store manager

assistant store manager

manager

co-manager

assistant manager

Poundland

You'll earn minimum wage for working on your feet for around 8-10 hours a day with an unpaid break because they "need to save money by cutting people's hours for the budget". This means they'll give all the hours to people like myself who earn less for being under 25 according to the minimum wage rate, saving themselves money by not having to pay older staff while they have to work several jobs to get by. You'll risk breaking your back lifting boxes twice your size off high shelves but don't worry because if you voice your health concerns and show your injuries you'll get told "you'll get used to it", no matter how many cuts and bruises you're left with at the end of the day from heavy loads and ripping boxes with knives. Some days could be so debilitating I struggled to get home because I walked with a limp after being unable to sit down all day. 

Customers see you work in Poundland and seem to assume you must be stupid until you tell them you actually have a degree and just need work experience, because they've developed the impression that the only people who work here are uneducated people with minimal English. This isn't helped by the fact that there was no real vetting process in applying, I just handed in my CV and was hired the next day without any interview because they'll take whoever they can get. Health and safety goes out the window- their 'assessment' to teach you when you first start working there consists of some word-search and crossword puzzles, all of which you're encouraged not to work out for yourself because they give you a sheet with all the answers printed for you. The most health and safety training I received was reading an old poster about different fire extinguishers out in the staff hallway. 

Tried multiple times to clean spillages in aisles but was told to just put a wet floor sign up and go on the till instead- constantly prioritising making a 5-person queue shorter over preventing a customer slipping and hurting themselves. Felt like I was the only one who cared about making the shelves look presentable, any stock I saw them putting out was just shoved in random spaces or left in piles for someone else (or no-one) to deal with, even if they damaged products in their carelessness. Made some sections look relatively organised so maybe people would actually like to buy something but got told not to because "it's Poundland, you've made it look like John Lewis". So any time you show any consideration for the customer you are shot down for wasting time and energy that could be spent hiding the 60% damaged stock and deceiving customers further. Icing on the cake is finding a decomposing rat and cockroaches in the warehouse because nobody bothers to check or carry out any kind of health and safety or pest assessments it seems. 

On a good day you'll be on the till serving some friendly customers, ones who don't treat you like you're a leper and to whom they cannot be seen dead speaking as it seems a lot of customers do in this area. Be prepared for people who insult you for not knowing something or trying to help them but not finding what they're looking for, as "the customer is always right" is something some people take too literally. Management don't seem to know what they're doing half the time, even older staff members claim the store was run much better years ago before new management took over. Half the time they forget your name even when you're wearing a badge with it on in capital letters, other times they don't remember when you're working because they seem to churn the rota out once a week and never look at it again once it's pinned up. If you think customers are the only ones making assumptions about your intelligence, think again, because the managers can be the most condescending, patronising people you ever have the pleasure of meeting, not to mention calling you degrading pet-names like 'darling' and 'sweetheart'. 

The bright side is you can quickly build friendly relationships with your colleagues on the shop floor since you'll be working together till hours after closing time anyway and will have plenty of time to complain about dodgy management together. You'll learn how to work on the tills that go down so often they might as well be powered by a mouse on a wheel inside them, banking money from the safe and counting the cash from the tills with PC software, and how to chuck boxes full of stock on top of shelves no matter if it's in the right aisle.

Good luck getting to work early and planning on resting for 10-20 minutes before your hours begin because they'll see you there early and make you start when you get there for no extra pay. Also good luck asking for a copy of your contract because I never saw one, and people working there longer have asked for theirs and been manipulated to believe they already had one and must have lost theirs. Dodgy on all fronts. You'll never see a weekend or sociable hour again unless you can manage to book one off with your holidays weeks in advance. Basically a health and safety obstacle course, you'll be met with baskets full of misplaces products left on the floor in easy-to-trip places, along with cardboard boxes (empty or full, take your pick) ready to block the aisles next to the spills and broken pieces of products.  

Anyone to whom I mentioned my resignation all supported me and said to get out of there while I had the chance, and good riddance before I spent another day limping home covered in bruises and cuts wrapped in plasters. Only work here if you are desperately in need of cash and lack skills for working elsewhere.

