‘It’s like being in a bad pantomime’ – Sainsbury’s employee reveals what it’s like working at Sainsbury’s during the festive season
Ann Gris* has worked at a Sainsbury’s store in Yorkshire for several years. Here, she explains what it’s like working at Sainsbury’s and how the pandemic and the festive rush is taking its toll.
By the time Christmas Day comes around you’re so tired it’s just a bit rubbish. You just want to lie down – it feels a bit like ‘what is the point?’ working at Sainsburys
Some years by Christmas Eve all the decorations have come down in store, and people come in looking for sale items and refuse to leave. It feels like Christmas is over and then you’ve got to go home tired and get back in the Christmas spirit again.
We are always friendly and happy to help but there are times when you are so exhausted and stressed, you have to put on a performance. It’s like being in a bad pantomime.
When my daughter was younger, I would be trying to make all this effort for her to keep the sparkle and make it a magical time while being ground down by retail.
Some years you might only have one day off for Christmas and, being a single parent, means trying to arrange childcare at a time when families just want their own children. It’s awkward.
Even in lockdown people expect the usual service while we’re also having to contend with the store being busier and more people using the click and Collect service.
We’re all feeling the heat because corporate management obviously want the big Christmas sales, but they also have to be seen to be keeping everyone safe and the two things aren’t compatible.
Many customers try their best, but others simply have their Christmas head on and are not social distancing.
I don’t think about the risk too much because if I did, I would be a nervous wreck.
Because the brand wants to be everybody’s friend, sometimes it feels like staff’s safety and mental wellbeing comes second place to the idea of being available to the customer and making profit.
During the first lockdown it was like the apocalypse and we just had to work through that with a smile on our faces.
The emotional strain of constantly trying to do the right thing for safety and for the benefit of the brand as taken its toll. If there is a problem or a difficult customer, it is not always possible to summon help in time.
You often have to work out how to manage a situation yourself. Working on the door can be isolating. We’re not police officers or security guards but we were thrust into that position without proper guidance.
When we went into lockdown again people started panic buying again and I rang my friend and said, ‘I don’t think I can do this again’. You have to juggle the extra stresses of work with added pressure in your home life and you run out of resilience.
You can’t just go to the coal face and do your job, you’ve got to be happy, responsive and energetic. But you don’t have the energy to look after your own mental state.
Sainsbury’s have a duty to listen to their employees and they say they are. But sometimes it takes constant effort to be heard and can be hard to raise issues in a way that will be considered properly.
It’s hard to go through all of this knowing that we’re being paid less than people in the distribution centres. Especially as I don’t think they have the same pressures as we do.
During the pandemic it’s felt like we’re an extra arm of the government and I’m proud of the role I’ve played with some truly great colleagues at work.
Asking for recognition for that is not a big request. After all, actions speak louder than words.
Join The Claim
Thousands of Sainsbury’s store workers have joined the Sainsbury’s Equal Pay Claim to take legal action against the company. Their demand is clear. They want to be treated fairly and to receive a well-deserved and long overdue pay rise. This doesn’t just effect people working at Sainsbury’s, thousands of supermarket store workers across the UK work in similar conditions.
If you would like to learn more about the claims we are bringing on behalf of supermarket workers, please click here.
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