retail sales associate

store manager

shift manager

human resources associate

customer service representative

One Stop Stores

WORST JOB EVER!!
If you like to have unsociable, depressing and the longest shifts ever then this is the job for you. 
There are absolutely no pros to this job, from the moment I started the management has been all over the place with a new area manager countless times and NONE of them gave a toss about the store or staff, one staff meeting in over 2 years and none of the complaints staff had were resolved. The turn over in this store is like none other, when new colleges start they usually leave within the first month as the training and lack of respect for staff is appalling! Customer service assistants left to show the new starts everything including tills, daily duty’s, delivery’s and everything else that the store manager is supposed to show them. 
You want holidays? Haha!! The manager chooses when you take them or just puts them in and doesn’t tell you!! Or even better you ask for a holiday they say yes then when it comes to your holiday they say you didn’t ask and now you can’t take it as you have been put on the rota. 
Want to make a complaint? NOBODY WILL LISTEN TO YOU or reply to you through email/ phone, you’ll just get swept to the side and forgotten about. Even when all staff tried to make complaints about the manager it was not taken seriously and was dismissed immediately as they thought it was 10+ staff lying about it. 
Set days / hours? Forget it you’ll be on any time/ day the manager wants you in or even better after a rota has been put up they will stick you in random shifts to cover people off sick/ don’t turn up without even telling you they have put you in. 
The Pay isn’t even worth the amount of stress you will be under in one stop,  customer service assistants left to fend for themselves when the manager has no shift managers to cover and they don’t want to come in on their day off, so you and 1 other csa will be in store yourselves. 
20 minute break for working 8hrs+ also the manager chooses when you take it forcing you to go for your only break 2 or sometimes less hours into your shift leaving 6 hours starving until the end of the shift, your feet or back will be throbbing by the time you leave. 
Shift managers / store manager sit through the back office on their phone most of the shift don’t expect any help with delivery’s even if it’s just you on with no other help, managers aloud as much breaks as they please and if they smoke expect atleast 8 smoke breaks not included in their 20 minute break. 
No phones on shop floor except the store manager walking around on theirs whenever they please. 
No privacy or confidentiality in one stop if you even cough all the staff know about it. 
Phoning in sick? Wouldn’t matter if your leg was hanging off they still wouldn’t believe you and still expect you in the next day. 
Expected to finish 15+ cages by the time you finish your shift even if the delivery comes in late so you don’t have as much time, you’ll be running around the shop all day long as there is nobody covering tills permanently, you have to put away stock and serve when customers come to the till. 
Manager takes all credit of all the staffs hard work while they do the bare minimum, ridiculous how they get a bonus. 
Told not to talk to customers unless serving them, also if you actually like one of your collueges and talk to them, you won’t be put on shift with them again as the manager likes everyone to be quiet and nobody talking. 
There is nobody to approach with problems you feel very uncomfortable talking to managers because they treat you as if your stupid and higher management simply don’t care as long as the store is making money. 
You are treated like a slave with no recognition of hard work, if your on backshift you’ll get away with doing absolute bare minimum leaving the morning shift to Finnish everything off from the night before and then do all delivery’s on top of picking up the slack for other lazy people. 
Don’t be surprised if you come in 2 days after getting a delivery in to cages still left to Finish, some people steal a living.