Outsiders may perceive this as just another 'shop job', but believe me, from the time that I've been working here (which is more than 6 months), this is real schooling of what defines working in a fast-paced environment.

Depending on what your Management team prescribe for you to deliver in your role from the outset, for me, I was primarily on the shop floor to manage a particular section of which predominantly consists in optimum levels of fill and a display that meets the guidelines of the store/company. 

You have to take into consideration that as this is a pound-store, stock is expected to empty the shelves at relatively fast levels. This means you could be spending a 4 hour shift working a pallet of stock, filling the shelves, the replenishing. As there are busy periods of traffic, be prepared to be 'hit'! Yep, displays can be trashed and that means, tidying and restoring back to it's former glory - frequently a lot of the time.

Whilst working on the shop-floor, I have also assisted till-staff in order to minimize the queuing traffic and be a team player.

As mentioned from the outset, this is real-schooling compared to a lot of other types of Sales-Assistant duties elsewhere. Often, like myself, you do feel as though you are taking on 2 persons jobs or accommodating another job title which in my experience is overlooked and doesn't really get the recognition it should by the people above you. I've learned though that this requires time, commitment, drive, energy and a positive mindset. In some instances, you need to be able to develop a thick skin such as the demands of the job.

Describing management, I would say due to the nature of the job, and the culture, I have mixed feelings towards the people that I have worked and dealt with. Let's just say that no two days are the same, so you don't know what to expect. If you're somebody like me who commands respect, is sensitive, and expects to be acknowledged on arrival of shift and departure of shift, then in my experience, you have to be surrounded by people who care and can relate well. A simple 'Hello' or 'good morning' with a smile doesn't cost a penny. There have been times when I have experienced kindness, however, I have had a fair few days where I've gone home, and then on reflection have cried myself to sleep.

All this, for a 16 hour contract paying the minimum wage and hardly any promotion prospects or benefits. Being a sufferer of depression has meant that I've had to learn to prepare myself better mentally - especially when in contact with management.

In relation to my co-workers, on the whole, I don't have or haven't really had any problems as such and in general, I get a long with practically everyone (so it seems). However, as it is quite in close proximity, staff tend to bump into one another on a frequent basis, and stuff does tend to get mentioned and so-called confidential matters become common knowledge. The confidentiality is a bit of an issue as it can be difficult to enlist a one-to-one with management team without a member of staff homing in on a conversation.

There are some who do keep their head down and strive to graft, however there are a few that I've worked with both on the tills and the shop-floor who are lazy, not a driven, complacent, and generally uncaring and unenthusiastic. I'm sure Poundland was not everyone's first choice, and dream job, but it's a one-hundred times better than being unemployed, you're paid weekly, and there's a sense of pride (no matter what), knowing that you've grafted tooth and nail for that beer you might be sharing with your pals down the pub.

The way the set up is in a stand alone 4 hour shift, you do your time, and you then are ready to go home. You're not always on the same shift as another colleague or one of which you might be a bit pally with, so you don't often see them, and have that luxury of breaks and lunches like in a more conventional set up of 8 hour days. You can't therefore have that allowance to get to know somebody a little more on a personal level, and develop a relationship.

Not all doom and gloom, and there has been highs and enjoyable parts of the job. I do get excited about rearranging shelf-displays and merchandising. I do enjoy pulling in the delivering of pallets, and working through them. I have improved my physical fitness and feel a lot stronger. Having previously been in an office, I have often felt fatigue, where as working on the shopfloor and being on my feet for a 4 hour shift (sometimes longer), again, keeps me fit and more than anything, keeps me occupied.

It's also the best feeling getting paid weekly and even better when you're given extra hours.

I would say there are lots of skills to acquire from this job; for example, being creative, innovative, thinking on your feet, being able to multi-task, and face-to-face interaction with customers. For those who have been out of work, this can certainly be used as a platform to reestablish yourself in the market, and become a more attractive proposition to prospective employers.

What can I say about my time here at the Wellingborough Poundland store. Management break the rulebook everyday. Pretty much useless with no people skills and couldn’t give a monkeys about staff. Whilst Sales Assistants will be working stock, answering tills and facing all at once management will be sat in the backrooms talking amongst each other non work related.

If you’re on shift with 2 other people (if you’re lucky) expect to be doing pretty much everything on your own with no support then have a manager question you when his Schindler's List of jobs aren’t done.

