Employee roles and responsibilities in retail and service industries

¶ … people at Work

Supermarket

The supermarket employee is part of team; or rather part of larger machine in which every person has a specific role in the running of the store. The hierarchies of employees that make up the staff contingency within a supermarket include management, stock control clerks, shelf packers, cashiers, customer care officers, and store cleaners. The efficiency of a supermarket, as perceived by its customers, is dependent on the effective interaction between staff members to ensure that applicable tasks are carried out.

The supermarket employee most seen by the public is the employee who works at the register. Their day is a continual routine with one customer after another and then stolen moments of gossip and chatting between the onslaught of products to be rung up. They manage to maintain a sense of perspective throughout and the daily routines with a certain amount of enjoyment.

Occasionally an employee meets a regular customer and they pick up on news and health and other issues. But this is short lived as those queuing behind become restive and the next customer must be served. It is only in times of pressure, during holiday seasons, when the calm tone in the employees' eyes seem lose a bit of their normal luster. Deadness starts to intrude and lips are set as cashiers focus on ringing up or scanning items and ushering queues of impatient customers through the process that seems to be without end.

2. Fast-food restaurant

People working in the fast-food industry by necessity have a sunny disposition and project themselves as healthy and energetic individuals. An imperative is evident cleanliness in their attire and personal hygiene, especially ensuring that their hands are perfectly clean if food is handled. While preparing fast-food dishes requires pre-determined culinary skills, employees are also attentive to maintaining a strict code of cleanliness throughout the process from preparation to delivery of end product. Workers pay close attention not only to the exact cooking process to ensure they deliver tasty food, but also make certain that the food is attractively presented and packaged.

It is important that workers follow an established set of rules that accompany delivering fast-food, such as including serviettes, sachets containing ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, barbeque salt, and disposable cutlery with certain meals. Workers in the industry are required to be attentive to a customer's needs when an order is placed and should re-affirm the order by repeating it to the client before passing it to the kitchen. Courtesy with a smile and speed in delivering fast-food orders is an imperative in this industry. The organization in a fast-food restaurant should be efficient and its employees well-trained to ensure a smooth, professional operation.

3. Newsstand is usually a small outlet or franchise situated in the flow of public access. The man at the newsstand is seemingly always there; like an island in the middle of a passing mass of people, he seems very relaxed almost oblivious to the masses swirling around him. It is usual to see the person manning the newsstand reading a magazine or newspaper. He occasionally glances over the edge of his reading matter to acknowledge a customer and to keep a wary eye on the activities around his stand. Most of the time he does not seem to do much, except to take in some coins from purchases. There is an air of calmness and relaxation about operating a newsstand. It is something of a small oasis in the sea of passing humanity in the fast-paced city. When he sees a customer he recognizes, the look in his eyes change and he actually smiles. He strikes up a conversation and takes in some money into a small till at the back of the stand. Then he goes back to reading about the world around him.

5. Car wash

There are various types of car washes. The two main types are touchless or cloth-friction washes. The touchless type depends on powered jets of water and detergents while the cloth friction wash has a more hands-on approach. There is also another type of car wash which is simple and completely hands-on. This is the small car wash run to by three to four people with their only equipment consisting of a few buckets, a hose and lots of cloths and detergents. This form of car wash is certainly labor intensive with no automization. The workers have a sequence of tasks - one cleans the inside of the car while the others wash down the outside. There is a sense of fun and enjoyment as I watch them go about their tasks. They talk incessantly and laugh when the water hose accidentally sprays them. They certainly would not make a fortune and would probably have to upgrade their business to really make a decent profit. However, this does not seem to bother them in the least and the cars were lining up. What is noteworthy is that these workers display a healthy amount of pride and enjoyment in their work.

6. Pizza Parlor

One aspect that strikes one immediately about the inside of a pizza parlor is the pleasant aroma and heat that permeates from the open kiln. The parlor is centered around a large open pizza oven. The manger and chef arrive at work very early in the morning. In preparing for the day ahead the chef proceeds to clean the kitchen and mop the floor. He probably does not have to do this but it has become a sort of ritual for him that starts the day. He then proceeds to the most important preparation of the day - making the dough that will be used to make pizza bases. His next big job is to make sure that the rest of the staff show up for work. This is a family run business, which means getting everyone to work on time can be a problem. The cooking begins and the delicious aroma wafts though the entire shop. Soon there is great amount of activity. After the doors open the customers start to filter in, not only to congregate around the pizza area but also to play video games in a section of the shop. The atmosphere is busy and cheerful, with waiters calling in orders to the chef who is continually busy making pizza bases and piling on an array of toppings. His sleeves are rolled up; his face is flushed from the heat emanating from the kiln as he shovels yet another pizza into the inviting fire.