urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:delticdelticdelticdeltic2007-11-08T15:24:33Zurn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:deltic:606Supermarkets2007-11-08T15:24:33Z2007-11-08T15:24:33ZHaving now worked at the blunt end of the supermarket labour force for 12 months I now feel able to comment.<br />The reason you can't get good service is because the staff are on minimum wage. Whatever they personally do they will remain on minimum wage. If they perform well - minimum wage, if they perform just passable - minimum wage.<br /><br />If they get fed up they can find another job on the same wage. If they want a better job they would probably be better off not mentioning that they have worked for minimum wage.<br /><br />If they want to progress they would first become a supervisor, and gain the dizzy reward of another fifty pence per hour. That's fifty pence an hour for a whole world of responsibility and grief.<br /><br />The managers aren't managers they are process operatives. They have zero flexibility. They just apply the company rules. No local variation no creativity, so they look pretty miserable too.