retail sales associate

customer service representative

team member

store manager

product manager

BIG W

Interpersonal politicking is a significant problem that subsequently resulted in poor communication, ostracisation, bullying and more broadly, a hostile work environment; making mundane tasks very challenging. Moreover, the repeated breach of confidentiality on the part of line-managers as well as upper-management; and the complete disregard for company policy, rules and practices, only serves to exacerbate.

The metric in which merit and opportunities for career advancement should be based should be objective (i.e.performance management), however, this is seldom the case. In lieu of determination and strong work ethic is loyalism (to personal agendas esp. those at the forefront of municipal power relations, that is to say, members of management). 

It is very difficult to convey sufficient information to customers (about products, company procedure, concerns, etc.) and often this results in customer dissatisfaction with the service, which, in turn, leads to less sales and clientele; and more criticism about under-performance and deficiencies in professional decorum from management. There is little to no training given; and you'll often find yourself thrown into the deep end, heavily relying on fellow colleagues who've mastered the art of improvisation and self-teaching, through years of the same excruciating experience. 

Another thing. If you're somebody who remotely deviates from the status quo (i.e. mentally ill, LGBT, disabled/have a disability, ethnic minority) you especially will have a hard time. I have never witnessed and experienced more appalling treatment towards members of the LGBT community, then I did, there. On several occasions I addressed this with members of staff and on all occasions, nothing was done about it.

Now, if you're mentally ill: don't expect to be shown any consideration or understanding and if you're fortunate enough, it won't be yet another thing you're gaslighted about; and yes, is does not make any difference if your claims are substantiated. 

 
***NOT ALL BAD*** 
The team members that I worked alongside with everyday were magnificent! The hard work and dedication that they poured into doing their job and helping each other was just remarkable. In fact, our collaborative delegation and management of tasks meant we were constantly finding new ways to streamline them and often finished early because of it. I owe a great debt for strong interpersonal relationships, upskilling and support that was consolidated over the months of working together which each individual person in our team.

Firstly the positives:
1. Big W was quite good when it came to the whole initiation and training part of the job. The training was manageable and did over what was needed.
2. Some of the fellow staff members were friendly and welcoming (defiantly not all).
3. The pay was good, not amazing but enough.
However, the cons about the job:
1. The biggest and one that made the biggest impact was the management. As everyone would know, management is an integral part to ones job. How someone is manage affects staff morale, the job itself and the motivation of getting up and going to work. When management fails at their job, its sends ripple effects throughout all levels of staff. This is what happened at Big W Capalaba. To be put simply, management was severely under qualified, untrained and overall not fit for their position. Some attributes associated with one particular manager (that is no longer there - and for good reason) is hypocritical, extremely unprofessional and intimating. You want your staff to feel comfortable around you so why are there individuals in management that are unapproachable, rude and intimidating. Touching on that, "practice what you preach" - do not tell staff to not do something then flat out do it yourself (hypocritical). 
Lastly, the store manager. Yelling at 14yr old employees? I don't care if you are the prime minister or a store cleaner, not on! Control your anger or get out of your job.
2. Some of the staff are extremely condensing and rude. They have their own little groups and very segregated from the rest of the staff. Some of the middle-aged women gossip more than work and if they put more effort into their work than gossip, the store would be a fantastic place to work. They can critique how you do your job but don't dare say something about their work. Some of the staff should not work with others and need to reconsider how they treat their colleagues.
3. How they deal with theft is pitiful. Can't do anything to stop theft and telling management will fall on deaf ears. All I will say about that.

Overall, my biggest critique about Big W Capalaba is the unqualified staff who only get to their position by working there for 5+ years. Don't even need to be good socially. 

Shout out to the few really friendly, and genuinely good individuals who work there and made it bearable.

Store manager did not even congratulate me on my new job or thank me for my service.

This was my first job i worked at for 6 months as a high school student. 

Pay/ Benefits:
The job is ideally for students wanting  part time work to earn some cash outside of school. 90% of the Replenishment Team members i worked with were either at high school or in uni. Saying that, the pay was mediocre but that was to be expected in a minimum wage job with literally no entry requirements. I was working part time for the majority of my employment so i was entitled to some benefits but honestly as a High School student, i couldn't care less other than maybe the 5% discount Woolworths card. 

Job Description
The job usually consisted of 3 hour shifts where i would ensure that the presentation of the stock was acceptable for the department i was in charge of for the day (eg. Kitchen, Manchester, Sports & gardening.) The first 2 hours were during store operating hours so customer interaction was inevitable but usually they would either  ask where a particular product was or if a certain item was in stock so nothing 2 hard. I also would help the nightfill associates stock/fill shelves  if i finished my job early so be prepared to work in other departments. Some days are slow, some go fast,  some days the mangers get angry at you for no reason, some days you may get sh!tty customers, but in the end just deal with it and get your minimum wage pay check.