Our current manager is a manipulative, egotistical brainsack that will happily get off on humiliating anyone he doesn’t like, clearly I wasn’t liked because I spoke my mind one day to him. Nobody likes him nor do the customers because of his behaviour. He’s built a reputation for himself, unless you’re a backside kisser and kiss your way up to the position to take advantage of vulnerable staff then don’t bother. 

The assistant manager was probably just as bad! More faces than a dice! An SJW materialistic women. Lazy and unhelpful. I was told to “stop having a strop” after a serious breakdown on tills so they don’t take mental health seriously even though you state you have a mental illness on record. 

You aren’t recognised for your hard work because all the recognition goes towards the managers pets and this was clear enough on night and day shifts where I had to work every night shift and weekends for 2 years. Don’t bother ringing in sick either as you get treated like a criminal for it and questioned about something unrelated to your current illness. Again with manipulation tactics. It’s all to suit managers agendas. 

If you were friends with the manager you got away with a lot and do less. Often having my hours cut and given to someone else who was just as lazy as them. They don’t seek out the great employees they only see what they want to see. Always changing the rota couple of times a week then you get the chop for missing a shift even though they changed it 2 days prior with no communication. 

Promotions are only given to friends and our manager will not hire anyone new to the company for supervisor role as there’s too much to learn for such a poorly paid wage.  I was a supervisor for 6 months and stepped down due to bullying and had stressful amounts of work piled on night shifts, we would clear all deliveries and never get a thanks but they were always thanking his friends. Such a great bloke!

So much illegal activities went on behind the scenes at our store. Management using under 17s to work 13 hour shifts (I have proof), not doing proper fire checks and doing under contracted hours at one point. Staff are scared to speak up just incase they cut their hours and isolate them from the team.

The pay is pure awful! 4 hour shift for minimum wage not even taking home £25 at the end of the day. All to be treated like a disposable rocking horse. Looked down on, overworked and made me pick up after everyone who can’t be bothered to do so themselves.

Mental health just deteriorated overtime working here so did a lot of the other staff. Some went home in tears and after the manager had stopped most overtime for sales assistants it all goes towards the supervisors now. Not a fair system in place and clear favouritism and the man still gets his bonus at the end of every year. 

All in all I enjoyed most of the staff there and some were abit too faced but I’ve moved on now. I work for a better company that pays more, actually feel something of value and my hard work is recognised. Poundland offered me nothing but grief and the management is some of the worst I’ve ever come across in my years of retailing. 

WELLINGBOROUGH STORE IS A JOKE AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED IF YOU HAVE A WORKING BRAIN!

What can I say about my time at Poundland. Management break the rulebook everyday. Pretty much useless with no people skills and couldn’t give a monkeys about staff. Whilst Sales Assistants will be working stock, answering tills and facing all at once management will be sat in the backrooms talking amongst each other non work related.

If you’re on shift with 2 other people (if you’re lucky) expect to be doing pretty much everything on your own with no support then have a manager question you when his Schindler's List of jobs aren’t done.

Our current manager is a manipulative, egotistical man that will happily got off on humiliating anyone he didn't like, clearly I wasn’t liked because I spoke my mind one day to him. Nobody likes him nor do the customers because of his behaviour. He’s built a reputation for himself, unless you’re a backside kisser and kiss your way up to the position to take advantage of vulnerable staff then don’t bother. 

The assistant manager was probably just as bad! More faces than a dice! An SJW materialistic women. Lazy and unhelpful. I was told to “stop having a strop” after a serious breakdown on tills so they don’t take mental health seriously even though you state you have a mental illness on record. 

You aren’t recognised for your hard work because all the recognition goes towards the managers pets and this was clear enough on night and day shifts where I had to work every night shift and weekends for 2 years. Don’t bother ringing in sick either as you get treated like a criminal for it and questioned about something unrelated to your current illness. Again with manipulation tactics. It’s all to suit managers agendas. 

If you were friends with the manager you got away with a lot and do less. Often having my hours cut and given to someone else who was just as lazy as them. They don’t seek out the great employees they only see what they want to see. Always changing the rota couple of times a week then you get the chop for missing a shift even though they changed it 2 days prior with no communication. 

