Community Service: Day 3

Describe your job activities today:

• Morning: I had to do "ragging" which was basically going through each individual item on the shop floor and checking the date on it (when an item comes into the shop, it gets dated so we can keep track of how long it's been in the shop). If it was over 2 weeks old, it had to be taken to the back and put int the "outgoing stock" room. It was pretty tedious.
• Afternoon: I had to use the "steamer" which was like a huge hoover but instead of it sucking in, it blew out steam. I had to move all the clothes through the steamer which kind of instantly ironed it and made the clothes look better.

General thoughts about today:

Today went pretty well. I was 15 minutes early today so that was good. The ragging was very boring and tiring, especially on the low racks where I had to bend down for ages. I was pretty stiff afterwards. The steaming was fun although I did burn my hand a few times. I guess it just takes a bit of getting used to.

The people I work with:

1. Who do you work with and what are their jobs?: I work with Liz, the assistant manager who is basically an all-rounder and another Liz, who is  the manager. She is in charge of all the accounts and paperwork and she checks around a lot to see how everyone is doing. Aluna, Bernie, Anne, Fiona and Kevin also work with me. They're all volunteers so they come in at different times. Fiona works the same hours as me, from 10 till 3 for 4/5 days of the week and she mainly works at the till or the changing rooms. Aluna works from 9:30 till 12 for 5/6 days. Kevin works for 3 days a week. Anne and Bernie seem to come in whenever they like for an hour or two. They all just generally help out, moving stuff and cleaning the place.
2. What skills do they need to do their jobs?: Liz and Liz both have managerial skills and Liz the manager has to be good with accountancy. Fiona has to be good with numbers and totting things up in her head as she works at the till.
3. What training or qualifications do they need?: Well, seeing as it's a charity shop and the vast majority of the workforce is made up of volunteers, qualifications aren't really essential. However, Liz probably needs to be trained as to how to write up the accounts. Other Liz probably has to have managerial training of some kind. Fiona was also trained how to use the till.
4. How are you getting on with them?: Great, they're all really nice and chatty.
5. What have you done to get to know them?: Talk to them
6. What have you learned about working with other people this week?: I have learned that when working with other people, you really need to play your part of the team or else it will just hold up everyone else.

Fiona and Liz, the manager