Hi there
Since being
banned from driving in March I have been going into work as a warehouse guy. I
am not in every day but up until last week I have been in at least two to three
days a week. I get up at 5.15am on workdays have a coffee, get washed and
shaved then at 5.45 take a nice cup of tea into my dear wife who’s having to
get up to drive me in to work. At the beginning of all this my boss had offered
to come and pick me up as it was sort of on his way in but at the first attempt
he clean forgot about me and left me standing at the end of my road on a
miserable wet and cold morning for half an hour before he remembered. He’d been
sitting at his desk sipping coffee when it dawned on him he should’ve picked me
up. Since that day my wife has took me in.
The first
thing we do is load the vans. We have three large vans and a baby van for small
local deliveries. The first van normally has the Norfolk run on it and one guy
stands at the desk issuing orders for at least three of us to run up and down
the aisles picking items such as toilet rolls, paper towels, cleaning liquids,
cloths, scourers, mops, buckets and various items from a choice of at least
several thousand. Did you know that there’s at least 20 different types of
toilet roll? I didn’t till I started working here. I don’t mean stuff you get in Tesco like
Andrex or Cushelle toilet rolls. I mean bulk pack, mini, midi and maxi jumbo
toilet roll with a standard or 3-inch core. Then there’s Super deluxe 3 ply,
deluxe 2 ply, 320sheet 2 ply and 200 sheet 2 ply. Then there’s the Tork range
of coreless, smart one and smart one mini, then theres the Leonardo range with
at least three more types including one of our most popular products, Versatwin
seen in many public toilets in a double dispenser. There’s another at least six
types I could mention as well there so you can imagine that unless you are well
acquainted with where everything is in the warehouse mistakes are often made.
Once all
three vans are loaded and have left for the day I head off in search of bays in
the warehouse in need of replenishment. Once located I may need to bring a
pallet down from one of the shelves using our Reach fork lift. Deliveries are
arriving constantly, so I have to break off from what I’m doing to unload
lorries or to accept and sign for stuff coming in on vans. I then have to check
everything and tick it off, stamp the bit of paper and hang it on a clip board
for one of the bosses to check and file it. Those items then need to be put
away so it might involve climbing a ladder or raising a pallet to shelf height
and unloading whilst standing on the shelf. Its all very active work and after
initially finding the work tough on my old bones I have gotten used to it and
am reaping the benefits of what is essentially a daily work out.
I take an
hour’s break at 12.30 and after resuming I pick as much as I can for next days
deliveries. I finish at 4.30 when the wife pulls up outside to collect me.
Since my ban
they have been using one of the warehouse guys to do my round but they recently
took on another driver, so I have become surplus to requirements for the time
being. I was off (furloughed) all last week and haven’t yet been in this week
either so as long as the furlough scheme is still going I probably shouldn’t be
bothered but I don’t like being idle at home so find we go out more eating and
shopping needlessly to the point where all the good fitness work I’ve been
doing is slowly becoming undone. Oh well, roll on the 12th of
September!
Take Care
out there.
TM