Promotions are only given to friends and our manager will not hire anyone new to the company for supervisor role as there’s too much to learn for such a poorly paid wage. I was a supervisor for 6 months and stepped down due to bullying and had stressful amounts of work piled on night shifts, we would clear all deliveries and never get a thanks but they were always thanking his friends. Such a great bloke!

So much illegal activities went on behind the scenes at our store. Management using under 17s to work 13 hour shifts (I have proof), not doing proper fire checks and doing under contracted hours at one point. Staff are scared to speak up just incase they cut their hours and isolate them from the team.

The pay is pure awful! 4 hour shift for minimum wage not even taking home £25 at the end of the day. All to be treated like a disposable rocking horse. Looked down on, overworked and made me pick up after everyone who can’t be bothered to do so themselves.

Mental health just deteriorated overtime working here so did a lot of the other staff. Some went home in tears and after the manager had stopped most overtime for sales assistants it all goes towards the supervisors now. Not a fair system in place and clear favouritism and the man still gets his bonus at the end of every year. 

All in all I enjoyed most of the staff there and some were abit too faced but I’ve moved on now. I work for a better company that pays more, actually feel something of value and my hard work is recognised. Poundland offered me nothing but grief and the management is some of the worst I’ve ever come across.

AVOID IF YOU HAVE A WORKING BRAIN!

I don’t even know where to start this review, as there are so many things that are wrong with this company. But I can’t stress this enough - avoid this place at any costs and find a better place to work.
The only good thing about this store is the colleagues that I worked with - they were all nice and friendly, except for the management. But I will tell you about the management later.

Working conditions. The conditions are really poor in the store, the equipment is either old or broken, something is constantly breaking down, and they don’t really bother to fix it. Or they fix it so poorly, that it breaks down the next day. The roof is leaking, so if it’s raining you might see buckets on the shofloor to collect the leaking water. Same thing could happen if the are problems with the toilets. Another huge issue with the store is air conditioning. Or, to be more exact, there’s none. Yes, you read that right, there’s no heating or air conditioning in the store for the second year in a row. In the winter the temperature in the store barely reaches +15 degrees, and the only provided heating is 5 electric radiators for the entire store, which means that it doesn’t help at all. In the summer you will get three fans to cool the air down, but they are no help as well. 

Management. The management is constantly changing, new or transferred people come and go, and because of the way things are managed here, no one stays here for long. It used to better when I just started working here, but it got worse and worse over the time and after every new manager (over the 3 years they changed 5-6 times). Some of them were really professional and helpful, but the rest were caring more about their image as a manager, than actual work. If you are still willing to work after reading this, then be prepared to be constantly receive mean comments, and just get used to the fact that whatever you do, it will never be good enough. The management barely helps on the shop floor (usually only when the upper management is coming to the store, because then everything has to be perfect), so don’t expect any help on the tills or with the delivery, as the manager will spend most of his time on the phone or in the office. By the way, if you will stay for the delivery, there’s only going to be two of you, and you will have to take heavy cages, sometimes with broken wheels, all the way to the warehouse, where you will struggle to put them in the lift because of the damaged floor. Also, don’t even try to point out the management mistakes, as they will simply ignore them. But if you will do something wrong, it won’t go off that easily.

Please, if you are reading this, avoid this place. The lack of professional behaviour, poor working conditions, favoritism, all makes it unbearable. And the pay? Not worth it at all. You can definitely find a better job with a better pay, and better working conditions.

Typical day at work: (most people only work 4 hour shifts)
arrive and sign in, check work with supervisor, work (mostly on your own), if you can't get everything done and your in the next day you get told off by the manager for not doing everything.

Management:
the managers are all told that they have a certain amount of time to get things out, so they will force workloads sometimes double what most other companies do most of the time they won't even keep to the contracted hours (such as if you give them certain hours you can work within due to personal reasons they can just turn round after they hire you and say well if you don't like it quit, we lost almost 20 people due to these type of scedule) and you can end up working double your contract hours such as 16 hour contracts working 32 hours+.

Workplace culture:
most people on the shop floor are generally quite stressed due to overwork, if the delivery team can't get everything done the rest of the work will be pushed onto other staff your lucky if you get out on time most nights (some shifts have been up to 2 hours late out), but most shop floor staff generaly get along with each other and most supervisors.

