The end of an era

I’ve not written anything for a while….I keep meaning to, but y’know, life gets in the way! So here I am, writing something! I decided to talk about my job situation….

I worked in a photo shop within a supermarket. I loved that job! I hated another department I was in so when the job came up in photo I went for it! It was hard at first, so much to learn! And bloody busy! This was about 10 years or so ago, back when things weren’t so digital! Photos mainly came from films. We had about 3 or 4 members of staff each day, and our own manager. And it got so busy at times that we needed someone to work ‘the twilight shift’! (Throughout the night) We had stands with 4 arms attached to hang envelopes with films in to be processed, and then another to hang the processed negatives on, waiting to be printed, and another for the negative that has been printed.

We needed a system, someone serving customers (take films in, sell cameras, help with the digital machines etc) someone to ‘prep’ films (get them ready to go into the processor) and someone printing. Sometimes someone to pack the photos if really busy! It was manic ALL DAY!! We had baskets to hold the films that came in. (Which were always over full!) We had to do them in order of day they were due, and print them in time order so that the ones due later in the day would be printed later on, after the ones due first. We didn’t stop!

Over time, the business decided we didn’t need our own manager and gave us a manager that looked after us and the opticians department. Then business expanded and they decided our manager could also run the clothing department, not just the speciality departments. Over time we felt neglected. I ended up calling us ‘the forgotten corner’. (We were at the end of the store so we were literally in a corner!)

Lots of staff came and went because a supermarket job was a good job whilst studying at uni. Things slowed down. Digital cameras took over. Memory cards were the new thing, not films! (And back then they were a ridiculous amount of money! You’re talking £50-odd for a small memory! The same card would probably cost a couple of pound now!)

During my time on photo I had my 4 children so I took maternity leave, and it seemed things always really changed whilst I was away! Once, I came back and they’d moved photo closer to the entrance of the store and put a pharmacy there in its place! The printer had changed too! And they’d brought in a new printer which printed on canvas and made posters! In true ‘Photo style’, no one was really trained to use the machines properly! It was always a guessing game! Haha! It took me ages to get to grips with the new printers and learn how to make canvas prints!

This was a big step for our little photo shop! We could now offer customers something other than photos from our store, ready for the next day! Our digital machines offered other gifts, but it took 7-10 days for the gifts to come back to store as they were made elsewhere! Customers don’t want to wait so long! It’s a shame we didn’t get offered equipment to make mugs etc in store. Not only would we cut out the other company therefore making more money for ourselves, but the customers wouldn’t have to wait! (Apparently we didn’t make a lot of money!) We knew from first hand experience that people would leave things to the last minute!

Anyway, fast forward to this year, and we are down to 4 members of staff (spread out over the week!) Most days there was only 1 member of staff, who had to leave the photo shop closed when taking a break, or they would have to shut early because no one would be there until closing time! We have a manager that doesn’t care in the slightest about our department, our orders of consumables (ie paper, canvas etc) would never be ordered correctly, or just completely cut! The supermarket would deliberately shut the photo shop if they wanted to use our staff for other reasons…. then to top all that, we got told that the supermarket were selling out the photo shops in every store to a potential buyer.

This ‘TUPE’ process started. We were left in the dark again. Every time we asked what was going on, we were met with a blank face and no answers. We had our 3 ‘1-1’ meetings…..which was a load of crap! I left them none the wiser! Because we were a part of a supermarket, we had 2 options. Stay with the supermarket but in another department, with God knows what hours/days! OR transfer to the new company. It took months for the store to confirm the name of the company taking over! We were all worried as knew nothing about this other company, and the supermarket were telling us zero info, and when we asked about staying within the supermarket we weren’t being offered any vacancies! The closest to it was being told departments that had jobs going, but no hours or days stated! Bloody useless!

