Anyone drive for the Co-op?

[s p a c e m a n]

Got an interview with them in a couple of days, the set up sounds more like they are looking for driver of the year. Test, interview, 45 minutes driving, turn up in a suit.. anyone had to go through this stuff before?

[Upatdawn]

Whats this, trunking or store deliveries?

Sadly just driving isnt enough nowadays, you have to be an ambassador for the company even though you may spend half your time by the back doors and bins waiting for some kid to open the goods in bay for you

[s p a c e m a n]

It was morning shift store deliveries, 48hr a week contract 33.5k a year. Turned up with 9 other people, spent a couple of hours having a fairly informal chat and wandering about, whilst it was all becoming clear why no one wants to work there.

Then failed the drug test with 3 other people. One had been to the dentist for a filling a couple days ago, the other had taken cocodamal for a headache the day before and i am taking anti inflamatorys for a pulled muscle. All show up as opium, waste of a day that was

[Jimbo.]

s p a c e m a n said:

It was morning shift store deliveries, 48hr a week contract 33.5k a year. Turned up with 9 other people, spent a couple of hours having a fairly informal chat and wandering about, whilst it was all becoming clear why no one wants to work there.

What was so bad?

[s p a c e m a n]

Dont get me wrong, it was a fine ballance but just wasnt my type of thing. 7 day working week with the only holiday being christmas day, your 2 days off were very unlikely to ever be weekends as that are what people would book holiday days for. Stonechip in the headlight? Drug test, outsourced so you might not be able to go for a piss for a few hours until they turn up.

They are the things that tipped it for me, other than that the standard low powered manual motors with your economy and delivery times constantly monitored. Drive both class 1 and 2, any random vehicle thats available. Have to unload yourself with cages, quite a lot with tail lift and cages are just piled high regardless of weight and where they're going. Sounded like little overtime, if any.. 3 shifts a day and all talk of w.t.d.

Reasonable money though, loads of perks like store discount, health care, cheap canteen, social club with cheap tickets to some good stuff, quite a few fit birds working there

Edited by s p a c e m a n on Monday 23 September 07:48

[LeeThr]

I dont drive for the co-op but am unfortunate enough to work in one of the stores. It just works around uni during term time and provides plenty of hours during the summer for a half decent paycheck should I want it. Although these days I do my best to be out of the place as much as I can, and may consider looking for an alternative.

Always get the morning shifts to sort out the delivery so get to meet a lot of the drivers. Although we do have our regular half a dozen or so we do get the odd newbie once in awhile. But with the layout of our store (my managers uselessness to do anything constructive to assist) I can sympathise with some why they don't enjoy the job. With our store there's so much risk & manual labour involved it really is the short straw.

So I really don't blame you for not wanting to take the job after wasting a day for their interview process.

[pacman1]

s p a c e m a n said:

Got an interview with them in a couple of days, the set up sounds more like they are looking for driver of the year. Test, interview, 45 minutes driving, turn up in a suit.. anyone had to go through this stuff before?

Who was the interview with, the Co-op, or Norberts?

[Rollcage]

Interesting - none of the Co-op drivers I deal with has ever mentioned a drugs test, though most work for Co-op rather than Dentressangle.

I did hear that one of the bread suppliers locally suddenly lost rather a lot of warehouse staff due to drug testing issues though!

[s p a c e m a n]

Was the actual co op not a subby, thurrock warehouse. I got the impression that there wernt random tests, but you had to pass one to gain employment and then it was standard practice to do one if anything happened.

[handpaper]

Rollcage said:

Interesting - none of the Co-op drivers I deal with has ever mentioned a drugs test, though most work for Co-op rather than Dentressangle.

I did hear that one of the bread suppliers locally suddenly lost rather a lot of warehouse staff due to drug testing issues though!

If the tests are too sensitive (like most nowadays), bakery workers will routinely fail them.

Poppy seeds.....