Teams are:
Delivery team (get all delivery out) maybe 6 people at most through the day (usually early morning).
Drop fill team (drop and fill from top stock) 3-4 people throughout the day (late morning through to late afternoon).
Evening team (emergency fills, face up, clean store ready for opening the next day, and if fill team hasn't finished delivery that falls on them) 1 or 2 people usually depending on store and manager and day (usually late afternoon through until 1 hour after close).
Till team (general till duties and put backs) usually 2 people changing throughout the day for fresh ones.
Supervisors (general supervisory duties during the day and cash up at the end of the night) around 2 during the day and usually 1 supervisor at night.
Management (mostly office work, at least for my managers) 1 manager and 1 assistant manager.

Hardest part of the job:
The amount of stress shop floor staff are put under to fill the store as the amount of time given in some stores can be very unreasonable (for fill shifts they want about 30 mins per pallet of stock which can be 10 feet high and mixed stock) and if you fail to meet those standards you get chewed out by the manager.

most enjoyable part of the job:
getting out on time at the end of the night (otherwise it just extreme stress).

Overall disappointing workplace riddled with a culture of bullies from the management all the way to the top of HR. 

The hiring process is basically if you can walk and have a working brain you’re hired! You’re made to sign all these availability documents, health and safety forms that don’t even match up to the working environment. Managers ignore hazards all the time and never bother to listen to the staff when a customer complains. 

Constant shoplifting and watching people without back up. Been knocked and abused by shoplifters and even customers because they think you must be under qualified to work here and you’re basically useless.

You are not cared for and treated like nothing. Managers change rota’s with only a days notice and wing staff every shift. Health and safety goes out the window here with shelves almost hanging off and the warehouse is riddled with cardboard and broken glass. Most of the staff get manipulated on a daily basis, their is no fair planning when it comes to rota’s. Lazy morning staff get the easy laid back shifts and the hard workers always got the awful night shifts and sometimes late shifts only to come in and tidy up which can take hours sometimes running over finishing time, something that the other staff couldn’t ever do.

The pay is your standard minimum wage but again the pay doesn’t match up with the job role and what you have to do in reality. Chasing shoplifters all day, pushing pallets out and dealing with stressful customers is not worth minimum wage and on peanut contracted hours. 

If you suffer from a mental illness I wouldn’t bother working here, I left most of these shifts feeling depressed and worthless, driving home miserable on a 4 hour tidy up shift. Made to do 1000 jobs that management were supposed to do including cleaning toilets and scraping stains on the walls in the warehouse. This is not what I signed up to do. The culture is “team work and great ethic” but there’s a fine line between teamwork and use & abusing your staff making you do jobs people 100 years ago did. 

Just gobsmacked at how the company don’t even reply to the reviews here, it speaks volumes about the way they treat the staff and how the shop illegally operates on a day to basis. Some lovely customers from time to time and can get along with the collegues easily but apart from that, please find somewhere else.

Read the reviews before working here.

Being a retail sales assistant at Poundland is generally good when management are not involved but is spoiled by management mistreatment. Chances to advance into management roles are open to all colleagues and there are many opportunities. Unfortunately my experience saw the relationship between management and staff as generally adversarial. There was often a need to put you in your place for no reason except that
it's in some management rule book some where. The supervisors were expected to be accusative to show the manager that they could manage staff and management is always right, even when they are wrong. Even worse was pay was often undercut to save money so the manager would get a brownie point from his bosses from head office. Staff were always complaining about it and the manager was always bluffing that he/she would look into it..... don't get me started on holiday pay being short paid... on such a regular basis that going on holiday was stressful, knowing that they would probably not book the holiday properly, so head office would pay only a little holiday money. For example, you'd book 5 day's on the holiday form and hand it into the management and they'd book two days into the computer system, so you'd get paid two days holiday with 3 days unpaid absence. It's so easy to cheat staff that's it's you against them every week. Meanwhile management are often cheating the company by working less hours but logging in longer hours. I was informed that many managers throughout my region were caught out and sacked by head office after a special head office clean up operation and investigation. Not to forget that over the many years of my employment at Poundland and working with several different managers and supervisors, many supervisors and managers were caught stealing money from the cash office, from my branch or other branches, or they actually got away with the money when they fled back to their native country. My final years were drab and unmotivated. Who in there right mind would feel loyalty to this bunch of hypocrites, thieves and liars, constantly grinding staff down day after day? I believe Poundland stands for something of value in the community, but unfortunately it is very rotten at it's core and needs fixing for the sake of staff wellbeing.

