Day 4 Work Experience

As I had previously discussed with the sales manager about which days I was working, I didn’t need to worry about getting in contact with any member of staff as I already knew I was working that day.

This was probably my best day there. I was asked to help set up the window display with another member of staff. Just as we started the other guy that I was working with had to deal with a customer who was wanting to buy a guitar, so I was left to sort most of it myself. The sales manager came over to see what I could put in the window as he didn’t want guitars in the sunlight, so I suggested that we put an electric drum kit in there with some amplifiers and PA speakers. He agreed and told me to set it all up so I went on to do that. Once it was done, he was happy and asked me to then clean the windows.

During the rest of the day I was able to help customers more after getting used to my surroundings and where things were in the shop, and I also got to help out a few people that were looking into buying instruments. One man came in asking for a specific type of Acoustic guitar, so I assisted him and gave him information about different types that he could try. He tried a few different types and said he wanted to buy one maybe the next day. So I potentially could have made a sale there. Also someone bought one of the amplifiers that I put in the window for the display which I was quite proud of.

At the end of the shift the sales manager left the shop without saying bye or thank you to me. Despite the way he was, the rest of the staff there were very nice, and extremely helpful and made me feel very welcome.

Day 3 Work Experience

So after having to wait for a few weeks to get my last two days done at my work experience placement at Millers Music in Cambridge, I managed to get back in contact with the sales manager. Again, as I was not emailed as promised, I went into the store and spoke to him about doing the last days. He did apologise, and said he had been too busy. But I was able to go in the following day.

The day was fairly similar to the other days I had worked, however, I was able to get a bit more involved in helping customers as it was busier than other days. I was also given some tasks that involved unpacking brand new guitars that were worth a lot of money, one being a Fender Stratocaster that was a 2016 special edition model. I was asked to make sure they were all in working order and in tune, as well as being in the right order of price on the wall racks.

I was glad to be given the chance to take part in another delivery. This time it was an electronic drum kit which had some issues before hand to do with the sale, however it was resolved in store over the phone and we were able to proceed with the delivery. We arrived at the church where it was being delivered, and it seemed to be for some kind of music therapy session. I was approached by a man who was a part of the group in the church, and started talking to me, and then another man talked to me about the drum kit and I was able to give him lots of information that he seemed interested in.

When I got back from the delivery, I was asked to go downstairs where the offices are to help out with something. Earlier in the day we were told that there had been a flood the previous week in all of the offices and they were having people in the next day to have it fixed. When I went downstairs, the sales manager was down there kicking the wall down. He told me that he needed to make it look worse so the people would do a better job when they came to fix it. There was a lot of mess on the floor where he had kicked the wall down, and he said “get a plastic bag and clean that up”. So that is what I did. While I was doing this, I watched him get a dehumidifier, and pour the water that was inside it all over the floor and woodwork. After he did that he said “that should make it look bad enough”. I really found this behaviour very unprofessional and surprising considering the state the offices were already in.

Work Experience – Day 2

At the end of my first day at Millers Music, the sales manager had told me that he would be contacting me about another day of work. So after a couple of weeks without hearing anything, I decided to email them asking what day I could go in.

“Hi —-,

I was told I would hear about another day for work experience, but not had an email yet. I was just wondering when I can come in this week?

Thanks”

I soon had a response…

“Hi Ben,

Sorry we have not got back to yet. —- will be on holiday for the next two weeks but should be in contact with you after that when you can come back in.

Thank you

—-

Millers Music”

As I wanted to get my work experience finished I didn’t really want to have to wait around for two weeks, so I emailed again asking if I could go in sooner and I was told I would be emailed by the sales manager on the following Saturday. I waited to hear from him however, I wasn’t surprised to find that I had received no email. Feeling a bit unappreciated, I decided it would be best to go in the shop and speak with him face to face. When I arrived there I saw him dealing with a customer so I waited to speak with him. When he saw me he suddenly became stressed and his body language changed as if he was worn out and said words similar to ” oh yeah I forgot about you, I’m really sorry but I’ve been very busy”. I found this quite annoying as I had been told by another manager that he would email me, however he was too busy to send an email. I understand that managers are busy, but the time that I have spent working with him in particular, I have seen that he does nothing but rudely boss people around and gets everyone to do everything for him.

He then also told me I needed to buy smarter clothes. After around five minutes, we came to an agreement that I would work the next day and do my other days when he got back from his two week holiday.

When I arrived the following day, we had a staff meeting and then had a small talk on the classical guitars they had got in stock as they had had some difficulties in telling the customers the differences. After that I went on the shop floor in the same department as the time before. I was told to do a few different jobs, mainly throwing rubbish away, but sometimes tuning guitars that had been delivered.

Two bass guitars were delivered and he asked me and another worker to unpack them and tune them. So as we were doing that, he went and sat on his stool, and started texting. While we were tuning the guitars, he walked over and pointed at the boxes they had come out of and said in a disrespectful tone “whats all this mess? clean it up”. With no manners,  and no respect for either of us, he picked up the mess and showed us, then there it back down on the floor, and went on to sit down and text again. I understand that we could have cleared away some of the boxes, but personally I feel that he could have cleared away some of it instead of sit and do nothing. I feel like a manager should be like a leader and work with everyone to get the job done easier. However he is the kind of manager who loves the power and gets everyone to do everything for him, and believes he can say and do what he wants. A good example of this is when he swears on the shop floor with customers around, who I have noticed to give him a disgusted look. He cam back after doing this and said “I can swear on the shop floor, but if I hear you swearing, I will beat the shit out of you”. Obviously not literally, but a very pathetic way of trying to show off.

This kind of behaviour carried on through the day, kicking boxes at me to take to the rubbish shed instead of asking me, as another example.

After my lunch I went back to the shop and one of the other members of staff who had been working there for around thirteen years told me that I would be going with him to deliver an electric piano to someone in Cambridge. I jumped at the opportunity to do something different, so we went out to deliver it together. When we arrived at the house we had a friendly greeting from a lady who had bought the piano for her son. I made sure I was very friendly to her while we were setting it all up for her. She kept asking questions which I did my best to answer, and requested that we kept moving it until she was happy. I thought this was fair as it was a part of our job. She seemed satisfied with our customer service, so we left her and her son to their piano.

When I got back, there was only around 45 minutes left which I spent helping customers with guitars and making sure everywhere was tidy. The sales manager was no where to be seen so another member of staff told me I could leave.

Before my day started I was told he would email me when he is back from his holiday…lets see if that actually happens!