assistant store manager

store manager

sales assistant

stockroom manager

warehouse supervisor

British Heart Foundation

Upon arrival I am greeted warmly, and everybody is smiling and enjoying their work. Myself or a staff member would make a round of teas and coffees and I would immediately man the phone to take the pressure off the managers as they would be busy mucking in with customer service and item processing.  As well as keeping the handset on my person at all times, I would run a check through the 'Gift Aider' filing system to ensure all the hard copy files were in their place, and if not I would file them correctly. Working alphabetically, I would take out any files not marked as contacted and cold call or email them to thank them for donations, inform them of our free van donation collection service, and book collection slots to be filed in the correct place for the van driver. As well as this, I would process 'Gift Aid' sales sheets and new 'Gift Aider' details into the shop computer system called 'Chameleon'. When needed, I help with bringing donations of goods into the shop and greet the people bringing the donations.  At times I am moved to the stock room to help out with sorting and labelling if workloads are pressing.  In this job I have learned to multi task and prioritise workloads effectively.  Everybody there comments positively on my excellent telephone manner and people skills, so much so that I was entrusted immediately to be first point of telephone contact and given the phone to carry on my person at all times.  I have also, in a sense become the unofficial IT support person as I deal with most of the computer tasks on any given day.

As far as shop management goes, I haven't met a nicer, more hard working and reliable pair.  The current Manager who comes from the Aylesbury branch is always there to help, always has a genuine smile and concern for her staff team and never talks down to people.  The same goes for the Assistant Manager who, as well as this is always joking and laughing with her co workers.  Most importantly though, they are always encouraging and appreciative of everyone's efforts.  

My co workers are an excellent bunch.  They are all very hard working, warm and friendly people.  I feel incredibly welcome there and feel that I have fitted in well.  We all muck in to help each other out and it feel more like visiting with friends than a workplace, although everyone is working to the best of their ability and are happy doing it.

The hardest part of the job is also one of the most enjoyable for me.  This would be the constant need to multi task and prioritise.  It forces me to think on my feet, even when performing the most menial of tasks. Leaving at the end of the day is pretty hard too.

What I most enjoy is being amongst friends and knowing everybody cares about your well being, and will help you out if you need it.  The atmosphere is very familial and warm, even in the rare silences which are comfortable.  I feel I can be myself here.

I manage a standard store, the job itself is quite nice the stuff  you get in is really interesting and getting all the stock out and having the shop looking nice is great. There is a lot of paperwork but again it's not too bad once you get the hang of it. I also have a lady who comes in and does courses for different charities and which I just completed my management course in. 

The cons are that I spend alot of time on my own and yet they still expect you to make the same money, I have been taken advantage of as I drive, they get me to cover every store in my area and then tell me off when my store isn't meeting its targets!

My assistant manager has no sense of style, my area manager has told me to keep notes on her so we can review her out of the business which is quite unfair on me and isn't pleasant, she is a bully though, to say the least, and undermines me every chance she gets, no one has done anything about this though and when she apparently said something not nice about me to my area manager about me having a day in lei she rolled her eyes and my area manager said "that's just how she is"!!

Pay is rubbish for the amount of stress and running around I do.  

The cherry on top is that when I go to meeting's I'm left out and receive no support. I'm meant to be going training, but  the few times I've been there the manager had me cover her and didn't give me any training, and then again for when she was interviewing and then when she did actually spend time with me she told me to run her team and then laughed and said she was doing way better than me and she was new. ( I quickly pointed out that she has 10 years + experience on me)  

I have been tricked into working a day for free and then told I have to take a day in lieu but they don't know when that will be.

I had to awkwardly ask to be put up in hotel instead of driving everyday for two weeks to an area which was over an hour away. 

The manager before me was off for 6 months with stress and then left due to stress. I feel like I might do the same as know one has any idea how stressful this job is and how alone I feel. 

The only comfort is some of my volunteers, who the British heart foundation don't really care for anyway. They just send out some paper certificates every year and call it a day.

I recently joined the British Heart Foundation as a retail assistant, and my experience has been nothing short of disappointing and frustrating. Despite a promising job interview, the reality of working there was far from what was presented.

First and foremost, the management at the British Heart Foundation was inconsiderate and lacking any form of professionalism. They displayed an awful attitude towards the employees, often showing laziness and a complete disregard for our concerns and well-being. Instead of leading by example and fostering a positive work environment, they engaged in constant bickering and chose to shout across the store, which created a highly unprofessional and chaotic atmosphere.

What was even more disheartening was the rampant gossiping that occurred behind employees' backs, including myself. The management not only participated in these negative discussions but also fueled the toxicity by gossiping about others within the workplace. This behavior is not only unprofessional but also deeply hurtful and damaging to the overall morale of the team.

Furthermore, the overall work culture at the British Heart Foundation was toxic due to the laziness and apathy displayed by my colleagues. It seemed that a majority of them lacked motivation and a genuine desire to excel in their roles. This laziness not only affected the efficiency of daily operations but also added unnecessary stress to those who were genuinely committed to their work.