Working Condition/Work life:
The job was very flexible and was tailored around my school hours. I could still have a social life and have other commitments (Gym membership) whilst working at Big W and studying at school. However, they may call you in for work on the same day during the busier periods of the week or ask you to stay back for a few more hours so be prepared. The working atmosphere was mostly great. Team members were fun to be with which made the job enjoyable. I made some friends along the way which boosted my confidence and made me more sociable . Some of the managers were very supportive and i could tell they were enthusiastic about their job. However, our new store manger was the complete polar opposite of positivity and made me question my sanity. 

Overall, it is a great first job and i would highly encourage High Schoolers to apply for Big W.

You want the real truth of working retail at Big W. Spent 3 odd years here and even though I am a trained Manager from previous employment, never got promoted to Supervisor. young kids who had no experience and who just started with the company where promoted over me even though I had all the skills required and requested a lot of times to be a Supervisor. 
Was forced to work all the time cause as a casual, up to 14 days sometimes (yes they were breaking the law) but if you said no to a shift they would never ring you up, so they had you where they wanted you. I was bullied and harassed by a Manager who would take me away from view of others and make my life unbearable, couldn't say anything cause the Manager thought she was wonderful, so the constant taunts never ceased and caused my severe anxiety. When I left I was diagnosed with work stress breakdown, severe anxiety and work place burnout. Had to see a mental health professional for many months and was prescribed medication. Before I left Big W, I had started showing signs of a major breakdown, physiologist said it was at least 8 months beforehand, and no Manager took me aside to see how mentally I was doing, even though they knew they pushed me to breaking point and it was obvious I was crying out for help by my actions, but no they just kept up the bullying and the forcing me to work more and more shifts ("C'mon mate you can do it, don't let the team down") guilt tripping me.
Also they make you work as a door greeter and you have to stand up on your feet in one area for 3 to 3.5 hrs without a break. Totally wrecked my back up for life. I think it should be illegal to do that, give workers a chair to at least rest a little bit #ohs
Think long and hard before you ever step foot into a Big W as a worker. They jerk around older workers and give the juniors everything on a golden platter. I regret ever accepting an offer to work there and only after 3 years was I offered a contract, and not for a good position, for one no one wanted to do. big W stands for Big w$&@s, you do everything for them, pour your soul out into the Company just for them to turn around and do a Mexican hat dance on your heart. #destroyyoursoul

The older staff are the worst for picking on other team members at the store I work at. Not a day goes by without some kind of workplace drama.  I feel like I am back at school with children that don't know how to respect others. Instead childishly picking on another team member that they have taken a dislike too for whatever reason. 

Over the years I have watched other team members be broken down by certain staff over time. Some have gone on stress leave to never return thereafter. And in the end are so much happier for having left. Others have willingly cut their own hours to give up certain shifts in an effort to escape from having to be working with a certain staff member that is causing them stress.

I personally have felt so down after my shifts each week. And, have sadly broken down in tears from the treatment of other staff at my store. As well as the stress of my role.

Something needs to be done to address this behavioural issues amongst certain staff. But, it won't. They have been there for years. So, it feels like they have an entitlement.

Management doesn't appear to care at the best of times. And is often 'buddy like' with some bullies. Speaking to management about such concerns feels like a waste of time. You know you will be spoken about to others for speaking up. (Confidentiality has gone out the door) And, nothing good will ever come from it. 

We have so much training for customer service and safety in the workplace etc When I think we truly need to incorporate training on how to treat other team members. 

Big W has brought me headaches and tears over the years. Of which I find myself no longer wanting to endure. (But... then that's what the bully staff want).

BIG ISSUES AT MY BIG W

*I am writing this from a casual worker myself point of view*

Over my nearly two years working at Big W, I've worked in different positions including night fill, customer service, checkout, self-serv, doorman, recovery, home entertainment and party etc.

As a casual, my hours and work vary from week to week. I don't know when and what I will be doing until I get called in (usually a few hours before the shift) and turn up to work. One day I work on the floor and next day I am at the back dock listing.

I've also seen so many changes around the store from the physical parts (planogram, store refit) to the policy parts and from the management to the staff. The only thing that won't change is it is constantly changing.

The good - working with some really nice and friendly people who treat you like a family member; flexible work hours: shift date and time are easily negotiable; staff discount.

The bad - inconsistent hours; constant tight budget means not enough team members to do the jobs and fewer people to share workflows; frequent changes of management and policy leads to low employee morale.

Things that don't make sense to me - Day staff taking their sweet time while casual workers are pushed to the limits; when area manager/someone higher up is visiting the whole store is preparing to war and the next day it appears as if nothing happened; My Move; advertised items not available in the store; most on hold items are not picked up by customers.

