Cody Bristow

Another milestone was hit within the business as I earned the opportunity to become a Manager at Tesco.

In this role, I took on more responsibility with around 20-25 members of staff under my wing, still maintaining the standards of the business and sticking by my non negotiables.

Being a manager came with a fair amount of pressure from the business, making sure as a store we were delivering on our KPI for all four quarters of the financial year and for this to happen, it was all about finding that balance of keeping as many of my staff happy, healthy whilst continuing to drive performance for the success of the business and our store.

Of course, every day wasn't smooth sailing, we had constant obstacles to overcome, i.e. under performance, sickness, bereavements, global system outages, fridge/freezer breakdowns, high volumes of theft, aggressive customers, so many different scenarios in which we all needed to adapt fairly quickly to ensure that we kept the ship steady in times of disruption, weather that's having difficult conversations with team members which can lead to conduct investigatory meetings or acting promptly when cold rooms and cabinets break down to avoid high monetary value of waste, issues can arise at any time so being ready and on your marks is key.

Celebrating success as a store and with those members of the team that go both above and beyond for the customer and to the benefit of the store was also so, so important for moral and just that show of appreciation to staff really went a long way in working relationships and further productivity, I always try my best to keep the culture within the team as positive as possible.

Earlier on in 2025, I had to end up stepping away from the business for a brief spell of unemployment to attend to certain family matters and a little self-care as times started to get difficult in which I was unable to meet the needs of the business, but I eventually enrolled back into the company to pick up where I left off and I am currently adapting to certain policy and structural changes within the business that had come to fruition in my absence.

Working my way up the ladder within the business was something I was very keen on doing, so when I asked about the opportunity, a plan was put in place for me to move stores, expanding my network, meeting new people, etc.

I moved to Colchester Extra to take up the role of a store shift leader, where I learned, as the position stated, more of a leadership status, delving deeper into the operational side of the business and how it works, making the right decisions for our team and the customer, prioritising, gaining the confidence of delegation and having those difficult conversations with colleagues when things aren't quite right.

My time in this role was a very successful one, earning top marks for my end of year review. I wasn't flawless , I made mistakes as we all do, but I made sure that I learned from them, taking my knowledge of this role to a higher level as time passed.

The start of my journey in retail began as a general customer assistant at my local Braintree Tesco superstore, a role I held for seven years.

During my spell there, it would be tough to describe the amount of learning that was achieved in that time. My prominent area of expertise was in the department of stock control, managing stock quantities, store orders and the overall availability of the store, tracking store shrinkage on top losses and gains, keeping on top of fresh food legalities around emergency product withdrawals and the prevention of out of code products to keep our customers happy and safe from unsuitable food consumption.

Overall, my biggest learnings were all around people skills, as you can imagine, we have a gargantuan customer base, so that entails assisting a never ending range of people, from all ages, to different races and cultures, mentally and physically disabled, so, a constant adaptation of any customer's needs is pivotal to ensuring they have the best shopping experience possible.

• Ensuring health and safety regulations are complied within work premises at all times.
• Collaborated efficiently with team members to maintain smooth store operations.
• Upheld company policies whilst interacting with customers to maintain brand reputation.
• Assisted in visual merchandising efforts, enhancing store appearance and attracting footfall.
• Dealt effectively with customer complaints, resolving issues professionally and amicably.
• Communicated daily offers to customers, promoting in-store deals and discounts.

The list can go on and on from my learnings.

My sweet and short time at JPJ was a great experience as a 16 year old getting a first taste of a typical working life, every day was a school day, just learning the basics of assisting the more established workers with routine tasks, as you would expect I was fairly limited to what I could do due to myself being under the age of 18, the overall takeaway from my first job was to experience it and earning a little financial independence for my young self.

Key things I took away from my time there:

• Followed health and safety guidelines with diligent use of protective gear.
• Kept warehouse clean, ensuring a safe working environment (good housekeeping).