I’m an agency driver and done all sorts of deliveries around the country. However for all these years have avoided doing to actual store deliveries. I’m with B&M from Speke this weekend driving a Class 1 and am told I’ll be on store deliveries.
Now I’ve no idea what to expect, I’ve honestly tried to avoid doing these kind of jobs.
Do they give you the “best approach” instructions? I assume I’m offloading. Is it usually multidrop?
It’s all palletised on double decker, ask for a route map ,most trailors are 16ft
gezt:
It’s all palletised on double decker, ask for a route map ,most tailors are 16ft
My tailor was 5ft 6ins and a little jewish guy … 
raymundo:
gezt:
It’s all palletised on double decker, ask for a route map ,most tailors are 16ftMy tailor was 5ft 6ins and a little jewish guy …
Ooopps 
i did store deliveries before and had to let myself in to the small warehouse unload and lock up again.
Shellshocker, your username will become quite apt when you see some of the places they ask you to get in. I used to work full time for B & M’s and some of the shops are in precincts with the loading/unloading bay in tiny courtyards at the back, drive in, jack-knife out. If they give you Sutton in Ashfield leg it…unless they’ve moved the store
I’m sure Dozy will be able to give the OP some tips on manoeuvring a truck in a tight delivery yard
woody2808:
Shellshocker, your username will become quite apt when you see some of the places they ask you to get in. I used to work full time for B & M’s and some of the shops are in precincts with the loading/unloading bay in tiny courtyards at the back, drive in, jack-knife out. If they give you Sutton in Ashfield leg it…unless they’ve moved the store
Do they at least give you instructions on how to approach the store? How to get into these yards?
I’ve done some horrible deliveries where I get a ‘ballpark’ postcode and got to figure it out myself. I can imagine the kind of yards you’re talking about, I’ve seen them in the City Centre and always thought, “■■■■ that”, but here we are 
If they…
Don’t provide a really good pair of gloves, go out and buy yerself some leather ones.
Sooner or I gaurantee you will trap yer bell ringers between cages and by ■■■■ it hurts!
Watch out for members of the lower orders and their stunningly badly-behaved offspring running/loitering/parking/fighting etc etc etc behind you when attempting to enter the premises. The allure of cheap shopping and free parking is a siren-call for those of us who prefer to live a lifestyle outside of honest hard work and the rewards it brings.
I say this tongue-in-cheek, but there’s a serious undertone to it. A lot of people seem to think that getting to a shop to buy one of those ghastly stickers saying EAT LOVE DRINK or some similar inane rubbish to stick on their drawing room wall is much more important than not getting run over by a lorry… 
Shellshocker:
woody2808:
Shellshocker, your username will become quite apt when you see some of the places they ask you to get in. I used to work full time for B & M’s and some of the shops are in precincts with the loading/unloading bay in tiny courtyards at the back, drive in, jack-knife out. If they give you Sutton in Ashfield leg it…unless they’ve moved the storeDo they at least give you instructions on how to approach the store? How to get into these yards?
I’ve done some horrible deliveries where I get a ‘ballpark’ postcode and got to figure it out myself. I can imagine the kind of yards you’re talking about, I’ve seen them in the City Centre and always thought, “[zb] that”, but here we are
Not when I worked out of Blackpool they didn’t, we just used to get an address, a set of keys and a ‘don’t be long’ . It may be different now they run out of Speke but I doubt it. It’s what you call ‘character building’
I’ve done some store deliveries to B&M. Not working for B&M but doing direct to store deliveries from the suppliers.
Best tips I can give is don’t always go off the post code and street name as that’s more than likely the shop front. Sometimes goods in will be there, sometimes it won’t. Some you might have to go into the car park for, but you don’t want to do that unless your sure that’s where you need to go…because if your wrong you’ll be on YouTube as “idiot truck driver stuck in car park” Best tip here is use google satellite view and street view. 9 times out of 10 it will be obvious how to get to goods in from that.
Don’t expect there to be a nice turning circle for an artic either. Some will have one, some will have one but it’s all filled with stock or waste, some will be a reverse in job, some will be almost like a kerbside tip. There was one in Scotland I did where there was no chance of reversing down from the one way system, and there was no proper turning circle either. Right ball ache getting back out. All doable though.
Plenty do also have nice big service yards at the back though, especially the ones that are on retail parks.
Store deliveries is easy clean work though, and some of them will keep it interesting for your driving skills.
Just watch your route planning with those high trailers as well.
DickyNick:
I’ve done some store deliveries to B&M. Not working for B&M but doing direct to store deliveries from the suppliers.Best tips I can give is don’t always go off the post code and street name as that’s more than likely the shop front. Sometimes goods in will be there, sometimes it won’t. Some you might have to go into the car park for, but you don’t want to do that unless your sure that’s where you need to go…because if your wrong you’ll be on YouTube as “idiot truck driver stuck in car park”
Don’t expect there to be a nice turning circle for an artic either. Some will have one, some will have one but it’s all filled with stock or waste, some will be a reverse in job, some will be almost like a kerbside tip. There was one in Scotland I did where there was no chance of reversing down from the one way system, and there was no proper turning circle either. Right ball ache getting back out. All doable though.
Plenty do also have nice big service yards at the back though, especially the ones that are on retail parks.
Store deliveries is easy clean work though, and some of them will keep it interesting for your driving skills.
Just watch your route planning with those high trailers as well.
^^^^^^^exactly what Nick said. Google earth was my best friend whilst working for B & M’s. ^^^^^^^^^^
Not done B and M but done lots of shop deliveries and the best advice I can offer is, if it looks tight, it will be doable because the bloke got in yesterday and the day before that so I can. Good luck.
sent using smoke signals
mick.mh2racing:
Not done B and M but done lots of shop deliveries and the best advice I can offer is, if it looks tight, it will be doable because the bloke got in yesterday and the day before that so I can. Good luck.sent using smoke signals
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
thats what i thought on a new run 10 years ago spending 45 mins trying to jacknife it round 2 bends between a shop and a fence with the logic " i know they get deliveries every day and i know its tight,but the regular guy must get it in"
after a good arguement with the manager ending up in him reporting me,it dawns on them that some stupid bint in the office thought it would be a money saving idea that instead of sending 2 loads out in 2 rigids,surely it would be easier to send both loads out in a 45 footer.
Ive done B & M store deliveries and one thing I’ll say to you is be very careful when cornering.
The loaders have a weird policy of stacking the bottom deck with pallets of kitchen roll and bedding and putting all the heavy pallets full of drinks, washing powder etc on the top deck.