Help me find an entry-level supermarket job in the UK!

December 29, 2008 7:13 AM

What's the best way to quickly find a supermarket job (shelf-stacking, tills etc.) in the UK? Tesco, Sainsburys, Lidl, Waitrose etc.

I want to work at entry level in a supermarket for a few months whilst doing evening qualifications. Shelf-stacking, cleaning, manning tills etc. Most jobs these days are either unadvertised or advertised online. Not these, by the looks of it, with odd exceptions. (Please let me know if I'm wrong or looking in the wrong place!)

There must be plenty of UK Mefites who've done this in their time. What's the best way to apply? Should I write or phone a specific store, or is their a website I've missed (even jobcentreplus doesn't seem to come up with much).

Any advice gratefully received.

posted by pyotrstolypin to work & money (7 comments total)

Type out a brief CV and drop it in at as many supermarkets as will take it, they will contact you when there is an opening. They usually have a whole bunch of candidates on file so be prepared to wait.
posted by fire&wings at 7:39 AM on December 29, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

temping agencies, supermarkets cryout for staff over xmas.
posted by complience at 7:40 AM on December 29, 2008

Direct mail them. Send a CV and a covering letter, and cross your fingers.
posted by Solomon at 8:35 AM on December 29, 2008

The big supermarkets seem to have their own careers/recruitment sites:

• Sainsburys
• Aldi
• Lidl
• Tesco
• Asda

If you have reasonably good computer skills (word, excel, etc) you should sign up with some temp agencies - you may be able to get better pay there.
posted by JonB at 8:41 AM on December 29, 2008

Usually they have forms to fill out and won't accept CVs. Ask for the form at the customer service desk and hand in. Unless you live in London, you shouldn't have dozens of options so I can't see that being too time-consuming.

That's how I've always done it (worked for Asda twice, and applied at Tesco once tho ended up taking a different job). Both times I got the job pretty quickly and didn't have to wait much (however, each time they were actually advertising in store).

I wouldn't know of any websites etc. I've never seen supermarket jobs advertised at temping agencies tho.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 8:41 AM on December 29, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Call in at your local shop and tell them that you're interested and available for work. They'll tell you how they hire. Some hire only through agencies. Some hire through the local job centre or through ads in the local paper, with supplemental applications from their website. (M&S and Morrisons do this) Some only take applications through their central websites, with cattle call interviews to winnow out the wheat from the chaff. (Boots & ASDA do this. Boots isn't a supermarket, but still...)

Get your local paper on a Thursday and look at the ads for order picking/forklift driver jobs. Guaranteed that they've been placed by a local temp agency that might occasionally provide supply labour for your local supermarket, if not for their local distribution centre.

Why are you looking for this sort of job in particular, if I can ask?
posted by Grrlscout at 10:14 AM on December 29, 2008

Unless it's vastly different from the US... (which it very well may be, I suppose)

Apply.
posted by Precision at 11:28 AM on December 29, 2008