ASDA (ASDA Stores)

Member Name: savmot

Product:	ASDA Stores
Date:	18/10/08 (658 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: staff discount

Disadvantages: hideous uniform

I've worked for ASDA for five years now. This isn't something I let many people know, or like to boast about, but as it's pretty relevent here, there you go!

The pay is good for a supermarket. I've read some rubbish in some of these reviews saying things like they only pay minimum wage, which is completely untrue. ASDA have always paid quite alot above the minimum wage, but now min. wage is starting to catch up. ASDA currently pay £8.16 for night colleagues and £6.16 for day colleagues.

ASDA used to be a good company to work for. They were unique in terms of being well staffed, friendly, you were expected to talk to your colleagues and become part of the team, however, over the last couple of years that has changed dramatically.

ASDA have been constantly reducing the number of hours their stores have, leaving staff under pressure, having to do more work with less staff.
Managers have gone from friendly and part of the team to ignorant, arrogant people, who are company yes men who couldn't care less about their staff.
Far from being encouraged to talk to your colleauges and be in that team, I have found increasingly that if you even so much as handover (talk to a person about work when you come in, and what you need to be doing) you will find yourself being glared at from a distance by one of the fine managers you work under.

In terms of promotion, it's pretty easy to become a manager at ASDA. It's basically a first come first served system. You tell them you want to go on stepping stones, and they put you on it.
Stepping stones is their management training system. What happens is basically that you do the job of a manager for three years for no extra pay (training, they call it....can you imagine needing three years training to do less work than anyone else in the building?) and then you are a manager. Thats if you can stick out the rubbish you have to put up with for 3 years, the pressure you're under and the long hours you're expected to do. Most people end up quitting before the three years is up.
ASDA will also train you as a first aider, or fire warden if you would like to do either of those things, or there are various other things they train people for, like interviewing, or training new staff (training buddys)

Another good way of getting involved in the store is to join the colleague circle. This is a group of people who have a meeting once a fortnight to discuss how to make the store a better place for the staff. They have a certain amount of money each year to spend on things to improve the store for staff aswell, this for example, may be spent on hand lotions, deoderants etc for the toilets, or a TV for the colleage canteen.

Speaking of the colleage canteen, this is where you will eat. It's subsidised, and is incredibly cheap. They have just put up the prices, for the first time in years, but still you will struggle to pay more than a pound for a meal. It's excellent value.

The main benefits you get by working for ASDA are your 10% discount card, which gives you 10% of everything at ASDA except petrol and ciggarettes, and a profitshare scheme which means in february every year, you might get a bonus depending on how your store has done.

ASDA like to think they get involved with the community, and they have various events going community based, and charity based that you can get involved in.

If you're desperate for a job, which you probably are as there are so many unemployed and so few jobs at the moment then give ASDA a go. It's the best supermarket to work for despite it's many flaws, but if you have a choice I'm sure you can find a better job.

Summary: ASDA has gone downhill as an employer of the last couple of years, but is still the best supermarket