Due to their size and buying ability, supermarkets these days play an integral role in the lives of people around the UK.
Gone are the days when shoppers would walk the supermarket aisles and pick up a few food essentials for the week ahead.
These days, larger supermarket chains market themselves as the ultimate convenience stores – they are your bulk buy store, your delicatessen, your take away, butcher, fishmonger, newsagent, book shop, fashion store, pharmacist – to name just a few – all rolled into one.
And this means supermarkets need lots of capable staff to make sure these supermarkets continue to run smoothly. And to make sure that customers who are shopping there are getting the best possible experience in a safe and friendly environment.
If you are looking for part time work with the possibility of flexible hours, then part time supermarket jobs could be ideal for you.
You might be working in one of the larger out of town stores that could be one of the 24 hour stores. Or, you might have a whole different supermarket job experience by working in one of the smaller high street convenience stores operated by the UK’s household names in supermarkets.
Flexible, Part Time, Temporary Supermarket Jobs
The great thing about supermarket jobs is that lots of supermarkets employ seasonal staff around periods like Christmas when managers know stores will be extra busy.
Lots of people, such as students for example, prefer seasonal work because they have other commitments and it gives them the opportunity to earn some extra cash and get valuable work experience for their CV.
Seasonal supermarket jobs can also be used to get a foot in the door, too, with lots of seasonal staff being offered permanent work afterwards.
So if you are someone looking to get back into the workplace after time away, supermarket jobs could give you this opening.
A further reason to consider supermarket jobs is the fact that they are often flexible working hours. Whilst this doesn’t suit everybody, there are lıts of you out there who know that 9-5 office hours are not for them.
Supermarkets might give you a contract stating a minimum number of part time hours per week but then there is often lots of opportunity to take on longer shifts or more work days, if it fits in with your work life balance.
What To Bear In Mind With Supermarket Jobs
As you might expect, part time supermarket jobs might not always fall neatly into a weekday work pattern.
Whilst good supermarkets do their best to be flexible with working hours so that you can meet other commitments, part time roles can involve weekend work, early mornings, evenings and night shifts, depending on the type of supermarket you are working for.
Of course, this suits some people perfectly. And a contract for a given number of part time hours means, if you are flexible and you want to earn some extra cash, there is usually the opportunity with supermarket jobs to work some extra shifts, especially around traditionally busy periods such as Christmas.
And one advantage of part time supermarket jobs is that there are so many supermarkets out there, you have a good chance of getting a role locally, reducing your travel time and travel costs. This couıld mean a better work life balance, more flexibility for taking on extra shifts if they’re offered and, of course, more earning potential.
Part Time Entry Level Supermarket Job Ideas
Whatever part time supermarket jobs you are looking to do, the most important thing to note is that supermarkets are looking for people who are team players, who are helpful and who are flexible.
The willingness to provide excellent customer service in any supermarket role is paramount.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the entry level part time roles you might consider.
Picking & Packing
Picking and packing is normally associated with warehouse work but you can also do this type of role in a supermarket, too.
Some supermarkets offer a click and collect system whereby customers can choose and buy their products online bıt then come to the store to pick up their order at a designated space.
Obviously, someone in the store then needs to gather the products ordered by the customer and get them ready for collection.
This is the job of the supermarket pickers and packers. And, depending on the number of orders that have come into the supermarket, you may need to use your organisation skills to fulfil more than one order at a time.
And this is not their only role. Supermarket pickers and packers also have other responsibilities. You will need to use company software to keep track of products that have arrived at the supermarket and make sure they are stored correctly before being placed in the store for sale.
Replenishing Stock
There are various names for those people in supermarkets that are responsible for keeping the shelves full for shoppers.
Depending on the supermarket you are working for, you might be called a shelf stocker, stock assistant, customer assistant or shelf filler; to name just a few.
When you do this type of part time supermarket job, you will be out on the shop floor for much of the time and this means that, as well as filling shelves and cabinets, you will also be a face of the supermarket, dealing directly with customers.
You will most likely be the person a shopper will come to when they are trying to locate particular products and you will need to know which direct to point them in, in a friendly and professional way.
Dependişng on their branding, supermarkets are laid out differently with products arranged in particular ways. As well as replenishing stock and making sure shelves, fridges, freezers and cabinets are full, you will need to make sure you have rotated the stock to prevent goods from going out of date.
You will also need to make sure products are in the right place with prices and labels matching the product.
Products also need to be displayed in the way that the supermarket requests; attractively, so that shoppers have a better shopping experience.
