Checkout Read Free

want to “make life taste better”.’ or ‘Because, as you say, “Every little helps!”’
    Stretching it a little, I know, but such devotion is always well received. So you might as well. You have to be careful though. Not all the slogans work. You might be wary of passing yourself off as ‘Everyone’s favourite ingredient’.
     
    ‘I’m a student. I need a part-time job to support myself.’
    The classic answer but very convincing. And managers really like students. They grumble less than old people and don’t mind working at weekends. So it’s an excellent answer. Of course, if you’re not actually a student you have to look young enough to be credible. You shouldn’t have too much of a problem up to the age of thirty or thirty-five.
     
    ‘I need a job to survive.’
    Avoid this answer – even if it’s true, the manager will think you’re ‘not very motivated’, ‘lacking team spirit’,‘unsuited to the store’s commercial ambitions’ and your application risks being relegated to the bottom of the pile (which is enormous, by the way).
     
    But there are many answers that will impress. For inspiration pretend that you’re applying to be a lawyer, instead of a checkout operator. Come on, use your imagination!

YOURS STATISTICALLY 
    Here are a few things to ponder if you are to be an unbeatable checkout girl:
About 750,000 people work for super markets in the UK (you’ll be joining a nice big family!).
15–20 items must be scanned every minute.This can increase to 45 at some discount chains. So the checkout girl has to handle customers’ shopping without proper consideration, leading to damaged goods if customers can’t keep up with the pace, which, of course, is nearly always the case. Well, they’re not paid according to their performance – but neither is the checkout girl actually …
700 to 800 items scanned per hour.
21,000 to 24,000 items scanned per week.
800 kg of goods are lifted per hour (more than this on good days).
96 to 120 tonnes lifted per week (the equivalent of four HGVs!).
Per year? Get out your calculator (not provided by your store).
    Do I look like a bodybuilder? Well, hardly. Quite often I feel about seventy.
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    Every week you can consult the checkout-operator league table to find out who has taken the most money and whether you have been a tortoise or a hare. Don’t panic. There’s no reward (not even a bottle of ketchup) for the winner. But your parents and children will be really proud of you.
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    Every day you will say on average:
250 hellos
250 goodbyes
500 thank yous
200 ‘Do you have a loyalty card?’
70 ‘Please enter your PIN’
70 ‘Please take your card’
30 ‘The toilets are over there’
    and many other similarly poetic lines.
    You’re not a robot, are you? Of course not! A robot doesn’t smile.
Your average monthly pay: £800 net.
Hours worked a week:30 (or 26, 24, 20 but rarely the full 35).
    But let’s get one thing straight. Don’t think you’ll be able to top up your hours with part-time work. Your manager will ensure that your rota will change every week. Of course you could always work as a cleaner from 5 a.m. until 8 a.m.or take in ironing. You didn’t want any time for family, did you? Well done, you’ve chosen the ideal job.
    Here’s an example of a 30-hour week:
Monday:9 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. (working time: 5½ hours; break time:16 minutes)
Tuesday: rest day
Wednesday:3 p.m. to 8.45 p.m. (working time:5 hours 45 minutes; break time:17 minutes)
Thursday:1.45 p.m. to 5.15 p.m. (working time:3½ hours; break time:10 minutes)
Friday: 3.15 p.m. to 9 p.m. (working time:5 hours 45 minutes; break time:17 minutes)
Saturday:9 a.m. to 1 p.m./3.30 p.m. to 9.15 p.m. (working time:9 hours 45 minutes; break time:12 minutes and 17 minutes)
    And the following week? Don’t worry, your hours will be completely different.
    You’ll be told your new schedule