Good People, OK job, Zero Future Prospects
Pros
-On the face of it, one of the easiest food retail jobs going, doing next-to-no food prep and drinks made are only coffee, blender drinks and milkshakes. Cleaning tasks are very simple. -Most team member colleagues were easy going, store and operational managers were fair and reasonable. Generally the store teams are aged 16-30. -The doughnuts are a fun product to sell and enjoying them and the drinks is part of your job. Unless you are lactose-intolerant like me :-( -Experience required is fairly minimal but a customer service/FOH background or spin on your CV will mean you can score an interview and trial shift quickly. -Some novel experiences outside of the retail division (production/processing, promotions and events) can be found with some networking. -28 days holiday pay for those nearing full-time hours.
Cons
-The most frequent shift-workers are all on zero-hour contracts, which mean income rises and drops significantly with the tourist season, managers suggest we use up our holiday pay to make up for short-falls (not acceptable). Two weekly pay exacerbates the problem. -Store managers are under a lot of pressure to cut rotas, so there has been a marked increase in lone-working in the evenings over the last 6 months as well as shift-cancellations. Not a problem for everyone (students especially) but for me this was not stable. -Not possible to make a serious retail career here without becoming a store manager which entails much longer shifts and greater pressure from area and division. Generally team members do not go on to become full-time managers, but pass through a token rank and pay-rise system (apprentice - grad - guru) and become shift-leaders after about 2 years.