Overall, my experience as a retail assistant at the British Heart Foundation has been extremely disappointing. The inconsiderate management, awful attitude, laziness from colleagues, constant bickering, and the toxic work environment created by gossip and negativity have made it an unbearable place to work. I would strongly advise against considering employment with this organization unless significant changes are made to improve the work culture and management practices.

Worked in the furniture branch of BHF, No Covid-19 checks done on arriving at the shop, Wasn’t shown where to meet had there been a fire evacuation, No formal training, Not provided with an uniform, Not even steel toe capped shoes/boots as the handbook suggested.
I was also blamed for most of the breakages or furniture that got damaged, A leather sofa arrived in the shop and had a hole in it, I got the blame for putting that hole in it.   
A fire inspector came to the shop twice in a week, the store room where the electric meters were, were blocked with metal sofa frames and other materials which would feed a fire and no fire notices were on the walls to let people know what to do in an emergency, there was even a wardrobe put in front of a fire alarm button, I was just waiting to be bollocked about that.
It was an fire waiting to happen.
I was expected to carry furniture and pre packed boxes of furniture up and down stairs which clearly said on the box for 2 people to carry (I have pictures to show this).
The manageress was Eastern European, she would be constantly on her phone to the drivers and when they did arrive with the delivery she would speak to them in her language and be flirting with them too and even though they could speak English, god knows what she was telling them about me and the other staff, she was rude, arrogant, and to be shouted at in front of other staff and customers was not very professional of her.
And other staff got the blame too, for dockets the manageress had completed, couldn’t be found again she would raise her voice.
I was expected to build cupboards, beds, tables etc for display, and then had to take them apart as they had just been bought.
I sincerely hope that someone at The British Heart Foundation reads this as this store manager needs to be taught some manners and “proper” training needs to be inducted in this shop.
I’m not sure what it’s like in other branches of BHF’s but the Walthamstow branch was an experience.
All the staff in the shop (except for the manageress) are lovely and hard working people.
I have since left now, got a new job that pays double the salary.

I arrive at around 10 am, make a round of teas and coffees and have a brief chat with everyone.  Everyone is pleased to see me and I always get a warm feeling which sets my day there in good stead. I keep a shop phone handset on my person at all times so I'm very often the first voice people hear when they ring the shop. Keeping this in mind, I make sure that I always sound upbeat and professional.  I then run a check over the hard copy filing system to make sure every file is in the correct place.  While I'm doing this I am also canvassing by telephone and email to thank Gift Aiders for their donations and notifying them of our free to use van collection service.  Some days I have a member of staff with me that I train up on my admin duties so they can perform my role in my absence.  As well as this, I process the Gift Aid sales sheets and enter details of new Gift Aiders onto the computer.

In this role I have learned that I'm an excellent multitasker and creative thinker, and being among such an excellent team of volunteers and management pays dividends to my performance in my role, as there's always someone available to help out when needed.  My co workers and management are possibly some of the loveliest people I have ever worked with.  The management team are always in the thick of it and mucking in where they are needed most without a word of complaint.  This goes for everyone else who works there too, as all the volunteers are working extremely hard all of the time. Despite the workload, everybody smiles and laughs and the the morale is always high.  

I would say that the hardest part of the job is also the best part, which is keeping a bad mood. There have been days that I've arrived at the shop in a low mood but it's never for long, as someone will always be cracking a joke, or willing to be a sympathetic ear if things are bothering you.

Whilst working as a volunteer at the British Heart Foundation i found it an enjoyable experince as i got a long with the manager/staff well, as we all corresponded well together, i would usually be on the shop floor on the tills, also giving customers advise on various products about prices etc, also dealt with a lot of donation which would need to be recorded in a book so that they knew how much was collected, also had to make a target of each day to earn so much to meet targets which would vary from time to time which was a exciting challenge.

I learned a lot of skills whilst working here from learning about how they would have to change their stock every so often to fit in with the seasons which i had to do on occasions, learning how to use the till as there wasnt no bar code to scan so had to type in numbers, also learnt to do debit/credit card transactions, returns on products etc.

On the shop floor and up stairs was all managed accurately, as when ever stock was on the floor for a certain amount of time they would need to be changed, also when stock was low had to bring some down to put on shop floor, all items was faced to the front as it was all well organised, the manager was superb was always there to give you advice and when needed help too, was lovely to work alongside, also all co workers had no problems with them we all worked well in a team to make sure everything was going right, showed good communication towards each other and when one was on lunch everything was managed to esnure at least 2 people on shop floor and upstairs doing various jobs.

I didnt come across any problems as i was able to pick up skills quite quickly as i enjoy learning skills. Every aspect of working for British heart foundaion was enjoyable, as everything i undertook was something different and fun, whether it was sorting out stock or working on the shop floor, i found it a good environment to work in. I was able to greet customers and always have chats with some who wanted to know information on products.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There wasn't a "best part" for me, it was all good.  As a 3 year volunteer I got on well with the staff and the other volunteers and enjoyed assisting customers with information and advice. I progressed from caring for the incoming donations, pricing and sales desk work, to operating the till, maintaining the online bookings and incoming phone calls. to preparing the details and images for any Ebay auction items before transmitting those details to the Leeds Ebay team. I was a bit sad when the Head office decided to close our Furniture and Electrical branch in November 2020. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Paperwork, but not so much stressful, more tedious and time consuming! I was filling out dockets for the drivers for both collections and deliveries.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Friendly.  The camaraderie amongst both paid staff and volunteers was good and I still encounter some of the characters, even some of the customers in my home town from time to time.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I would often arrive just after the paid staff (they had the keys!) and we would eagerly await the arrival of the drivers with the early donations of furniture and other larger items. The warehouseman and his team would book in and assess the items for prices and saleability before moving them to the shopfloor where myself and other volunteers would add the public price tags to the items.  towards the end of my term I was on the till and the phones, checking the online bookings and maintaining the diary of bookings for the drivers reference.  On a quiet day one or other of the volunteers would be asked to use the vacuum cleaner around the shop floor, usually sometime before closing time.  Quite often I was one of the last to leave for home as the paid staff were locking up the shop.

A good place to work to build a CV suited to retail and customer service jobs. What it lacks in monetary payment, it makes up for in experience. As well as offering training in all responsibilities a retail assistant needs for a job in almost any shop, the company offers NVQ programmes to give volunteers qualifications relevant to the profession as well as a record of the experience gained by the volunteer. To add to this, the unpredictable nature of working in a charity shop brings with it challenges that grow more general attributes, like adaptability, ensuring that the volunteer will go on to excel in any job they progress onto.
The environment there is one of hard work, but is friendlier than the average workplace, and is very accommodating to the strengths and weaknesses of volunteer workers. Co-workers are generally polite and friendly, and management is strict, but fair, and will even offer help with employability. It is also very easy to get to know colleagues, as the shops are small and run in a less formal manner than the average retail environment, though a degree of professionalism is required at all times while working, especially on the shop floor.
Professionalism and customer service in the store are of the highest standards, and one of the things the company prides itself on
There is a great deal of variety in the tasks offered by the company, too, from menial, repetitive tasks to challenging and interesting ones, and the occasional one-off task that may require a particular volunteer's specific skills or strengths.

Overall, the BHF is a brilliant starting point for anyone unemployed to get on the path to a career in retail and customer service. It has some of the best standards in training and work ethics, it offers qualifications, and is a great way to build experience and transferable skills in a friendly, welcoming environment.

My experience working at this store was extremely poor and I would not recommend it to others looking for a supportive or professional working environment.

The biggest issue was management and communication. Staff were regularly spoken to in a passive aggressive and condescending way rather than being supported properly. For example, if someone spent slightly too long helping or speaking with a customer, comments would be made in front of others in a patronising tone instead of simply giving respectful guidance. It created an uncomfortable atmosphere where criticism was common but proper support was not.

Concerns about management and communication were raised, but they did not appear to be taken seriously or properly addressed. The overall attitude often felt dismissive, which made the environment increasingly frustrating to work in over time.

Training was also extremely weak. Apart from the online induction material, there was very little actual hands on training or structured guidance. People were largely expected to figure things out by watching others, despite the role involving warehouse organisation, furniture movement, collections, deliveries, and customer interaction. Expectations were high, but the support and structure needed to meet those expectations simply were not there.

The workplace itself also felt disorganised and inconsistent. Communication between staff was poor, instructions often lacked clarity, and there appeared to be a high turnover in the warehouse role. Some of the volunteers on the shop floor were genuinely friendly and pleasant to work with, and the charity itself is obviously a positive cause. Unfortunately, the actual working environment behind the scenes was one of the worst I have personally experienced.

I would go into work at lunchtime and work till 15:00-16:00 then I would leave. During the 3-4 hours I work there I would replenish stock and sort out the new donations that get delivered at the store every day. The majority of it was clothing so I'd have to steam it all and tag every garment ready to be sold. Some days I would have to walk into the town center with my co-worker and hand out leaflets to persuade the public to donate things they don't want anymore. We also would have the money donation pots and walk around with them to collect as much money donations as possible.

While working at the British Heart Foundation I learned a lot more about the charity and what it does. I also learned what it was like to work in a shop in busy conditions.

In the British Heart Foundation there was two people who were apart of the management team. I was clearly told to go to either one of them if there was any problems. One person was controlling the health and safety there is in working in a store and the other was management of the shop floor. This person controlled what went out to the store, if it was safe and suitable.

I had many co-workers that were very interested in the charity. Most of them had been working there for many years so I gained knowledge of what generally happens from them.

The hardest part of the job was to collect stock, there would be numerous amount of bags left outside the store and the driver would drop off furniture. Before me and my co-worker would leave we would have to sort out most of the bags and steam them which was hard.

The most enjoyable part of the job is that you get to meet many nice people with different experiences while working there. I learned a lot about the charity and why they need so much donations, knowing you're helping a charity is very rewarding.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Assistant store manager 78 salaries reported	£12.92 per hour
Store manager 102 salaries reported	£27,515 per year
Sales assistant 404 salaries reported	£12.37 per hour
Stockroom manager 1 salary reported	£24,170 per year
Warehouse supervisor 13 salaries reported	£15.49 per hour

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