Poor Work-life balance - Customer Team Member (CTM) Co-op Employee Review

2.0
25 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Dependant on manager. Every day is a little bit different in terms of customers. Accessible systems. Paid 20 min break on 7 hour shifts.

Cons

Times where you feel unsafe. Too much with busy orders and busy shop, no solution other than more staff being placed on shift during the busy times which results in no stock being worked and orders then incomplete and customers unhappy. Heavy lifting not optional and often manual handling out the window due to the rushed nature of the job. Also, holidays do not increase due to overtime so if you have a contract with a low amount of hours, it is very hard to get time off even if you're working overtime most days as it is not officially classed as "overtime" until it is above 40 hours a week. Usually even if you request a day off without using holiday hours, when you would only need two days a week to meet your contracted hours, they are unable to provide this.

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Co-op Response
3mo
Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. It is clear that you have highlighted both the positive aspects of your experience as well as the parts that have been challenging and we appreciate you being open about them. Your comments about feeling unsafe at times, the pressure during busy periods, and the difficulties around stock, orders, and manual handling are important. We understand how demanding it can feel when customer volume and operational tasks overlap. Your point about holiday allocation on lower hour contracts is also a helpful insight into how this can affect flexibility. If you ever feel unsafe or feel that something is not working well day to day, there are several ways to raise concerns or seek support. You can speak with your Store Manager or Team Leader so they have visibility of the pressure points and can discuss what options may be available within the store. You can also speak with your store’s Safety, Health and Environment representative who can offer support around any concerns about safe working practices. For questions about contracts, holidays or entitlements, the HR Services or Colleague Support teams can provide guidance. If you feel your concerns have not been fully addressed, you can raise them with your Operations Manager. Your suggestion about pausing orders at certain points in the day so that colleagues can focus on safe working and proper stock handling is useful and will be shared with the relevant teams for consideration. Thank you again for your feedback and for everything you contribute, it is genuinely appreciated.

Explore other reviews about Co-op

5.0
18 Aug 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good pay, great staff. Good shifts

Cons

Long hours. Too far from home

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Co-op Response
9mo
Thank you for your review and feedback. We're pleased to see that you were happy with your pay, shifts, and your colleagues.
3.0
8 Sept 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Team got on well, hours weren't particularly harsh (pay not particularly impressive either)

Cons

Overworked due to corporate ruthlessly cutting hours (while hiring more staff?), generally piling on more and more work to the store team without considering time constraints, absolutely no opportunity for advancement while a store manager is already there

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Co-op Response
8mo
Thank you for taking the time to submit a review, however, we believe that you have left this in error. Our Co-op is based in the United Kingdom and have no association with Co-operatives in the USA. We've advised Glassdoor to allocate your review to the correct organisation, but you may wish to review and edit this yourself to ensure your views are represented correctly.
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