If you want to get more hours, there are, in my opinions, two ways to do it - first, you work hard like you mean it. Management will most likely notice. Second, have a good relationship with payroll staff and supervisors/managers, as they are able to fill you in with more hours.

I worked across two different Big W locations over an extended period, and while both struggled with similar issues, one in particular was severely mismanaged. A typical day was defined by constant pressure and unrealistic expectations, including large volumes of stock that management expected to be processed within impossible timeframes. When targets were inevitably missed, the response was blame rather than support, despite ongoing understaffing.

Roster changes were frequently made without consultation, with shifts altered in ways that made maintaining a normal routine or personal life extremely difficult. Availability was often ignored, communication was poor, and training was minimal, leaving staff to figure things out under pressure.

Management was inconsistent and disengaged, with clear favouritism and a tendency to micromanage rather than address structural problems. Workplace culture reflected this, with low morale and gossip becoming the norm. The hardest part of the job was the final hours of each shift spent on repetitive “busy work” that added little value but drained already low energy levels. The only redeeming aspect was a small number of hardworking coworkers trying to cope in a dysfunctional environment.

This place has destroyed my soul.

Talk about feeling like an adult that has been taken back in time to high school with a bunch of gossiping bullies. 

Talk about feeling like a prisoner serving time that is constantly being watched over cameras. On the floor and with timing your tea breaks. 15 mins to leave your work station, walk to the back of the store, go upstairs, toilet, supposedly still have time to make a cup of tea, supposedly drink that same tea and then head downstairs and back to your workstation. 

Talk about feeling like a victim of mental abuse from the downright rude trouble making customers that you encounter each week. 

You reach out to management only to find out later that they rewarded the customer for their bad behaviour towards their team member with a gift card and chocolates or some other suck up gift.

No reward for the team member who was the victim of the verbal attack.

There is no protection or support. (oh but wait... they will pretend to care if you make a little song and dance about the issue. They will even hand out a contact card for EAP services. Mainly to shut you up I presume. That or because it is written in the guidelines and done purely out of procedure) Because they truly only care about their customers at BIG W.

Sick of giving so much effort to this workplace for so little in return.

There is no rewards other than a discount team benefits card and being able to go home to a better life after your shift.

Save your soul - Look for a better place to work.

A typical day at work involved making sure the criteria was not only met, but done at a high standard that customers and managers alike would recognise.
I learned quite a few things during my time working for Big W. I am now quite confident in initiating conversations and offering aid to customers, using technological devices such as the RF Symbol Unit, the check out screen, ISP, and much more. Not only that, I learned what customers have a general like and dislike towards in terms of displays, promotions and reoccuring products.
The co-workers were always a pleasant bunch of people. When personal problems would occur within the workplace, most associates would understand issues going on and reach out to help in any possible way.There is always drama somewhere in the workplace though, but that is expected when workin with such a diverse group of people.
The hardest part of the job was ensuring that customers were pleased with their experience within the store. Sometimes unfortunately I could not cater to their needs, and had to give them bad news such as a product becoming quit, or that the warehouse has stopped distributing popular items during busy times of the year, i.e. Christmas. It is unpleasant to do that because you don't know if the customer will react negatively or positively, but its part of the job description.
The most enjoyable part of the job was rearranging stock to coenside with new planograms being sent in. It was always a fun to take stock off the shelf and detail the aisles, making them look clean and brand new.

A typical day for me would include being on the shop floor mostly within the hard goods side of the store and serving any customers that need a hand, especially during the busy weekend trade. Working store stock during and after store operating hours and listing any excess stock to existing pallet(s) out the back dock. Also ticketing any lines that have missing shelf tickets. Especially in the Toy section as that was my main zone/area of expertise. Also general cleaning duties which includes tidying the store and back dock ready for the next days trade.

Hardest part of the job was sometimes dealing with unhappy customers as well as being short-staffed which lead to extra pressure getting tasks done throughout the shift.
Most enjoyable part of the job were very supportive colleagues as we consider ourselves like family and being praised by management for hard work and effort into your work 

Future improvements that could be made include extra staff rostered on for weekend shifts and busy periods. Especially for floor staff as it can be difficult being the only one on the floor at times as well as better organisation as to who's working in which department at any given time. Also accessibility to be able to pick up extra shifts so that shift allocation is as fair as possible. Otherwise I have no further suggestions for improvement and would happily work for Big W again :)

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Retail sales associate 7 salaries reported	$27.43 per hour
Customer service representative 7 salaries reported	$27.43 per hour
Team member 1 salary reported	$31.24 per hour
Store manager 4 salaries reported	$106,500 per year
Product manager 3 salaries reported	$168,000 per year

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