Pete Bassnett
Sainsbury’s manager Pete Basnett describes a typical day in Dartmouth’s biggest superstore.
“Midnight: The overnight team come in at 10pm and get to work filling the shelves. The team works very hard to make sure we are properly stocked. This is partly because our delivery restrictions mean we operate in a different way to the majority of our stores.
4am: Our bakers start. We have a ‘scratch’ bakery here, which means all our bread is cooked from scratch rather than coming in part-baked. We have an amazing machine called the ‘Genesis Machine’ which is capable of doing very small batches of bread – which is perfect for our store where we need small amounts of loaves, but often. Our bakery runs until 6pm at night.
6am: Our deliveries of fresh produce arrive. Most stores would have a delivery of fresh produce around 3am, allowing the night shift team the chance to get it all out on the shelves for the morning. However, because of our position we are restricted on the times we can receive deliveries. So we have a separate shift – known as the early birds – who come in at 6am to make sure the fresh produce is all out ready for our customers when we open.
We also have a member of stock control who starts at 6am and has to make sure that all the shelves are stocked properly. They will order in new stock if we are getting low on a particular item and make sure the item is fully stocked on the shelves.
In addition, one member of our team will check that all the prices in the store are correct - there are often prices that increase or decrease overnight to tally with a promotion or advertising campaign. This has to be updated on the store’s systems and on the prices on the shelves. This is vital to ensure we never upset customers.
8am: The store opens – we are a quiet store early-on in the day, but that doesn’t mean we can wait to get things done before most customers come in around or after nine. We have to be all set to go as soon as those doors open at 8am. We are lucky in Dartmouth because we are small enough to be like a corner shop in some respects.
Our trade is pretty steady across the whole week – whereas in most Sainsbury’s stores the weekends can actually see trade double in relation to a Monday. This is because our customers will pop in to get whatever they need, whenever they need it. There aren’t so many people doing massive, ten or fourteen day shops. I like to think that they do that because we make them feel so welcome – we are officially the second best-rated Sainsbury’s in the country for customer service.
9 - 6pm: After opening, everyone works hard all day to ensure that our customers get the service they expect and deserve.
For a store this size we have a very tight group of employees, even though there are more than 100 people that work here all year round. We also bring in up to 25 temporary staff during holidays to deal with the peaks in demand.
Across the store, we have a good spread of ages, and we love to invest in the young people of the area – they are our future as a company. The people working in the Dartmouth store are really high quality, and I’m delighted to be managing them.
We try hard to make sure that whatever products people want and need, they are on the shelves when they want them. Sainsbury’s has a commitment to search for the best products, and often this can be in response to customer demand – so for instance, we were the first company to bring Buffalo Mozzarella into the country - think how widespread it is now. We want to maintain that by listening to the public and their needs.
During the summer months we have to work hard to keep the shelves fully stocked especially if the sun comes out! The weather is a massive consideration for any retailer when ordering stock in and displaying the right things – but down in this part of the world, it’s vital – the sun coming out can cause huge peaks in demand for certain items.
7pm: The community listening group comes in. We are committed to working with the community at Dartmouth, so we bring in a group of customers every so often to canvas their opinions and see how we could do better.
Many of them are customers who have actually complained in the past – we want to make sure that we get it right for everyone, and talking frankly to people who will give you an honest opinion is sometimes the best way to get better.
It is very important to me as a manager that we maintain points of difference with other stores - and one of ours is our commitment to the community. We have a ‘colleague council’ who look at all the applications we receive for our store charity of the year – and this year they have decided to support the Sea Cadet Unit.
They really impressed the council with their commitment to raise funds for other charities as well as the wide range of activities they organise for the young people who join. We are aiming to support them in raising funds for a Tall Ships course and are delighted they are our charity for the year. We actually invited three cadets down to our store family day at an adventure park, to welcome them into our family and make sure we are connected strongly with the community.
9pm: The store closes six nights a week. On a Sunday, although the store is only open from 10-4pm, it is actually one of our busiest days. Most staff seem to really love working it though, because it is a short day. It is so busy the hours just rush by.
10pm: The night shift comes in, and the cycle to make sure the store works well for all our customers, every day, starts again.
All in all, the store has a great atmosphere and every day is a pleasure to come to work!”
Daniel Tagg
Thirty-one year old Daniel Tagg is the epitome of a good employee at Sainsbury’s Dartmouth – he is always ready to help customers and is friendly and cheerful at all times. But the geography graduate also holds another focus - he has a drive to help his community: Daniel is the founding and continuing chairman of the Townstal Community Partnership.
Formed in 2009, TCP was helped into existence by Hazel Stuteley - who formed the famous Beacon Project and Connecting Communities initiative in Cornwall. She helped the people of Townstal to come together and find a way of working as a group for the good of everyone in the community. Daniel has been at the heart of the work from the beginning.
"Hazel was brilliant," he said. "We have taken things on from there though – and we are now held up as a good example of community building throughout the country."
The group has monthly meetings and boasts representatives of Tor Homes, Guinness Hermitage, South Hams District Council, Devon County Council, Devon Primary Care Trust, Devon & Cornwall Police, Fire Service, local schools, Devon Youth Service, Children’s Trust and Dartmouth Children’s Centre on it.
But don’t think this is just another group having endless meetings, talking but not doing. This is a true community organisation and it has brought real changes and new initiatives to the estate. They are about actions AND words.
"We have secured funding for a recreation site and started a youth club which I and others are getting qualifications to run," said Daniel. "We have a community bingo, a job club, a drop in office every Wednesday which helps people to get in touch with the right groups to solve a whole variety of problems, such as housing organisations, councils that sort of thing. We really are achieving things and making Townstal a better place to be with a stronger community.
"Everyone who is involved in TCP - myself, Julie Deane the secretary and so many others - are just determined to help people in Townstal feel proud of where they live and work together to make it an even better place to be. There isn’t a negative feeling about living in Townstal – everyone is so positive.
"I think that when we bring together so many different groups and individuals to put on special events you can see what a strong and positive community we have in Townstal. Sainsbury’s are doing their bit too – by giving support to many of our events. I’m so pleased that TCP is getting the recognition it deserves for bringing people together. I’m so proud to be involved."
Daniel’s clear pride and passion for the group has been reflected in its outside recognition: TCP has been awarded the 2010 Devon & Cornwall Community Watch Award for rural areas, Daniel and other group members have given presentations all over the South West and he was even interviewed at the offices of the Guardian Newspaper: "That was amazing but very nerve-wracking!" he says.
Clearly TCP is – as the group say – ‘good for you’.
First Published August 2011 By The Dart