“It’s not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain”
Vivian Greene
I have worked in a box office on show night, Tesco during the festive period and even a department store on Black Friday but nothing could have prepared me for the last month…
Now having worked at Tesco for 4 years, I’ve seen a lot from rude customers to my lovely “regulars” to even witnessing customers using the car park as a toilet (Wouldn’t happen at Waitrose!) but during this pandemic, customers and colleagues have come together in a way which has been heart-warming and sometimes even breath-taking to watch. As everyone keeps saying “these are unprecedented times” and they really are. I feel so proud to work in Tesco at this time and have met so many incredible people through my job.
Covid-19 has taken away my final term of uni, Graduation, Summer ball, award ceremonies, holidays, plans to travel and even grad scheme assessment days that I had worked so hard to get to just to name a few but in all this negativity I have been trying to channel my energy into doing something positive. Now I can’t save lives by working for the NHS but I can put in the time at Tesco to help feed the nation and put a smile on some people’s faces even when things seem frightening and uncertain.
I have been picking up overtime since just before lockdown and helping to train some of the hundred, new staff hired, each one with their own story. From cabin crew to waiters to self-employed business owners, I have had the privilege of hearing about their pre- Tesco lives and watching them immerse themselves in Tesco when they’ve just had to leave their usual job, never complaining, always smiling and willing to learn has been inspiring.
Lockdown life at work has definitely taken some adjusting from remembering you can’t give your friends an excited hug when you realise you’re on the same shift but need to keep 2m apart, that you will probably spend most of your shift queue marshalling to remembering the aisles are a one-way system you need to continue to reinforce but I walk into every shift with a smile knowing that the people who will be in will make the shift enjoyable and have become my social life.
Anyone who works in retail will know relationships with your colleagues are obscene to anyone who has never had a retail job. You go from introducing yourself to talking about contraception in a matter of minutes. You know more about their sex life, holidays and accomplishments than their closest friends. You bond over things that to anyone else are just plain boring, but they know the satisfaction of sitting on a till after spending all day standing, the joy when someone actually has a loyalty card, the excitement of leftover krispy kremes in the staff room and even that little wave you give your friends as you finish your shift and they’re stuck for a few more hours.
Who knows when this lockdown will end but for now I count myself so incredibly lucky to have my health, happiness and home but also my job and the many colleagues I’m proud to call friends.
Stay safe and stay home -B x
Buzz from B 