logistics manager

trade assistant

store manager

stock manager

shift leader

The Entertainer

A typical day at work would be on the Tills most of the time, bringing items forward on the shelves, making space for new items, scanning products to check for price change, printing new labels, re arranging stock on shop floor, bringing more stock upstairs. During all this I learnt to operate epos systems, use a Till with scanner, add discounts or price reduction & navigate the system. The my learning pool was also available to study at home for advice on healthy living, knowledge about the company, product reveil  with a series of videos and more.
 Management was fantastic for most parts the training was very upper class, unfortunately failed a bit when breaks were issued to soon or too late, asked to do jobs no one else had to do cause I was the tallest like wipe the logo outside or pull the string deco down, which I didn't feel offended by and just got on with the job. When asked to peel stickers from the floor during oppening hours I was a bit confused, was the last week and was asked if i'd like extra hours, little did I know it was to be over pressured with late or too early breaks & allot more work, mainly cause one Manager had fallen sick. I also feel Manager could of been a bit stricter with other members of staff in regards to Mopping shop floor & keeping staff fridge free from smells & in regards to myself, asking me to mopp entire shop floor solo in 30mns was a big challenge and did 90% 1st time asked, I had to really push myself, second time I brought a spare mop incase another member of staff had time which they did.
 The work culture I arrived to would describe as a bit lazy, not mopping floor correctly or cleaning down Till areas enough, stairs were never swept or mopped, was something I offered to do.
 Hardest part of the job for me was having to take a break at 11am on final day having started at 9am(only 1 hour unpaid break per day) & on top of that having to work downstairs all day sorting shelves so a break later would of been ok. 2nd hardest part doing manual lifting up shelves to store Christmas stock & then asked to work on tills in a sweat which I still did with great customer service. Also dealing with and avoiding germs due to the time of year and pandemic, also  few members of staff fell sick and prior to me getting the job, one of the reasons I believe I got the job on the day of interview.
 The most enjoyable parts of the Job was the learning & working on the tills, making the kids happy & friendly Customers, also having a wide selection of places to go for lunch.

A typical day would be an unrealistic time frame for stocking delivery whilst management would sit in the office and talk, occasionally they would jump on the tills and do minimum transactions whilst selling some add-ons to artificially have their percentage in the %10-20 every week just hold it over the heads of other members of staff who struggle to hit target when doing hundreds of transactions per week.

Treatment towards staff was horrible due to things like:

When calling in sick they would say things like "You don't sound very ill" over the phone and be very unpleasant.

They take advantage of younger members of staff with no regard or concern, such as one of the team was 17 at the time and bound by public transport was given 10pm finishes despite management knowing that their journey home would take over an hour.

You would often get blamed for mistakes you didn't make or just something made up on the spot so it could be used as justification for cutting down extra hours they promised before hand to give it to other members of staff (This would happen to members of staff who they knew had very bad anxiety affecting their mental health).

Management are incapable at articulating tasks and how they wanted them to be completed so you would often be given very vague instructions and left to your own devices which would lead to being spoken to in a very patronizing or belittling manner.

I was constantly declined a longer hour contract on the basis that I was under trained which I didn't feel was true after being trained by the previous sales assistants and working there over 7 months, later that same role was given to a Christmas temp wasn't trained in anything past health and safety who had worked in retail for all of two months, It often felt like they wanted to keep me on a low hour contract so I wouldn't decline extra hours if there happened to be any for that week. 

Two weeks before the Covid-19 lock down I wanted to wear gloves and a mask to try to protect the people I lived with as they were high risk, I was laughed out of the office and told I couldn't wear them as it would cause panic with customers.  

relatively speaking If it wasn't for management being such a joke the job isn't too bad with the nature of  tasks and responsibility, It would've been one of the more relaxed retail roles I've had.

I can't speak for other locations but avoid the Wakefield Branch.  

Started work here in a New store which was Brand new opening.

1st had the group Interview which was fun and full off great team based content. 

once offered the job (20-hour contracts) , we were then given a weeks training.. of which was 2nd to non .. at a local hotel for a week.. of which was pretty much  9-5 mon-fri ..  excellent training given again by a great team. which covered pretty much everything.. faultless training 

we then had 1 week of merchandising training.. with it being a new store.. when we 1st went in it was empty.. but they have a set-up team which helps train you in merchandising how the entertainer as a ccompany want it.. again this was very well done with a full team v friendly and helpfull who where more than happy to assist in helping and more  importantly explaining how and why they do things the way they do.

when shop opened we had 2 specialists in who have been with the company many years helping us.. again faultless and friendly and helpfull.

my one and ONLY gripe with the Entertainer (who are in the top 100 companies to work for list)  is the Contracts...  as much as i understand majority of their business is done in the christmas period.   if you expect more than 20 hours a week contract.. or even more than 20 hours a week. that most  likely wont happen. as simply not busy enough to warrent the management giving staff more than 20 hours a week.

