“There’s no Christmas atmosphere anymore” – store worker reveals what it’s like working at Tesco and how the pandemic has killed Christmas cheer in store
Jackie Cotton* has worked at a Tesco store in Berkshire for more than two decades. Here, she explains the pressures of working in-store over Christmas.
“There’s no Christmas atmosphere anymore, it just feels like an ordinary time apart from the fact that it’s extremely busy.
“In December there’s always a lot more stock and you’re under more pressure. You’re not guaranteed that clear two-day Christmas break that people in other jobs get to rest and spend time with your loved ones.
“I work night shifts which can really impact the time you get to spend with your family. There’s been years where I’m sleeping during the day on Christmas Eve and if you’ve got family coming you want that time to prepare.
“Come Christmas morning I’m absolutely exhausted and then by Boxing Day night I’d be back at working so you can’t really enjoy that family time.
“No matter what the time of year there’s an expectation that you will get an aisle stocked regardless of how much stock you have.
“The cages don’t come in any order so before we actually start a shift, we’re having to organise eight to ten cages. You get heavy stock packed on top of things that can be damaged like crisps, there’s no logic to it.
“There’s been many times where I’ve missed my break or stayed later to get the aisles finished and you don’t get a thank you.
“Often managers haven’t worked on the aisles, so they don’t realise how long it takes. They’re under pressure from the store manager and it filters down to us. We’re at the end of the line so we bear the brunt.
“It’s a physical job and obviously this year we’ve had to wear masks while we’re working which makes it quite claustrophobic.
“I still go about my job as I always have done but you’ve got to be careful. In the past a colleague might say ‘I’ve finished my aisle; I’ll come and help you’ but there’s none of that now because we have to keep a safe distance apart and with the lead up to Christmas being so busy, everyone is struggling to fill their own aisles.
“My husband has underlying health issues and I’m always worried, should I pick it up, I’ll pass it on to him. If I could afford to give up work I would.
“I’ve worked really hard all of these years for Tesco. I’ve given them a lot; I take hardly any sick leave.
“I can’t see how it’s very fair for someone in a distribution centre doing a job of the same value as mine to be paid more.
“We do work hard in a difficult job and now we’re fighting to prove the value of our work.”
Join the claim
Thousands of Tesco store workers have joined the Tesco Equal Pay Claim to take legal action against the company. Their demand is clear. They want to be treated fairly and to receive a well-deserved and long overdue pay rise. This doesn’t just affect people working at Tesco, thousands of supermarket store workers across the UK work in similar conditions.
If you would like to learn more about the claims we are bringing on behalf of supermarket workers, please click here.
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