I've been working as a cashier (customer service team member) for Woolworths for the past year and a half. I am a student so have been working on a casual basis. Ask me anything, but please nothing too personal.
Edit: Thanks for all the questions y'all, they were all fun to answer. From now on, I'll probably check this once or twice a day, so keep on posting anything you may want to ask me, I'll respond when I can.
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Are you worried about losing your job to the self checkouts? Sorry if it has been asked already.
You're the first one to ask that, and no, I'm not that worried about self-checkouts making me redundant, because they will need someone to look after the machines. Hell, the coins jam like once every hour or two. Also, there are always going to be people that aren't very good with technology, and they will still need human cashiers.
Plus, I only plan on working there for another 2-3 years max, so hopefully automation is not that widespread so soon.
there's definitely been a huge reduction in cashier staff since SCO. And you only need one person to look after 20 registers.
The move is toward fewer staff, not more.
You might be fine since you're doing something else in a few years, but other people, especially the older folk who have been there longer won't be so lucky.
The eta for supermarkets to go fully automated (aside from a small maintenance staff and a general manager) is anywhere between 8 years and 30 years.
With wages in this country unskilled jobs that can be replaced by automation are obviously the first to go if you have a good CEO looking after shareholders .
Anything new ?
@profar: I get that, but if CEOs think that mass unemployment will help their cause it's a bit more complicated than that. They'll make more profits from lower costs, but fewer people will be able to afford the stuff they're selling, so sales will also reduce. Will they reduce prices accordingly? Probably not. That would defeat the purpose of the cost cutting. Will they raise prices to make up for lost sales volume? Will iPhone only be affordable by the rich elite who have to pay more for the phone to make up for the loss of sales from the common folk?
It will be an interesting future to see.
What is the most interesting customer conversation you have had ?
Probably with a woman who told me how she quit smoking. That was a 20-30 minute conversation.
Wow sounds so interesting
Probably not for the next person in line though
May not be part of your duty but I may just ask in case other associated can answer, if the roasted chickens' been out for more than 4 hours and yet to get a markdown, can I just ask you to give a discount?
Not my area of expertise, but it'd be worth a shot.
Most interesting item (personal item, not via shoplifting) spotted in a bag check? What was your reaction?
I've seen vibrators and bongs.
Can't really think of one single item, but the most interesting shop would be a person who brought 50 or so of those 2L bottles of tomato sauce.
I was the only person in an aisle when over the PA came the announcement "security check aisle 7" or similar. Looked up and it was aisle 7 I was in. Some other shoppers turned into the aisle and looked at me strangely WTF I was browsing the aisle normally, middle aged, well dressed, no backpack big coat etc etc. I was pretty outraged tbh, looked for a manager type to ask what was going on but soon calmed down and CBF.
Why do they broadcast stuff like that? The only reason I can think is someone is acting suspiciously but this certainly wasnt the case here and to me it came across as highly offensive virtually saying to one of your honest regular customers you look or act like a thief.
Can't really comment on that since I don't know what caused them to announce that, and it would be wrong for me to make assumptions.
But we usually call out a security check if a fire door alarm has been triggered. Our store has had multiple shoplifters try to escape from the fire exit at the side of the store once they realise that we know they've stolen something.
I've heard from a friend who worked at a store chain that had those announcements and said it was fake and just to act as a deterrent.
A few years back there was a sponsored M&M's advertisment between the music at stores. Every few hours, a womans voice would be calling a security check to the confectionary aisle & general chatter about chocolate, particularly M&Ms going missing. At a store my friend worked at, they were trying to figure out who the lady was that kept on calling security checks, finally realising that it was an advertisment about M&M's because the message was playing when the store was closed as well.
Doing my weekly shopping I often get A Dare Mocha, or orange juice and drink while in the store. I obviously pay at the end when going through the registers….
Sometimes I feel like someone is following me, and see the same person/s aisle after aisle….. Am I being followed to see if I am stealing, or is it all in my head?
Would you rather fight a hundred duck sized horses or one horse sized duck?
Well wouldn't the 100 duck sized horses be able to surround you and attack from all ends whereas 1 horse sized duck may be big but you could run away or kick one of its shins?
100 horse sized ducks :P
Can you ban repetitive offenders of the company's 2 can baby formula policy so they can't set foot in the store?
Afaik, we can't.
Does your manager work heaps of unpaid overtime?
Not really sure, you'll have to ask her.
When I worked at Woolworths, every hour or so we would call out "Security Check Section 3" over the loudspeaker. But there was never any actual security checks, or even real sections.
Do you still do this? Or are Security Checks real now?
No, we only call out security check if we suspect someone is shoplifting or an alarm sounds.
Have you ever considered banning people with shopping trolleys and the elderly from self-checkout so that they run more smoothly?
At busy times, yeah, they should introduce a limit to the amount of items you can bring into the self-checkouts. The people who bring a trolley into the self-checkouts simply take too long to check out.
Working full time currently and looking to get a side hospitality/retail job outside of 9 - 5. Does any of your colleagues do that? If so, any tips on getting a job at Woolworths?
Haha it was more of a joke really - it's funny that you direct me to the marketing team, do you have no hope either of getting fresh food??