The Retail Appointment Magazine September 2017 TRAP_Sep 2017_DigitalEdition | Page 23
From Saturday girl
to Section Manager
Bernie has been with M&S her
whole working life – rising from
Saturday Assistant to Store
Manager, and now working as a
Section Manager. She took time
out to let us in on some (early
morning) Food Hall secrets.
Aged 16, Bernie started at M&S as a Saturday
assistant in Wood Green. Back then, she believed
it was the only place to be. 24 years on, and over
10 stores later, Bernie is still proud to put on the
uniform each morning – currently as a Section
Manager at the M&S Cheshunt store.
“The first thing I start with each day is the section
takings,” she says. “So at 5am I’m checking to see
if any of those areas need to be looked at. Next,
I’ll allocate some of the team to do a date-check
on the fridges and fill them. Then I’ll walk the hall
with my second-in-command to make sure any risk
areas we’ve highlighted have been addressed.”
Bernie works with colleagues in the M&S
Operations team to ensure stock gets to the right
place on the sales floor. She’ll also help her own
team with ‘packet perfect presentation’ and clear
any clutter so that the floor looks tidy and inviting
for early-door customers.
“Later on, I’ll take team members on a section walk
with me so that they can see what the customer
sees. During the last half of my shift we’ll do
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standards checks, pulling stock forward ready for
filling, date checks and top-ups. It takes a lot of
work to make the fridges look so good all the time!”
A Section Manager’s role also involves finding
time for coaching, training and development. Then
there’s a management meeting every day at which
Bernie and her colleagues examine food safety
findings, performance scores and – always at the
top of the list – service and making every moment
special for customers.
Having been a Duty Manager and a Store
Manager, Bernie took on a Section Manager role
as it was better suited to her family commitments.
She appreciates the work/life balance that it
gives her, and also pitches in to make her team’s
lives easier. “I wouldn’t ask them to do anything I
wouldn’t do myself,” she says. “You’ll find me on
the sales floor filling fridges alongside them if
that’s what’s needed.”
Bernie’s loyalty to the team is clearly returned.
“They delivered an excellent Christmas last year.
Some of them even volunteered to work through
the night in December so that the day teams
could keep the shelves stocked for customers.”
We asked Bernie if she had any words of advice
for potential new joiners. “Just give it a go. You
won’t know what it’s like unless you try it.”
Interested in joining Bernie as a Section Manager? Visit
careers.marksandspencer.com/section-manager to
find out more.