The Working At Asda Thread

I work 6 hours and get a 15 min break, I know this is standard but it feels so short and the SL who takes me off always times me to the minute. in my eyes the break starts once you clock out (or when you get to the machine if you don't clock out) but in hers the 15 mins starts from when I sign off the till. the colleague area is 2-3 minute walk away from checkouts (it's a huge store), and that's if no customers stop you, doesn't sound like much but in a 15 min break every minute is crucial. so in reality it's more like a 10 min break, if that because she wants you back at the till the second 15 minutes is up so you have to account 4-8 minutess walking time.
all came to a head the other day when my SL took me off for my 15 mins, I saw her start the stopwatch on her watch (yes, she does that). I'd had a really busy day and with no chair at the till so was desperate to sit down and get some lunch. I had a four different customers stop me on the way down, one was an elderly lady who clearly had dementia and took a very long time to talk to so after all that my 15 minutes was almost up. and then I get to the door of the staff area and because I don't have a card yet I couldn't get through. and no-one was around so I had to wander round practically the whole store before I could find someone to let me through. and when I finally got in and sat down to eat something, there was an announcement asking me to return to checkouts. I ignored it ('didn't hear it') and two mins later someone came into the canteen to get me instead. I explained what had happened to my SL when I got back and asked for another break later on and she said no, you've had your 15 minutes. honestly I nearly cried right there. I'd had two minutes!

sounds like nothing but when you have one of those hard days that's all you need. and as if that wasn't enough at the end of my shift my SL takes me to one side and says 'you need to be more prompt when returning from breaks'. so I explain yet again about how I was stopped on the way to it and she says 'you need to answer more efficiently.' WTF does that even mean?! I didn't walk the customers to the products like you're actually supposed to and I couldn't just abandon some old lady with dementia could I?! grrr...

I work 6 hours and get a 15 min break, I know this is standard but it feels so short and the SL who takes me off always times me to the minute. in my eyes the break starts once you clock out (or when you get to the machine if you don't clock out) but in hers the 15 mins starts from when I sign off the till. the colleague area is 2-3 minute walk away from checkouts (it's a huge store), and that's if no customers stop you, doesn't sound like much but in a 15 min break every minute is crucial. so in reality it's more like a 10 min break, if that because she wants you back at the till the second 15 minutes is up so you have to account 4-8 minutess walking time.
all came to a head the other day when my SL took me off for my 15 mins, I saw her start the stopwatch on her watch (yes, she does that). I'd had a really busy day and with no chair at the till so was desperate to sit down and get some lunch. I had a four different customers stop me on the way down, one was an elderly lady who clearly had dementia and took a very long time to talk to so after all that my 15 minutes was almost up. and then I get to the door of the staff area and because I don't have a card yet I couldn't get through. and no-one was around so I had to wander round practically the whole store before I could find someone to let me through. and when I finally got in and sat down to eat something, there was an announcement asking me to return to checkouts. I ignored it ('didn't hear it' and two mins later someone came into the canteen to get me instead. I explained what had happened to my SL when I got back and asked for another break later on and she said no, you've had your 15 minutes. honestly I nearly cried right there. I'd had two minutes!

sounds like nothing but when you have one of those hard days that's all you need. and as if that wasn't enough at the end of my shift my SL takes me to one side and says 'you need to be more prompt when returning from breaks'. so I explain yet again about how I was stopped on the way to it and she says 'you need to answer more efficiently.' WTF does that even mean?! I didn't walk the customers to the products like you're actually supposed to and I couldn't just abandon some old lady with dementia could I?! grrr...

Some section leaders let the "power" go to their heads. Front end seems to attract the worst, since my store has two similar section leaders.
A 6 hour shift is entitled to a minimum of twenty minutes. What shift do you work? Depending on the time, you may be entitled to more.

Is the SL timing everyone, or just you?

The colleague canteen is miles away from checkouts at my store too. I just time myself from when I get to the machine.

I think your SL is being very unfair and you should speak the the department manager.

actually the other two section leaders are really nice, just this one is really strict about every tiny rule and in a very snide way. for example my pen ran out mid-shift so I asked her if I could borrow one and she started ranting at me (in front of customers) that not bringing correct equipment is incompetent, and when I told her it had ran out she said I should be bringing a 'back up pen'...if I wasn't so embarrassed I would have burst out laughing, who tf says back up pen??

20 minutes is not standard for checkouts in our store. only goes up to 20 for 7 hours unless it runs through lunch or whatever, and that's not just for me. I know my shift doesn't go through those times that give you a half hour break though, not on saturday (the day I was talking about)

she does it to most, except a few people who are her mates and she lets take longer breaks. she's really harsh on me (I've had customers and colleagues comment on that) even though I'm a really hard worker but apparently she's much stricter with new people, and I've only been there a month and a bit. it just really annoys me because I wouldn't dare go over by even a minute on my break even if I'm really tired because I don't want to mess up other people's breaks.
today she was doing someone's break and her stupid stopwatch said 15 minutes and (I **** you not) TWENTY SECONDS and she asked the runner to put a call out for him to come back. talk about making someone's break ridiculously stressful!!!

everyone else lets me time it from the machine and agrees that I was right and should have been given a second break but nothing actually happened about it...but one of the runners is really nice and he does my break when he can and lets me take me time.
I'll speak to the department manager, the SL is really getting on my nerves in many ways

If I'm working 12-7 tomorrow do I need to take a lunch break? I haven't been shown how to take meal breaks and I'm working by myself tomorrow so I'm really worried 😧

You'll get a 30 minute unpaid break. You don't need to clock out because it's not at lunch.

Thank you so much!
What time are the breaks including paid breaks? And whwt ones do i need to clock out for?

Thank you so much!
What time are the breaks including paid breaks? And whwt ones do i need to clock out for?

This fresh reinvention is utter brutal. Our chill backup is full of stock we can't get out

I agree with you there. Ours is also absolutely full. It doesnt help with this new Milk reinvention. We have Carts full of this new Farmers Milk just sitting in the backup. The popular milk like the regular Green and blue 4 pints has gone down to one and a half facings. We used to have at least 3 of each.