Stock losses need to be kept to a minimum in supermarkets and as a stock assistant, you will also be responsible for helping with inventory coınting and moving goods around in the supermarket to present them in a way that they sell better to customers.
This is a fast paced job that will keep you active throughout your shift. You will need a certain şevle of fitness because there will be lifting involved and moving of store furniture.
Store Cleaner
Part time supermarket cleaner jobs mean you have a hugely important role in the supermarket.
Cleaning jobs mean you will be responsible for keeping the supermarket clean and safe for shoppers. The cleanliness of a supermarket is important for the customers’ shopping experience, safety for both customers and staff and also for hygiene.
As a supermarket cleaner, you will also be coming into contact with customers. Cleaners need to clean up any spillages that other staff or customers may have caused and the appropriate safety measure put in place around any spillages.
Supermarket cleaners will also have regular duties that need to undertake during their shift and these will need to be logged to show that you have done them.
You will be working with a variety of equipment and cleaning products for both specialist and general use.
Supermarket cleaners will need a certain level of fitness as this is a physical role which will require you to be on your feet for much of the time. As well as cleaning, you will be moving heavy objects, bending and lifting, climbing ladders to higher spaces and operating specialist cleanşng equipment.
Food Service Assistant
Especially in larger supermarkets, there are numerous areas where you could specialise in doing part time supermarket jobs as a supermarket assistant.
Some of these roles could give you the opportunity to also learn a trade if you do the training. For example, if you are working on the butcher’s counter, you could train to be a butcher.
Customer service skills are paramount when you are workişng as a food service assistant because you will be dealing directly with the public and listening to their requests.
As well as the butcher’s counter, you could work as a fishmonger, a deli counter assistant, or takeaway foods, for example.
As a food service assistant, you will be offering a more personal service to customers and forming relationships with them. Rather than just filling their trolley from the shelves of the supermarket, the food counters offer a more personal service with a friendly face.
Supermarkets will give you the training you need to deal with customer requests effectively and to prepare foods how they want you to.
Most supermarkets have cafes, these days, where customers can stop for refreshments or a bite to eat whilst they do their shopping. Part time jobs working in the cafe restaurants are also an option.
General Store Assistant
Again, depending on the company you are working for, there are numerous titles for the role of store assistant when you are doing part time supermarket jobs.
Your role could also include some of the duties mentioned above as you will be required to work as part of a team and help out others also working on your shift. This is especially true at busy periods such as Christmas where you might be needed to help out in areas where an extra pair of hands is needed, temporarily.
Store assistants need to be enthusiastic and positşve peoıple who don’t mind doing a variety of roles. Some of the duties of a store assistant could include:
- Cashier – scanning people’s shopping and dealing with cash and credit cards when customers pay for their goods.
- Bagging – Customers who are doing a monthly shop will have lots of goods going through to be bagged up. Some supermarkets have staff to help with this – bagging up relevant items together so that it is easier for the shopper. This job also helps supermarkets get customers through quicker so that queues are not as long and more customers can be served.
- Hospitality – meet and greet customers as they enter the supermarket so that they see a friendly face as they begin their shopping. This is all about makşng the customer feel welcome and giving them a more positive shopping experience.
- Customer service – the customer service desk is where shoppers will go for a variety of reasons. You might be dealing with goods that have been returned and giving refunds or you couıld be dealing with lost property, for example. As a customer service assistant, you are one of the important faces of the supermarket and you will need excellent people skills.
Trolley / Car Park Assistant
If you don’t like to be working indoors all the time and you like to be outside working in the elements, then part time supermarket jobs as a trolley assistant might be perfect for you. Again, at busy times such as Christmas, this can be a demanding job where you will need to make sure there are enough trolleys waiting at the entrance of the supermarket for customers.
A trolley assistant will need to be physically fit as some supermarket car parks cover a large area. It is up to you to make sure the car park is safe for drivers and pedestrians by clearing away any stray trolleys and takşng them to their relevant bays.
You will also be pushing numerous trolleys all at once to return them to the entrance for the next lot of customers.
As you know, the weather in the UK is really not always warm and sunny. Supermarket jobs as a trolley assistant will mean you will be working in hot and cold temperatures, in wind, in rain and snow.
Look For Part Time Supermarket Jobs in Your Area
Above are just a few of the different types of part time supermarket jobs you could consider. If you think this type of work is for you – whether permanent or seasonal – why not take a look to see if there are any supermarket vacancies in your area.
If you are looking for seasonal work, most supermarkets start recruiting to fill their Christmas jobs from mid October onwards so have your CV ready if this is the work you are looking for.
