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Original post by fabz765
Gotta prepare myself then for these early starts! Also, will i be able to pick overtime up straight away? I hope it's offered!


Yep, if you're not on checkouts tell your dept manager that you're looking for overtime and they'll use you when needed to cover sickness or holiday.

If you're on checkouts they'll have an overtime sheet which will be first come first served usually, and open to all!

~Jordan
Original post by fabz765
Gotta prepare myself then for these early starts! Also, will i be able to pick overtime up straight away? I hope it's offered!


You don't just have to wait for it to be offered. Feel free to ask them, let it be known that you want it. I did my contracted 24 hours on my first week and since then i've done 40/48 hours with a full time contract coming up. But i know our department is pretty under staffed.
Reply 1042
Original post by lastingsilence
You don't just have to wait for it to be offered. Feel free to ask them, let it be known that you want it. I did my contracted 24 hours on my first week and since then i've done 40/48 hours with a full time contract coming up. But i know our department is pretty under staffed.


I remember in the interview i let the manager know i'm free every day and he was like "yep thats what we like! flexibility." So hopefully i will be offered a lot more hours on top of my contract :smile:
If i can do 40+ i will be happy!
Original post by lastingsilence
You don't just have to wait for it to be offered. Feel free to ask them, let it be known that you want it. I did my contracted 24 hours on my first week and since then i've done 40/48 hours with a full time contract coming up. But i know our department is pretty under staffed.


Wow they let you do over 39 hours? Sure you've actually been paid for the extra hours? Bear in mind once you're on a full time contract you won't be allowed to go over 39 hours a week, so no more overtime.
Reply 1044
Original post by Writer14
Wow they let you do over 39 hours? Sure you've actually been paid for the extra hours? Bear in mind once you're on a full time contract you won't be allowed to go over 39 hours a week, so no more overtime.


I think they only have issue with offering over 39 hours for people on the older contracts where they get premiuim for overtime. I'm on a 30 hour contract but have had 40/50 hour weeks since just before christmas and the only issue I've had is not receiving my nightshift premium on overtime. Which will soon be getting sorted.
Reply 1045
Who's eligible for the mac and mcm bonus? Is it all colleagues?


And do you have to make up your hours for Easter Sunday like Christmas or do you just get paid?
Original post by Writer14
Wow they let you do over 39 hours? Sure you've actually been paid for the extra hours? Bear in mind once you're on a full time contract you won't be allowed to go over 39 hours a week, so no more overtime.


Haha yes! I counted the wages very carefully after following this thread for a long time and hearing the stories about underpayment. It's all been good so far. Night shift premium added too. Are you sure you can't do over 39 hours on full time? We have people doing 14+ nights in a row in hectic times. Not sure its actually allowed though. :redface: I'll miss that extra little sixth day boost when cash is needed.

Original post by hasm
Who's eligible for the mac and mcm bonus? Is it all colleagues?


I'd be interested to know this too! Mainly the cutoff date, I was told as i'd been there six months i would get 1.5% if we reached the 3% target but he wasn't sure of the cutoff date for the six months service.
Reply 1047
14 nights in a row wut......probably doing grocery or something relatively easy and a serious no lifer.

Done 8 in a row a few times, between fresh and produce which are hell around Christmas. But yeah, only old contracts have something with the 39 max thing, but it still shouldn't stop you getting paid if done. I've always gotten paid anyway.
Original post by lastingsilence
Haha yes! I counted the wages very carefully after following this thread for a long time and hearing the stories about underpayment. It's all been good so far. Night shift premium added too. Are you sure you can't do over 39 hours on full time? We have people doing 14+ nights in a row in hectic times. Not sure its actually allowed though. :redface: I'll miss that extra little sixth day boost when cash is needed.



I'd be interested to know this too! Mainly the cutoff date, I was told as i'd been there six months i would get 1.5% if we reached the 3% target but he wasn't sure of the cutoff date for the six months service.


I believe if you were hired in or before last October you're eligible for the half bonus. There might be a specific date in October, not entirely sure. I know I wasn't eligible last year and I got hired the previous November.
Original post by DRose
14 nights in a row wut......probably doing grocery or something relatively easy and a serious no lifer.

Done 8 in a row a few times, between fresh and produce which are hell around Christmas. But yeah, only old contracts have something with the 39 max thing, but it still shouldn't stop you getting paid if done. I've always gotten paid anyway.


Sorry, why is grocery easy?

