Stockroom Induction Notes: Pellow's Supermarket, Kingsbridge Road

Purpose of these notes

These notes are for new colleagues who will be working in the stockroom at our Kingsbridge Road store, either as part of the night replenishment team or on daytime shifts. Please read them before your first shift and keep them for reference. The stockroom is busy and contains heavy equipment, so knowing where everything is will help you to work safely and quickly.

Entering the stockroom

You enter the stockroom from the shop floor through the double swing doors in the middle of the south wall. These open onto the clear walkway, a marked strip of floor which must never be blocked by cages or pallets. On your left as you come through the doors is the cash office, which is always locked and may be entered only by managers. On your right is the area containing staff lockers, where you can leave coats and bags; padlocks can be borrowed from the duty manager.

Main storage

Most dry and tinned products are kept on the ambient racking in the centre of the stockroom, directly north of the clear walkway. Heavy items must go on the lowest shelves. To the left of the racking, against the west wall, is the chilled store, which holds dairy products, meat and ready meals at between one and four degrees. Its door closes automatically and has a release handle on the inside. Against the opposite wall, to the right of the racking, is the returns cage, where damaged or out-of-date goods are placed until they are collected by the supplier.

Deliveries

Lorries unload at the goods-in bay, which runs along the north side of the stockroom from the north-west corner. Nobody may stand behind a reversing lorry, and only staff with a pallet truck certificate may move pallets off the vehicle. The freezer room is in the north-east corner. Between the goods-in bay and the freezer room is the cardboard baler, which compresses empty boxes into bales for recycling. Only colleagues over eighteen who have completed baler training may use it, and the key is kept by the duty manager.

Working safely

Use the step ladders provided rather than climbing on racking, and wear the safety shoes supplied by the company at all times. When working in the freezer room, wear the insulated jacket and gloves and take a short break in the warm every twenty minutes. Report any spill on the clear walkway straight away.

Breaks

Breaks are taken in the staff room upstairs, not in the stockroom. Food and drink must not be brought into any storage area, and mobile phones should only be used during breaks.