I made it…….
Oh yeah!! I made it through 4 weeks here at The Warehouse. What a fantastic, exciting and challenging few weeks it’s been. Moving from working for a retail shoe store chain to a much bigger company has been a great, but at times, overwhelming experience.
For my first two weeks I packed my bags and headed for the big smoke (Auckland Support Office). There I met up with other Store Manager Development Programme (SMDP) participants at a similar stage as me in their training and built up some really great friendships! The induction truly opened my eyes to how big The Warehouse really is (8,500 employees) and the impact I will eventually have as a Store Manager.
I was (and will still be) given so many fantastic opportunities during the training period. This is so that when I complete the Programme, I’ll pop out the end as a great Store Manager. The challenge is to keep the enthusiasm going even when it gets tough and keep taking the opportunities as they arise.
After our induction it was off to my store of learning; Fraser Cove in Tauranga. In I walked, knees shaking, not sure what I was in for. But pretty soon I realised just how fantastic the team are here at Fraser Cove. And how much support I have. Because I am used to a more “hands on” approch of learning, I’ve had to adjust to a more research based programme. I’ve learnt that we plan, act and then review. In my first week in the store I spent time in the Tauranga stockroom. It’s been great doing some more physical work again and mastering the company stock system TUI. All the while adding plenty more Warehouse acronyms to my vocabulary (this is a challenge on its own!).
So all iin all I’ve had a pretty fantastic first few weeks at The Warehouse. Stay tuned for my next installment.
Feel free to ask me questions - I’ll try and answer them as best I can.
For more information on the Programme, or career opportunities at The Warehouse, check out our website www.thewarehousecareers.co.nz