but if 20 hour contract is what your after then you cant go wrong with working here

working in a toy shop is amazing.. and  once a week at least we do demos with the public and customers..  playing with the toys with the children and parents... who wouldnt want to get paid to  play with toys :)

on a whole faultless company who have a great work ethic.. great ethics  regarding charitys and items they sell.

the people above/below going on about pressure on selling.. are over doing it and must be disgruntled ex employees.. as yes we are asked to sell what they call add-ons.... which is stuff like batteries.. cards ,,, wrapping paper etc etc.. but thats the same for ANY retail store.. as end of the day they are a business and their business is selling as much as their stock as they possibly can.. in which to do so is via great customer service..  of which if your not asking and/or giving great customer service by offering add-ons etc etc then your not doing your  job properly

My time at the entertainer was absolutely ridiculous. There was absolutely no progression whatsoever and if you’re on a smaller contract you are not taken seriously, your thoughts and opinions are basically invalid. You are expected to stand on a till for hours on end while the ‘favourite’ staff members get to deal with deliveries and other ‘more important’ tasks. The training itself was rubbish and does not prepare you for what everyday at the shop is like. You’re not allowed to tidy during the day and have to rush to get everything sorted within a short space of time at the end of the day. Management always claimed to care about people’s problems but were expected to ‘leave them at the door’ like dropping personal issues is that easy. You are constantly told you aren’t good enough and that you should be like other people, but they won’t show you how to progress and when you ask them to show you how to do something properly they laugh and say ‘how do you not know how to do this’. 
Time off was difficult to get as often it’d be short staffed and you’d be made to feel guilty for having a sick day when you really weren’t well. You can ask for a week off when you’re due your holiday days but you won’t get the week you requested it’ll just be put in randomly, especially on a smaller contract (30hours and managers are more important than you). The add-on scheme is ridiculous, you’re expected to get a certain percentage of them each day and if yours was low you’d get file noted. You have to offer multiple things on the till and completely bombard customers when they’re just picking a few things. You’re pushed and pushed and pushed and you still get bad mouthed and basically told that you’re not as good as the 30 hours. 
It’s poorly run and not only by the staff in this particular store but in general too. Faith and company morals on the outside but behind closed doors is just a huge corporate company that couldn’t care less about you. 
Don’t be fooled by the welcome. 
If you get offered a job there. Run.

I don’t know what I questioned more, my job promotion or my sanity.

Don’t get me wrong, the company was great to work with at first, team work, values, benefits but I suppose in time, like many things, things started to drift. 

I’ve worked in retail since I was 18 and left just shy of being 32 (nearly 5 years in the business) so it was like any other retail job, yet it wasn’t like any other retailer I’ve worked for before. The values of the company were great it was all about the people and it was something I could really get behind. I was given the responsibility of my own section so I could really get behind my work. In time I had eventually trained to be a key holder, which as a sales assistant was great as I’ve never had that opportunity before. This meant I could run the shop when management weren’t available to do so. 

But like all good things, it had to come to an end. Unfortunately within the last year things started to take their toll. Unrealistic targets set by head office (how are you meant to sell bubble swords in the pouring rain), not much work/life balance (although the company swore by this), unfairness over booking holidays, not being treated right by members of the company, when I had complaints or cause for concern this went unanswered, even more so when I went to the area manager about my concerns. 

Nobody seemed to care about your happiness unless people were coming through the door and money was going into the till.

Countless times I had shared my thoughts and feelings to be shot down and not given a care about. This, to me, is something I can’t and won’t stand for.

Unfortunately after nearly 5 years in the business I had left. This wasn’t something that was even acknowledged by staff members higher up in the chain, the only response I had back was ‘great, where am I going to get cover for days off’. And I question, is that all I was used for? 

I worked for The Entertainer for over 8 years. To begin with it was a fun role, as the job description describes really, however it has rapidly changed for the worse in recent times. Unrealistic targets, huge workload/deliveries and very low staffing hours. 
The IT systems are outdated and trying to get things fixed when they breakdown is a job in itself. Complete lack of tools needed to perform your role to the maximum including help with employee issues. Because of the company stance on looking after employees it's especially difficult to remove poor performers from your team. HR will advise a whole rigmarol just to get the ball rolling on performance management, often leading to months of frustration. When you already have a thread-bare team, having to spend hours dealing with problems is not ideal leading to you falling even further behind on the day to day. You really cannot afford to have an underperformer. 
All the fun has gone and management are essentially just glorified shelf stackers. They expect commerciality but in reality you just don't have the time between working the ridiculous sized deliveries, promotion changeovers, managing staff & dealing with the customer service aspect. 
Stores are massively understaffed to cope with the expected standards & workload and I often found myself working extra days/hours unpaid just to keep up with the day to day tasks. You'd be lucky to receive any type of praise for working yourself to the bone.
The stockholding is a joke for the size of store. The product range is huge and so much cheap tat. 
Customers treat the place like a playground for their offspring and you're forever tidying up the constant mess.

