from school etc. so those were usually in demand on the rota, it was the late finishes and weekends that were the hated ones, so if you can do lots of those but fewer/no earlies it's possible you might be OK, it will likely vary store to store though!

It's hard to recruit staff at the moment so you might get it anyway - or tick the box and ask later how often a 7am start will be required.

This seems a huge and presumably also expensive commute for a relatively low paid job though, is there no work more local to you?