I can't speak of what it's like to work in a One-Stop store but I can speak of what it's like to work as a warehouse operative having worked seven miserable years in the One-Stop distribution centre in Brownhills. I worked as a picker which involved driving a truck (or sometimes walking for hours round a large warehouse dragging a two cage 'walk-along' depending on which of the two warehouses you work in) picking orders to be distributed to stores around the country. There are no pro's to this job, apart from some good friends I made during my time there so I'll get on to the con's. Constant pressure put on you to achieve targets (you have to pick so many items an hour). Awful management (a couple of supervisors were ok) who have no idea what they are doing, severely lack any people skills, think they command respect but are seen as a joke to the staff and are only interested in themselves and looking good to their superiors whilst trying to 'climb the ladder'. 'Motivational' staff meetings when you start your shift that involve being told 'where the door is' if you can't hit your target. Disciplinaries are regarded as the norm with pickers in and out of the office all the time being told to do better and achieve difficult set targets. Lack of support ie lack of cages, broken cages, poor equipment but still being expected to achieve your targets. Watching other people in other job roles do nothing, some that earn the same low wage as you, while you work hard. Very depressing work environment due to the repetitiveness of the job, being physically tired, constant pressure from when you clock in to when you clock out and most of your work colleagues feeling miserable because of these reasons. Shifts that got worse and worse during my time there due to the hours constantly changing for the worst, making shifts longer, having shifts on different days every week with productivity and working the staff even harder obviously in mind and not the staff's health and work/life balance. This is eventually what made me do something which I should have done years ago and quit this job, with many other people leaving after me for the same reasons. But this wasn't unusual as staff came and went all the time as they couldn't stand the work conditions. One of the worst jobs I've ever had, it made me miserable and depressed and I regret the amount of years I wasted there. Thankfully I now have a better job elsewhere which took a bit of getting used to as there is a much more positive atmosphere and management seem to know what they are doing.

I started at One Stop during full time education and do not consider this a career option. 

Typically I am expected to ensure that my co-worker is kept busy, the shop is looking nice, and that all tasks required of a supervisor are done on my shift. This may include reductions, temperature checks, stock investigation, replenishment, cleaning, returns, booking in deliveries and more. 

I try to perform my role to the best of my ability and keep on top of what is expected of me, generally this has served me well and I have had no complaints over my service or job performance during my tenure. 

I have been trained in the basic functions needed to perform my duties, any additional training is hard to judge, beyond what I have already mentioned I have received and been offered no additional training. I advanced to the role of supervisor out of necessity of the store rather than promotion from within, career prospects with this company are hard to come by and seemingly you have to be in the right place at the right time. 

Management within my store is something that has been a problem, during my 6 years working for One Stop I have had around 7 or so managers. The turnover is something which has not created a stable working environment, it is hard to predict what a new manager expects of you before doing so. Understandably each individual has their own way of doing things, and generally this is how they expect others to carry out the same tasks. 

Current management is rather poor, favoritism has become evident and the way staff are treated has become worse in recent months. Many staff members who have been performing the same role to the same level for years have found themselves put on review, no friendly warnings or even instruction for improvement have been given and it has created a hostile environment. The company claims to have values, such as treating each other how we would like to be treated and always try to help each other out, but these are not evident and haven't been for some time.

I have been performing the same role for 6 years and have become comfortable in what I do, the hardest part of the job is second guessing what the manager wants. Again this comes down to a lack of communication.

The most enjoyable part of the job is talking to customers and building a relationship with them.

I have been truthful in this review, and I do not wish to come across as an individual who cannot be considered for a position. However I do not feel I can give a glowing review for a company who does not adhere to their own values.



I have worked for this company for 4 years, first as a sales assistant, then step up, then shift manager, now being considered for management.

as a shift manager your work and tasks to accomplish are varied and you are free to take on extra tasks and to use your initiative to help the day to day running of the store. Training is very basic, often managers (we have had 6 in 4 years) are unsure themselves of certain back office procedures and how to correctly problem solve so you are dropped in the deep end and learn as you go hopefully.

advancement in the company is purely based on if your face fits. I have seen some employees passed up on for promotion when i have witnessed them perform tasks and run shifts as a step up or sales assistant more competently then shift managers on countless occasions. Some management have their position purely based on who they are related to, and if they have their own transport, not their competance, which is wrong and unfair to other staff.

staff turnover is high as sales assistants become bored easily and disheartened and never truly grasp the amount of workload that needs to be done between 2 people on shift. I remember my time as a sales assistant and it was not enjoyable.

promotion you should take with a pinch of salt. For the past 2 years i have been on countless training and courses for management and have jumped through hoops, but think i have been passed up because of my inability to drive. The company is a carrot dangler.

i have been happy in my job for the past 4 years, but because of the unfair way the current management staff are treated, as in false praise for the uninterested bone idle staff, and criticism for the competant staff, constantly being unequally pressurised, i have decided to look elsewhere now.

I think Onestop as a company isnt a bad place to work, and does have its perks, other than its lack of training available (sometimes the cdroms judt dont cut it)
I think the inequality of the relationships between staff and management and the unfair treatment of staff really effects an already hard job, and can leave you needlessly stressed and unhappy. The Team values, treat each other how we want to be treated and the same with customers, are just not met in this company.

I do not think the pay for the job is enough when you compare how much more a shift manager has to do compared to a sales assistant and added stress. The hours and shifts you work can be random based on the person who does the rota. This has been an honest review of a current employee.

The worst job I ever had.Hated it to its very core.I was told the job was permenant full time during my interview, when I was actually maternity cover the entire time and I wasn't told till 2 months before my hours where cut - bearing in mind I have bills and rent to pay.My manager was selfish and immature,always throwing her toys out of the pram if you ever came forward and offered the tiniest amount of criticism.She would take everything personally and bite back at you in the most vicious ways.
Money kept going missing and all the staff where directly accused of theft,to the point where all our activity was being intensely monitored.Any losses on your till and you would be deducted the shortage - no matter the amount,which angered me,as it was clear someone was stealing from my till,and it was coming out of my paycheck (essentially meaning I was working an hour or two for free).We where constantly placed in harms way - being pressured to lift things too heavy or being told to stand on shelf edges instead of using ladders.Multiple COSHH and Health & Safety laws where in breach.The male staff where made to empty the female sanitary waste bin - which is biological waste and should be disposed of by a company like Phs!!! There where broken freezers in the stock room leaking Carbon Monoxide and none of the staff knew that they had been broken for months - but the manager knew.I broke my toe on shift and was told I would be fine - I was not sent home or even provided first aid and the incident wasnt logged in an accident book.I had to stay and do my whole shift and wasnt aloud the following day off,so I came in and worked that shift too,in absolute agony.
On top of all this,I was constantly lone working in an unbelievably busy store,not being able to have a lunch break or even go to the toilet some days.If you didnt complete your endless list of jobs by the end of your shift,you would wake up to a terrible message in the work group chat or the boss would have a go at you for not working hard enough,even though some weeks you'd try as hard and possible,to the point you where crying from stress.There was no thankyou,no glimmer of appreciation for any hard work.At One Stop you are an overworked and underpaid dogs body - just another number.No reward for good behaviour,no gratitude for helping out or stretching yourself thin.No chance of career progression.And who cares about your mental and physical health? Definetly not management.Awful,hateful place.Destroyed my mental health and then left me in the dust when they'd finished.Avoid at all costs,its just not worth it,even if you are desperate.

I worked at one store from feb '14- april '15. It was two buses away or 25 minutes in the car. I had a 16 hour a week contract but often had to work about 24 hours a week. The most hours I worked in a week was just over 50. Most stores open at 6am and close at 10pm/11pm. You don't get paid before opening time or after closing time. You never finish on time because you can only cash up tills after you close or if the next CSA is counting out their till float as they start there is not time overlap. 
Jobs are easy, the worst job was putting every magazine in The Sun on a saturday morning as well as everything else you had to do. Which most of the time would be done before 6am. Time spent mostly on the till. My old store tried its best to work around my university timetable but still gave me too many hours. My pay was always wrong. I always had to add up my pay myself and chase my manager for money. In my old store you would do some 4 hours shifts and some 8 hour shifts. On the 8 hour shifts you would do 4 hours till and 4 hours stock. You needed a break from till in that store; I have been spat on, shouted at in my face, threatened to 'watch myself' all when asking for ID. I was not backed up by managers and my manager refused to ban those abusive to staff.
From april-may '15 I moved stores to a shop nearer home and it was terrible. They were plagued with armed robberies and its all customers and staff talked about which created an atmosphere. At that store everyone worked set shifts and I had no say or choice in what shifts I was put on. I got put on every Friday, Saturday, Sunday night and a night in the week to fulfil my 16 hours. Every time a car pulled up outside when it was dark -most of the time there was just me and another girl, one stop work one on one- we would be scared that it would be a robbery. At least here my pay was always correct. 
Area manager was disconnected and didn't seem to sincerely care about staff. Stands watching you serve customers with a clipboard and once asked me why I wasn't smiling. In this store, which wasn't busy, you would do 8 hours straight on the till not being allowed to get off the till at all. The old layout of the store meant bending over the counter was killing our backs. I get pain in my legs sometimes severely and once asked for a chair as I was almost in tears; I was told I would only get a chair if I was pregnant.
My family hated me working there, they were worried for my safety. My partner works there at the moment and I worry for his safety every time he goes to work.