I worked at The Entertainer for 4 years whilst attending university! I was a Christmas Crew member originally before they employed me full time.
What a pleasure it was to work for a family-orientated company. They were extremely caring and took your personal situations very seriously. They would make every effort to move your shifts if something came up. I made great relationships with colleagues, always feeling supported. I now have friends for life.
Don't get me wrong, there are times where it was extremely challenging, especially during the Christmas period. You will be busy putting out stock, ordering items into store, creating customer relationships, demonstrating products, setting up promotions etc. However, when looking back at my time there, it was probably the most fun I've ever had. 
The workplace culture is very different at The Entertainer in comparison to anywhere else. Area managers and those above not only look to employ intelligent retail managers with the knowledge and drive to take the company forward, but they ask for that little bit more. They search for those who will bring a fun, exciting atmosphere and be there for all staff members at all times.
I wouldn't hesitate to go back if there was a position in the company that suited me. I highly reccommend this company to anyone out there. Whether you are looking for a part time job or to sink your teeth into the business and move into the company looking for that special career. There are plenty of opportunities to better yourself with online training and modules, as well as internal opportunities for promotions etc. 
A huge thank you to The Entertainer family and let the playground thrive.

Avoid this job if you don't want anxiety coming into your shifts everyday not knowing if you are going to come in and be told not come back! If staff are underperforming these are highlighted on the walls in the BOH area for all staff to see including threatening messages. If goals aren't met you would also receive threatening and angry WhatsApp messages from the manager regarding sales targets and sale addons. If you are struggling with tasks or workload you are offered no support and except just file notes that go straight to HR rather than any improvement plans or support. If you are underperforming they will most likely tell you to not come back even though other members of staff are allowed long periods of leave and are still able to be under employment. You should not be scared of your management team or scared to ask for help. You should also be having private conversations regarding your performance, it was extremely humiliating and dehumanising to come in and be belittled everyday. Management always said reaching sales targets wasn't hard and would complain about them not being reached by staff but they were able to when normal staff spend around 2 hours a day on the till and most of the time the manager or supervisor only have 1 hour allocated that they usually don't do or will come over late and you are expected to deal with it which can again impact your targets negative spending more time than they are. I hope something happens of this review because I imagine with a good manager and good upper management you would feel happy, supported and happy to come to work. 

Managment was a young girl off about 21 and she was very immature in dealing with alot off older men and her stroppy attitude and rudeness was visable 8 out off ten times when you would arrive at work. She was very unfriendly and had her favourites who she spoke to and would ignore you for the whole shift unless she had to shout orders at you. When she had any problem with staff she would work with other managers to get rid off them instead off mediating the issues and leave the team with one less staff member resulting in more pressure on the team. Her other manager friend who was a tall male was ver stuck up and patorising towards me and never spoke on a friendly manner to me resulting in me thinking he did not like me which I was confused because he never took the time to get to know me. The Owner and his son were Golden down to earth and so cool. His son helped out with the unpacking off the stock during the xmas period becuase the silly girl got rid off staff leaving us in the pits. The owner gave the team a present at the end off shift but we never got a thank you from managment. Overall I would say if you dont fit in with the crowd you be alienated and uf you dont beg for attention form the mamngement yoyur a trouble maker. I would only work there on short contracts because most off the managment are immature brings there personal life and problems into work and takes it out on the staff. It took alot for me to hold back as my last job was being a Manager and I could spot lots off failings with the style off the managment team.

Essentially the job isn't to bad, you've just got to sell your sole to the devil, which is funny considering Gary Grant (the owner of The Entertainer) is a born again Christian. 
My Experience working there started out great but I was put under constant pressure to achieve sales targets (Mainly batteries [to be honest GP Ultra are great] and any tat that they want to flog if it's linked into a film/TV series or seasonal [you end up flogging the same stuff year after year]).
I was unfortunate to have a manager who used the store as if it was her own. If you spoke to customers or friends/family who popped into store shopping for to long you'd get told off, yet she was allowed. She would also go out on personal shopping sprees for hours at a time telling the assistant manager and supervisor to cover for her in case the Area Manager called. I was there years and this happened endlessly.

The store I was in didn't acknowledge talent either. I excelled at everything that was thrown my way and it was ignored. They would hire staff that were incapable of the simplest tasks and ignore issues that arose such as bullying, mental health issues and staff with extreme personal hygiene issues.

The management, the whole "don't mention we're a Christian company" ethos, the pressured work environment and the rubbish you put up with for such a low wage is off putting. If you have a good team of sales assistants around you, you'll get by. I didn't have this either so how I lasted so long I must have been desperate.  

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Logistics manager 3 salaries reported	£47,500 per year
Trade assistant 2 salaries reported	£34,500 per year
Store manager 2 salaries reported	£31,700 per year
Stock manager 2 salaries reported	£50,500 per year
Shift leader 2 salaries reported	£38,500 per year

Working at The Entertainer: company overview and reviews

The Entertainer

The Entertainer ratings

Popular jobs at The Entertainer

Salary satisfaction

Jobseeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected