| Product: |
Consumer Product Marketing Assistant |
| Date: |
16/10/01 (194 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Good exercise, Reasonable pay, Job satisfaction
Disadvantages: A few ches and pains the next day!
Any of you who know me through reading my opinions will know that I had been employed by Walsall MBC for almost 30 years before having to leave earlier this year due to continued ill health in the form of stress and depression.
Well, you may now be pleased to know that I have a new job, only part time, but a job nonetheless.
My sister Helen currently works as an Advertising Executive for MCV media and she pointed out one of their adverts to me.
It was from a firm called MEM and they were advertising for merchandisers on a part time basis anywhere in the country. The advert said that the work would suit a retired person or someone needing to work around child care timetables. It sounded like a possibility for me so I asked Helen what exactly a merchandiser did!
Basically the task is to go into a store such as Safeways and restock the CDs etc and rearrange them into the correct chart positions (more about this later). I thought ‘I can do that’ so I applied for the job and let them know which towns I could get to, as I don’t drive.
The actual stock held in the supermarkets belongs to the firm who provides it e.g. Electronics Boutique, and it is they who pay MEM to organise the merchandisers to keep the stock tidy, in the correct chart order and at the correct level.
My first work was 2 hours each at Sainsburys in Wednesfield and Sainsburys in Reedswood. An area manager of MEM accompanied me on my first visit to each store to introduce me to both the staff and the work.
In these two stores I deal with games for Playstation and Playstation II, PC games, and Gameboy.
My first task is to check the current week’s order that has arrived to make sure it tallies to the delivery note. I then have to take the bulletin giving the current chart positions of each range of games and arrange the displays accordingly.
I then have to restock the shelves, having first removed the c
ontents to a secure area to deter would be shoplifters.
For this I receive £4.40 per hour, plus £2 travelling to each site.
It is good exercise as I am constantly dashing about the store or bending and stretching to restock the shelves, so it may help the diet – fingers crossed!
It also gives me a sense of job satisfaction when I look at the neatly arranged shelves full of stock ready to be sold.
After I had been working for MEM for two weeks I was asked if I would like two more hours work on Thursday morning at Safeways in Walsall restocking the CDs, videos and DVDs.
This was relatively easy work as I just had to tidy the shelves, restock where necessary and report any items completely out of stock to head office.
After a further week I was asked if I would like to take on the main Monday visit to Safeways at Walsall. This one is a three and a half-hour visit which involves first removing all the items from the shelves which have ‘dropped out’ of that weeks chart.
Then I rearrange the stock into the new chart order and then restock. When you bear in mind that I have to find the contents of the boxes that I remove and put them back inside ready to be returned and then remove the contents from the new stock ready to be displayed, it’s quite some job!
I was told that, provided my total time in Safeways was five and half hours per week I could do more on Monday and less on Thursday if that would be more suitable. I did four and a half hours yesterday and still had to leave before I had finished in order to keep some time in reserve for Thursday’s visit!
Today (Tuesday) I feel as though I did an aerobics class yesterday! My back aches from all the bending and stretching and the front of my thighs ache where I was stooping down to change the stock on the bottom shelves! And I love it! Where else can you get paid £4.40 an hour for taking an aerobics class?
So, if you’re looking for some part time work, this may be for you too.
By the way I wasn't actually sure which bit of the 'professions and occupations' suited me best so I have gone for marketing - I hope that's OK?
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