I've worked for the company for four years and during that time I've been in two different stores and had four different managers. I've also been in two armed robberies, the first when I just started.

A typical day at work would involve checking your till cassette from the previous shift and then going out on the shop floor and taking someone off. You'd then start serving customers, while working stock for on average of eight hours. There's normally two people on, one on the till and another called a Shift manager who manages the CSA. Sometimes you'll get a third person during deliveries and promotion change.

During that time I learnt how to operate a till, face the store to high standards and operate a lottery terminal.

The management is hit or miss. If you have good management, who know how to actually manage people, then you can expect a much easier life. If you don't, then expect to be called in as people start getting too sick to get off their butt. Oh, and that contract you have with the company, for 16 hours? Means nothing. They'll call you in and expect you to work the whole day if needed. There is no set shifts so you could be working any day out of the seven during the week.

The workplace culture is tied to management, so if you have bad management expect bad culture and nothing getting done or followed up on. Not all the staff are equal and don't get treated equally. If you're a good worker then you'll be given more work and hours even if you don't want them while worst workers are kept to their contracted hours and the slack picked up by everyone else.

The hardest part of the job as a CSA is juggling serving people on the till and putting out stock. The manager will expect you to do both to a high standard and your colleagues will hate you for buzzing them (opening up a till). Customers are obnoxious for the most part as they expect you to be their best friend while your manager expects you to knock out stock like you're two different people. Also don't expect to get any support with customers and if they complain expect it to go to the area manager and say good bye to your minimum wage job.

The most enjoyable part of the job is having a laugh with your colleagues when you have the free time to do so.

Overall, the company knows you're worth nothing and will treat you like it. If you're friends with the staff and you need a bit of cash then this isn't the worst job you could possibly do, but my advice would be to give retail a miss and get into another field.

This job was just fine. Not great, but fine. What I liked about working here is I was actually offered a promotion but since I was headed to university I declined. This was a mistake on my part as it was possible that I could have been relocated to Huddersfield so looking back I should be thankful of the possibilities.
   I usually worked evening shifts, serving customers and stocking shelves unfornately too late leaving for a decent social life. I seemed to be given shifts no one else wanted but someone had to do it so its not too bad.
   One problem was the awkward customers but you can't change the way the public are so thats not a company's fault. You can fault them however for shoplifters and unruly youths wanting to buy alcohol. Onestop is owned by Tesco. Tesco has security guards. Onestop tends not to. The staff are not getting paid enough to deal with crime. This needs sorting out. Tesco also pays more for weekend work, Onestop does not. This is a problem.
   Another problem I had was I was never paid as a supervisor yet I was put in charge of the shop towards the end of my time there. This resulted in having to ring "head office" which was just a foreign call center as customers became increasingly irate. This so called "head office" is almost useless. I'd rather upper management answer for misleading the customers instead of someone who doesn't know the situation getting paid probably too little to be in something called "head office".
   Management was generally good on the shop level. I was well looked after and they were friendly with me and they cared about my rights. Occaisionally area managers would be in and nit pick but I guess that's their job and they did it in a very friendly manner. I was praised for doing the job well as the tasks on their own were well taught and achievable. I generally learned about a lot about retail.
   This Onestop did have a tendency for employing incompetent workers who sometimes would be sacked in 3 weeks and some of them were incompetent, had permanent jobs and were complete hypocrites. I wasn't pleased being supervised by a less intelligent co worker who does nothing and criticises me all the time. The staff should be well chosen and kept in line.
  Early on I was made to cover a lot of shifts at insufficient notice but this soon stopped.
  So this was a fine job with easy enough things to do harmed a little by bad co workers, and unruly customers but generally okay.

A typical day consists of many varying duties, mainly ensuring that all operations run smoothly and efficiently in the Store Manager’s absence.

The management role enables me to delegate tasks; working as a team we can complete these tasks and maintain the highest team standards. 

One of the main daily tasks is to keep store stock levels to the fullest, and investigating if and gaps appear. This is completed various ways, either through the stock files of the computer or by eye. The role requires me to be responsible for large amounts of cash, over seeing banking procedures and investigating into losses or discrepancies. 

As a Shift Manager it allows me more time on the shop floor, creating a strong customer relationship, developing the ability to comfortably deal and advert any situation. The relationship between the staff and consumers is paramount in store, with management working with co-workers to insure the great customer service. This provides and incentive for customer to shop in store and maintains store performance.   

The roles has enhanced my business acumen in the retail sector, allowing me to analysis profit and loss accounts, and understand the areas in deficit and develop a team plan that can put into plan to place to coincide. I continually strive to increase sales and exceed store targets  

The management role requires me to liaison with the store team to coach and develop their personal skills to a highest standard. The role has allowed myself to develop my training skills, and can comfortably train someone to the highest standard.

I have continually maintained high standards within my role, striving to develop professionally and proactively completing courses to enhance my role. Higher management could see the potential in me, which led to a Shift Manager promotion.

As a whole I don’t find my job hard. The only thing that I find difficult about the job sometimes is working on a one-to-one basis, sometimes there will be large tasks to be completed and I struggle to finish them, I think there should be more hours in the budget to account for this so extra help could be there to relieve the shift manager when these jobs need to be completed.

The thing I find most enjoyable about the job is the team we have developed; I have got a support needed, and have gained the respect from all the team.

You either work 6-2 or 2-10, with one other person, or two other people on busy days (delivery days). However, the sales assistants did MUCH more than what the shift managers do. In the morning, the sales assistants are expected to clean the coffee machine, do the reductions, whilst being on the till. If you were put on with a nice shift manager, they would help you so this would only take an hour max. However, if you was on with a lazy unhelpful shift manager it would take you about two hours, whilst they sat on their phones, smoking, or just sitting in the office! This could be very frustrating. I think this job solely depends on who you are on shift with. Most managers would have several breaks, eating in the morning, reading the paper, making hot drinks, sitting around for a while, whilst the sales assistant was doing everything for them. Another downside is you only have a 20 minute break in a 8 hour shift. There is a chilled delivery on certain days, and you are expected to mark it all off, and put it out, whilst serving people at the till... if you was on your own this would literally be impossible, and VERY frustrating. If you had a nice, experienced floater they would help you and you would work together. The management is not the best at all, they all moan about each other constantly and blame everything on each other. If someone ever rang in sick everyone would be saying they are making it up, they would make you feel very bad. They always have staff come and go, no one really lasts long. The management do expect the sales assistants to do a LOT, even sometimes they asked the sales assistants to do their jobs! Such as the more difficult tasks, whilst being on the till. This job would be easy if it was one task at a time, but whilst trying to do all of it whilst serving customers and constantly watching the till could be very very frustrating at times. If you see shop lifters the managers expect you to try and stop them... which could be very dangerous. Overall, I think the job depends who you are on with. Other sales assistants would understand how stressful it can be and actually help you, however managers would not help you at all but always expect you to help them. The advantages is that most of the customers are lovely, they can make your day, and the pay is good, £8.35 an hour.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Retail sales associate 3 salaries reported	£12.98 per hour
Store manager 2 salaries reported	£37,088 per year
Shift manager 1 salary reported	£45,000 per year
Human resources associate 1 salary reported	£29,250 per year
Customer service representative 1 salary reported	£45,000 per year

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