If you're trained to do codecheking, FOA, disposals etc, then it's exactly the same as replenishment on any other department. Grocery isn't easier just because it's long-life stuff you know.

We do need to rotate (theoretically) when doing our job, it's not just fresh and produce that do that.
Reply 1050
The MAC/MCM bonus...all colleagues are eligible once you've completed 26 weeks of continuous service with the company.

The company has to make so much profit before the gateway opens, and it then filters through to each store, providing you've achieved your targets.

6 months service = 1.5% of the 3% bonus, providing your store meets its targets. The bonus is paid May 18th.
Reply 1051
It's easy because it's easy. It's light, hassle free and generally really really easy to do within time without pushing yourself, I love it when I'm rarely put on any of those aisles.

Hardest(on your own) are produce, certain fresh aisles and maybe drinks on bad nights. Oh and Warehouse if theres not two of you, but unless you are hugely shortstaffed, that should be a rareity.
Original post by DRose
It's easy because it's easy. It's light, hassle free and generally really really easy to do within time without pushing yourself, I love it when I'm rarely put on any of those aisles.

Hardest(on your own) are produce, certain fresh aisles and maybe drinks on bad nights. Oh and Warehouse if theres not two of you, but unless you are hugely shortstaffed, that should be a rareity.


I always push myself. I get everything worked on the department including drinks and bulkies (crisps, cereals, toilet rolls) on my own in a matter of half a day.

And if you're so special, why are you being taken off your own department to help out on grocery? That just makes you expendable.

FWIW, I could do putting out produce on my own in a matter of hours. Then spend an hour or two after doing reductions and disposing things. It always irritates me when there are 5 people doing 2 aisles of produce, yet I have 21 aisles all to myself.

There are two classes of people who work at Sainsbury's: those who go through the motions,and those who go the extra mile.
Reply 1053
Original post by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
There are two classes of people who work at Sainsbury's: those who go through the motions,and those who go the extra mile.


When you earn £2 an hour less than people working at Sainsburys' competitors, and 1% bonus compared to Waitroses' 14%, it's difficult to justify going "the extra mile". The only reward you get if you're lucky (or brown nose) is £5 on the reward card.

The pay we get is enough to go to work and do a good job, and not much more than that.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by FXX
When you earn £2 an hour less than people working at Sainsburys' competitors, and 1% bonus compared to Waitroses' 14%, it's difficult to justify going "the extra mile". The only reward you get if you're lucky (or brown nose) is £5 on the reward card.

The pay we get is enough to go to work and do a good job, and not much more than that.


I earn £7 per hour, are you saying people at Tescos (general assistants) earn £9 per hour?

I highly doubt that is true, somehow.
Reply 1055
tbh, he seems to have gotten ultra mad over nothing....and then ironically after assuming I think I'm special, started to blow his own trumpet.

But still.....5 people doing produce of which is only 2 aisles? No wonder were on different wave lengths, 1 person has to do bout 15 boards sat through to wednesday here and 25+ on friday and sat in which you'll get some to help you pack them away at about 5am.

Only the ultra slow workers and older people have set departments on nights btw, and that seems to be the case at both places I've done nights.
Reply 1056
Original post by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
I earn £7 per hour, are you saying people at Tescos (general assistants) earn £9 per hour?

I highly doubt that is true, somehow.


I earn £6.50-something, my friend at Waitrose earns £8-something for the same job.

For all your moaning about Sainsburys and your contempt for your colleagues, you seem to love working there.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 1057
£8 has to be the London only top rate? They certainly don't get that much in their places up north.

But still, that's why Waitrose get the most applications and are the hardest one to get into. The big 4 all pay vaguely similar. You can add at minimum 10% on the hourly wage for Waitrose thanks to the bonus, so even their beginner rate basically beats Tescos by a few pence.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by FXX
I earn £6.50-something, my friend at Waitrose earns £8-something for the same job.

For all your moaning about Sainsburys and your contempt for your colleagues, you seem to love working there.


No, I just said I work very hard.

I don't get respected for it because my face doesn't fit - and that's how you're judged at my store. Working hard isn't enough, you have to do the sucking up too (probably 30% working hard, 70% sucking up).

So why would I enjoy working there?
Reply 1059
Original post by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
So why would I enjoy working there?


Because of the difference you can make to a customer's day by helping them with usually routine queries and making them feel special. That's my view anyway, sometimes work's tough and a slog but to see people leaving happy makes it worthwhile. :biggrin:

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