Pros
There was a canteen where you could sit down at break There was a locker to put your valuables in
Cons
East Ham is a poor area, this is well reflected in the condition of the store Awful mess to clear up every day, all day long. Worked across different departments, worked on the tills, the smaller the items, the worse it would be for anyone picking up the pieces off the floor, and the harder the job becomes This is a physically demanding job, it will drain you mentally and physically and emotionally every single day, no matter how short your shift is. Your legs will ache and feet will suffer. You will not be allowed to wear black trainers unless you can sneak them in without being noticed. 5 hours = 15 minutes break 6 hours = 30 minutes break 7 hours = 1 hour Expect to have your ears aching every other day with all the children crying and screaming and parents shouting across the store . School holidays are a nightmare. Working in this store is similar to working in a Zoo. i felt like a monkey in a trapped room. Often a sewage stench sweeps through the ceiling , into the store, making me feel nauseus , the air conditioning was disfunctional so working in the warm weather was dreadful. Staff toilets barely flush properly, locker room is about 4 feet wide by 15 feet long. There are 2 benches , about 10 inches wide, and directly above coats and bags, you could never sit down in comfort because there was no space to. Dreadful. If you are needing the toilet during shift, it is a 5 minute walk from downstairs to upstairs. And often you have to beg to go... or wait till the queue shortens.... There are about 5/6 managers in this store. some are ok to work with, and unfortunately some enjoy bullying and picking on the same hard working individuals over and over again. Sad really, the harder you work, the more you will be pushed and demanded from. You believe that by putting yourself out for others, helping managers, helping supervisers, that your hard work will be recognised and you will be rewarded eventually. But those 2 features never ever happen to 95% of the people who work hard . I wanted to progress, move up, was told from the interview that opportunites for career progression were available. This was a lie. Worked there for about a year,and during this period there was 1 career progression and this was given to a shop floor veteran of 5/6 years experience. All other changes were within the management.