Eventually, us photo colleagues got together and spoke about how we felt. All of us agreed we were being treated like crap! I decided to seek advice through different organisations, and my colleague sent off an email to another store complaining about our treatment. WELL……this got the ball rolling! It was discovered our store made a massive mess of the transfer! I think a lot of people who were meant to be dealing with it were in a lot of trouble. We had a 4 hour meeting where we were given all the info we should have had in the first place! By then though, we only had a week until the new company took over. It was a horrible week. Trying to decide on where I wanted to go. Stay with the company that’s made me feel like they totally don’t give a crap about me, or go with an unknown company who could change things as I know! It was scary. I decided to stay with the supermarket. I’ve been with them for 14 years now!

So last weekend was my first weekend on my new department! Because of the way we were treated in the transfer, we were allowed to go to the department of our choice, with the same hours we have, rather than they decide what hours they have! I chose home and leisure! I already know the staff over there, and its non food so I’m happy! (Plus i get to work in the Christmas aisle!!!! Sooo happy!!!)

I’m nearly finished my mega long post! Haha! Thank you for reading this far! I just wanted to tell you what it was like working with the customers in photo. That it wasn’t just manic, or having to deal with horrible customers complaining that we couldn’t give out professional images (being sworn at etc!) I actually loved working over there. I’d go out of my way all the time to help people. I was asked to write down why I thought the photo shop should stay open….although it was pointless because no one really cared, they were going ahead with selling it on, it actually made me think…..

I’ve served elderly men with such sadness in their eyes because they lost their wives. They clutch photos of them together on their wedding day. One spoke to me about how his wife would get him to get the Christmas decorations down from the attic,then she would decorate the tree! It was ‘her thing’. He told me he didn’t want to do it, but decided to do it for her as she would have wanted it. He was lost. Some don’t know how to look after themselves, everyday things like ironing, because their wives did it. Some bring photos in of their old friends from the days they fought together in the war, flew planes together….they tell me how they watched friends die. Some tell me how they kept in contact for 6o odd years! Some women are in similar situations. They’ve lost their husbands. Now they’re making scrap books for their grandchildren to look back on, and remember their grandads etc. I’ve had midwives bring in photos of new babies just being born! Literally still attached to their mummies! New dad’s crying tears of joy! The midwives have such pride on their faces! I’ve seen the other side of life too….people bring in photos of their loved ones in coffins. Sometimes it’s a devastated mother that’s just lost their new born. We have to make sure we say the right things and act in the right way. Lend a shoulder if they need to cry. Stop our own emotions showing through.

We got to know our customers. They’d come in on certain days to see us, or because they wanted a certain member of staff to help them. They’d ask about my children, or were concerned about where I was going to go after photo was taken over. I knew my customers well too. I’d ask how they were, looked forward to seeing certain people! One lady was really ill. I’d hoped to see her before I moved department to see how she was. I didn’t get to see her sadly. I just hope she’s ok! Another customer recently told me he’d been ‘down the yard’ with his elderly friend. He’d told his friend to go and warm up in the office. An hour later he went to check up on him and found him dead. He’d fallen and banged his head. The sadness in his eyes made my heart ache and I thought about him a lot. On my last weekend on photo I managed to see him again and asked his he was. He been unwell and was in shock still about his friend dying. He said he’d been hallucinating etc. He lives alone and often comes into the supermarket. He has photos printed a lot too. I always helped him, and like to think people like him felt we were friendly and helpful. Hopefully the new staff give him the same service. I’d hate to think of him struggling because they won’t help, or not making conversation with him.

It does make me sad. My last shift was really difficult. I worked with 2 colleagues that day and we always had such a laugh together! My shift ended before the other 2, and I was thinking about finishing all day! I hate saying goodbye. I knew I’d still talk to them, and see them, but I also knew I’d never work with them again. I don’t usually like hugging people, they knew this and would often joke about trying to hug me! But on my last shift i gave them a hug! I hope they know I meant that hug, they are great people and I knew I’d miss working with them.  I don’t do ‘getting emotional’ either so after the hug I legged it! I couldn’t get away quick enough! I felt myself getting upset about the whole situation. It was the end of an era.