Name: Jenny Rawlings-Smith
Airport: Heathrow Terminal 5
Store: Glorious Britain
Position: Customer Service
Assistant
Jenny Rawlings Smith was at Alpha for 13 years before
she joined WDF. She initially worked for one of their bookstore
brands but moved to Glorious Britain three years ago.
I love interacting with people from all over
the world. When there’s a language barrier, you just improvise. I’m
from Sheffield originally so sometimes they can’t understand my
Northern accent!
Terminal 5 is an airy, bright building. I love
working there. We always get really excited when we spot
celebrities – so far I’ve seen Robbie Williams, Jennifer Lopez,
Jordan and Peter with the kids and Kate Moss. Kate was really
lovely - very down to earth.
Sometimes I open the store at 5.30am but
usually my hours are 6am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday. My shifts
allow me to spend time with my new grandson, which is fantastic.
He’s just started to walk and it’s great being part of his life. I
get back and forth to work on the bus – I live out near Windsor and
I get the subsidised BAA travel card for £50 a month. Then I get
free travel all month, even on my days off.
My main focus is the customer, helping them
choose gifts, picking out something for their children, helping
with prices. I also put stock out. Customers love things with the
Union Jack on them – we’ve got a real Mini Cooper in the shop with
a Union Jack on it and that gets loads of attention and draws
customers in. We also just started selling football merchandise –
Man U is popular and we keep selling out!
The training is great - everything from health
and safety to the products themselves. Once, management even took
the team to the Tower of London so that people could learn more
about London’s tourist attractions. We had training on Churchill
shortbread and toffees recently – of course, we also got to eat a
lot! We learned all about the manufacturing process and
ingredients, which is interesting and it also helps us sell the
products.