‘Staff training is a full-time job’

Press, 5 December 1988, Page 27

‘Staff training is a full-time job’

When Woolworths opened its Shirley supermarket on December 10, 1968, approximately 50 people were employed. Now the supermarket employs more than 260 permanent and part-time staff.

Most people think that a supermarket opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 5.30 p.m. with one or two late nights thrown in. In fact, according to Woolworths manager, Mark Brosnan, at some times during the year, staff can be in the store around-the-clock.

After the day staff leave, the shelves have to be restocked. Night fillers usually work from about 9 p.m. until midnight. The bakery staff start early, sometimes at 5 a.m. so that fresh stock is ready for sale to the early customers. At Christmas and Easter, the bakery hours are often extended. "With more than 260 people employed at Woolworths in Shirley, staff training is a full-time job,” Mr Brosnan says. “Most people have no idea what is involved in running a large supermarket. We believe we are the top store in Christchurch and we also believe that good service keeps customers. “We have experienced a number of changing attitudes that have helped

our business expand. We treat our staff with respect and they treat the customers the same way.

“Management is here to encourage and organise staff, but the real experts, we believe, are those serving on the shop floor. If we need to know about various products or need advice, our shop staff are the best people to go to,” he says.

Last year, Woolworths established a “Share-A-Smile” customer service programme. This involves staff attending five twohour training sessions. Woolworths aims to provide a friendly service that is a combination of attitude, words and actions between staff members and their customers. This results in customers feeling well cared for and wanting to return to the supermarket.. The training programme encourages staff members to show a friendly attitude to fellow workers as well as to their customers. For the Share-A-Smile programme some special characters have been created. These are: Cheerful Charlie, Moderate Mollie, Bored Barry, Hostile Harriet and Sad Susie. Each staff member has to discover which character they can best identify with. Obviously,

Cheerful Charlie is at the top of the list. He is always keen to be friendly and helpful and is eager to provide friendly service.

Cheerful Charlie sometimes falls down, but he gets up quickly and carries on. Cheerful Charlie seldom needs supervision. The training programme acknowledges that not everyone can be a Cheerful Charlie, but by being aware of different characters, the supermarket staff find it easier to improve their customer service.