This is possibly the worst company to work for.

You're expected to do the workload of 3-4 people in a 4 hour shift, and your attitude and effort is questioned when you are unable to complete tasks. 

Hours are dependent on whether the store hits targets. That's fine. However, when it changes in the same week, and are then pressured to take extra hours after committing to plans with family and friends, it's horrible. And to top it off, again, you're mocked when you don't accept more hours at such short notice. Management also forget that if you keep asking such a small pool of employees to work 7-10 days in a row, with no time off, having originally given them 2-3 days off, they'll fall sick, or suffer from burnout, and not perform properly.

Regarding till staff, Poundland are obsessed with "product focus". This is where you have to ask every customer if they'd like to buy 'x' product, which is usually unhealthy chocolate or sweets. Till staff are then told off and punished if they don't hit 5%. It's crazy. It doesn't make any significant difference to the store's figures, and the till staff in question can have clean tills, and have their till figures bang on, but they're deemed useless if they don't sell much product focus. It's time Poundland scrapped this ludicrous form of judging their employees for a start.

There's also a common theme with supervisors and managers at Poundland. They like to control people, and have a go at everything. There's no atmosphere or sense of a 'team spirit'. Everyone's too busy trying to stab each other in the back.

As sales assistants, you're always expected to go above and beyond, but your hard work is never recognised. It's forgotten about, and dare to forget to do one thing from a list of 50, you're left facing ridicule. There's no such thing as loyalty in Poundland. They'll throw you out the moment they decide you don't fit into their desire to control and manipulate.

It wouldn't surprise me if this company is the next one to close. They're expecting way too much from their staff, and even deliveries now do not include best selling products for weeks.

I never realised, having now started elsewhere, how similar to mental abuse working for Poundland actually is. It's wonderful working for a new company, with decent managers, and you feel that your hard work is recognised and remembered in the long term (even if it's not acknowledged straight away). 

Please, for your health and sanity, avoid Poundland.

I had to work unpaid hours at the end of every single shift in order to complete the work I had to do and not leave extra work for the next person, which i did every day without complaint. 

When I asked to speak to a manager about something very important I was ignored for days then when i insisted was asked why the manager should stop working just to speak to me (I thought that WAS his job) and was told to make an appointment out with my working hours, but within the managers shift to speak to him! I have worked in retail my whole life and have never been told to speak to management outwith my working hours (but within theirs!) 

I was accused of not being a team player and when I pointed out I was working unpaid hours every shift just to make up for poor management I was told "we appreciate that". Obviously they did not appreciate that in the slightest yet expected it to be done without question as I was also expected to cancel plans at the last minute and come in early with no notice at the drop of a hat, and saying no to these requests means management will refuse to do their jobs.
I left because of this bad management but not everyone is lucky enough to be able to.

Excellent team leaders really do their best to support staff, but no matter how hard they try there's not much they can do with that kind of management.

Assistant manager left because of this man and told area manager that his behaviour was why she had to leave...they moved her to another shop and left him in charge of employees. Says it all really.

How happy you are at poundland will depend entirely on the attitude of your manager. If you get a decent manager it would probably be a decent job. But if you get a bad one they will be left to treat staff as they please, even assistant managers complaints will be ignored. Assistant manager had taken me aside on a few occasions to say I was good at my job and encourage me. Manager never did anything but criticise every time he saw me.Almost seemed to be a personal problem with me, but i turned up on time for every shift, never took full breaks and stayed late every night. I really don't know what more I could have done.

Since I left the store several others have left too, all for the same reason. Upper management continues to ignore this.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Store manager 13 salaries reported	£26,846 per year
Assistant store manager 6 salaries reported	£23,083 per year
Manager 1 salary reported	£17,500 per year
Co-manager 23 salaries reported	£21,029 per year
Assistant manager 3 salaries reported	£23,000 per year

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