As far as the school year goes, more than half has passed which led to work experience that many schools get involved in with their year 10s. I myself chose and worked in Boots the chemist in Hanworth, a small area in south west London. Boots is one of the leading retailers in the United Kingdom so accept work experience and would love some helping hands and are happy to answer questions. But at the age of 15, I was not hesitant in thinking that working with this company I would act no more than a mantelpiece and blend into the background.
The shift was kept from 9 in the morning extending out till 6, including a much-needed lunch break. Those hours however were never wasted, in fact the number of things to do only kept increasing as the day way on. Boots make sure that the main task of prescriptions is always mandatory, this is if it is a pharmacy, and since it has over 2500 stores in the UK their purpose will always be to help “our customers feel better than they ever thought possible.” – Boots website. In fact, I got involved with the prescriptions, not at the counter but behind the scenes.
Almost daily delivery’s containing requested medicines comes into the store which must be labelled with their prescriptions and stored where appropriate. The system if conducted properly is simple yet effective. The organisation of types of medicine and prescriptions allows orders to be done on time. And if there are any issues there is always a solution per the system so most customers leave content. As well as this Boots handles procedures like dorsets and retail with full attentiveness and put in full effort.
I helped with the retail side of Boots, the company is a big manufacturer of items such as cosmetics, medicines, hair products, baby products etc. And like any other store they keep up to date with labels, clearances and of course the much-loved deals. Despite being a small local store Boots Hanworth make sure to keep their products organised and looking appealing while on display, even if it took hours in resetting one department. What I found most helpful was how boots arranged their products, It helped not only the workers during deliveries but also the customers who seemed to be able to work out for themselves where items were kept. And if there was a product that was not on display, Boots allows you to order the item which usually comes in at a few working days.
I enjoyed the work having a flow and routine. There was a structure that isn’t seen by the customers but the workers had learnt. Despite the structure and workers seemed as ease with their surroundings and the relationships created between co-workers allowed their jobs to coincide smoothly.
And like every working space lunch was the most adored time of the day, the balance of formal working space and comfortable sociality was something that stood out to me. In-fact it reminded me that Pharmacists and dispensaries are people too.
Zohaa Qaisar - Waldegrave
