Stock Rotation...

Stock rotation is an utterly mind-numbing, yet vital part of retail work. It involves checking every single label on every pair of trousers, every jumper, and every blouse on each and every jam-packed clothing rail so that anything that’s been on display for longer than two weeks can be taken down in order that new items can be added. However, the moment you attempt to begin wedging your fingers between impossibly tightly packed clothes to locate a small, paper ticket, the world and its wife decide that they wish to browse the rail you’re currently working on. Another joy of stock rotation is reaching up to check every label on the highest rail in the shop - especially for vertically challenged individuals like myself. After five minutes you’ve managed to look at less than a dozen dates and your arms are now killing you!

Till Training...

Sooner or later, if you volunteer in a shop, you’ll probably be asked whether or not you’d like to work on the till. For me it was a vital part of my work-based learning as I’d never actually touched a cash register before in my life, however, it was a daunting prospect and a huge responsibility. As a member of the general public I’d obviously experienced many millions of transactions in my life, however, seeing things from the other side of the counter was an entirely new experience. I’d previously been spared the ‘till training’ until the new computerised one had been installed and road-tested by experts, but soon enough the day arrived where I’d be given my login details and shown how to type in codes and figures. I’d felt it only fair to warn my tutors that this would be an interesting time for all of us, including the bemused customers, but after several weeks of gentle coaxing I finally got the hang of it.

On Trial...

I was to undertake a trial hour in order to be certain that I would fit in, and to ensure that I'd made the right choice about volunteering in a charity shop, so the following week I turned up promptly and was put to work tidying up clothing racks; which had been left looking like a jumble sale after a large crowd of shoppers had randomly discarded unwanted items without a thought to the poor volunteers who then have to put them all back where they belong. I was mostly left to my own devices, but common sense prevailed and I simply acted like an over-enthusiastic womble until my allotted time had passed. It really wasn’t rocket science ....a pink size 12 top doesn’t belong on a rail with men’s trousers any more than a tiny child’s dress belong on a women’s jeans rail. Thankfully, once my hour was up it was all smiles as I was informed by the manager that I'd passed my test with flying colours and was duly invited to join the gang.

Taking the First Step to Volunteering...

When job-seeking results in endless rejections on the grounds that you need “proven experience” there is only one way to gain the necessary ‘work skills’ required by prospective employers, and that’s to become a volunteer. Judging by the volume of available positions in retail I decided that the best apprenticeship I could probably undertake was in a shop, learning how to work a till and finding out all about stock rotation and so on. After careful consideration, I visited a local charity shop, whose friendly and approachable staff all welcomed me with open arms and the manager very kindly agreed to train me up in return for some free labour.