RDC's name and shame (or praise)

Worst…Morrisons wakefield,queue to get to the gate,queue to get to next queue,after about a week when you finally get tipped ,you have to pull outside behind another queue of about 1000 wagons,so end up parked about 3 mile away,then you have to walk back to goods in and wait in yet another queue where about a month after getting tipped to finally get your paperwork back…dont even get me started if you have to go back in because they’re refusing a pallet due to damages or something.

Best…homebase ndc swindon nice friendly staff straight in and out…last time even before i had finished my coffee.

Fortunately, I no longer have to go to RDC’s. But, back in the day, I found that Sainsbury’s wern’t too bad, even when I was running late, also they were quite helpful in other ways (I was a newbie at that time), and didn’t stress me out or make me feel stupid. Most of the Asda ones I’ve been to haven’t been too bad although the waiting times were variable, and there was always a proper reason for any delay, so while one may be miffed at hanging around, the reason was always readily apparent.
At the other end of the scale was my one and only visit to Icelands in Swindon, where I and a good few other drivers had roughly 4 hours wait just to tip 3-4 pallets. Not only that you’d get near to your turn and they’d turn round and refuse to tip you 'cos the backend of the trailer was too low. One poor bloke had an old fashioned trailer with no air adjustment, so they sent him to scrounge broken pallets and scrap timber out of the skip to make himself a little ramp to back up!
Tescos, well Tescos are Tescos, If you’re an outside driver then you’re most likely in for a bit of a wait. If you’re pulling for them on the other hand you tend to be processed too quickly if thats possible. I used to see the poor guys sat there on the most uncomfortable seating in an ill-heated and draughty waiting room, paying through the nose for indifferent ‘beverages’ while we used to get tipped quick or failing that just drop the trailer on the bay and go round the other side where there was free tea and coffee, and some nice upholstery ot take your ease on until they found you another job (yes please @£18 an hour on Sundays!) or debriefed you and sent you home :frowning:
Morrissons at Northwich I found to be fairly efficient (in spite of adverse posts to the contrary recently), but I found them indifferent to the point of rudeness at Wakefield.
To sum up, if yo’re on RDC work you’ve got to be able to put up with a bit of a wait form time to time, it’s the name of the game. I remember one evening of interminable waitng to get even into Tescos Welham Green, and there was this driver from Ken Abrahams(remember them?) stalking up and down the line asking people if this was the norm or what? I just said to him to relax and count all the hours poa he’d get paid for sitting on his arse reding his book or watching telly, he turned round and told me he was salaried FFS, so I told him that at a rough calculation he was on about £2 an hour for the shift, whereupon he got back in his cab and nearly had the door off slamming it shut. It never used to bother me, I took a good book and plenty of tea, I was on wages whatever, I got my sleep in the queue, and was fresh as a daisy when I eventually did get away

Well we dont do many RDC but I must say the best I have been to by far must be Magor.
Drivers room has loo, Tv , Tea/ Coffee mach.
You can wonder off to the canteen and use that, they also have vend mach for the out of hours times…
Staff are always polite and dont blank you if you have a question and are always willing to help you.
Even the work shop boys are helpful had a rear light bulb go and asked if i could borrow a screwdriver, blow me they even gave me a bulb
I must say 10/10

morrisons, wakefield.
scum of the earth, someone even cleaned the drinks machine with the same mop that they had used in the toilets.
six hours to tip, you have to share a small waiting area that dosn’t have enough seating, you can’t use the canteen, you can’t leave to get some food from nearby.
i left my very well paid job because of it. i knew that my violent past would have come back to haunt me if i had carried on going there.

i have found that the vast majority of RDC’s are getting their act together, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

Asda at washington. spot on. you drop your trailer, the tug driver will let you know when it will be ready. you can use all the facilites. the food is freshly cooked.
the swimming pool is at just the right temperature. “ok, ok, that bit’s not true.” :laughing:

it’s very rare that we do RDC work, i hope i’m not forced to move jobs again.

This post relates to chilled work, so don’t know much about the ambient side -

Tescos - usually ok, no splitting down because stuff is already scanned while being picked. Co-op at Alfreton usually pretty quick turnaround and no splitting down again.

Morrisons - variable to say the least…

Willand - a long way from Sheffield but definitely the best - usually in and out in 10 - 15 mins only got time to hand notes in before you’re tipped.

Stockton - friendly, helpful ok you do a bit of splitting down, but they do most which aint bad considering all the stuff we take.

Wakefield, Northwich, Droitwich, Kettering - varies - if they’re busy it’s still slow for drop & drive and you’ll split most or all of it yourself - a pain when you’ve got pallets of sandwiches 6ft high with every filling imaginable (and some that aren’t).

Sittingbourne - 2 hours plus for drop & drive as there’s hardly anyone doing anything useful there. Then when you have split 20 pallets yourself and need a signature to get out the supervisor (orange highviz) says “I didn’t see you do that lot” - well he couldn’t as he was too busy smoking his faaag artside.

Apparently the reason Morrisons is so “manual” is because they won’t spend cash on the scanning technology used elsewhere. It’s cheaper to use the hauliers staff instead…

And, of course, we like idiots do it!

Wonder what would happen if, just for a day, we all actually did only what we were paid to…drive!

If you dont break a pallet down for morrisons they reject it - if you have a backload to pick up you have a problem, i’d also get my head nipped from my TM if a perfectly good pallet got rejected, so i just break them down when they ask.

Morrisons is my least favourite RDC without question, you get your good and bad with other companies but morrisons it all seems bad.

DonutUK:
And, of course, we like idiots do it!

Wonder what would happen if, just for a day, we all actually did only what we were paid to…drive!

you get banned off the site or at least i did when told to split my load down at safeways now morrisons bellshill, i asked for a form to fill in so they could pay me for doing there work(didnt go down well with them surprisingly lol) then i asked to see there insurance policy that covered me working in there and if i recieved a injury would they pay my wages till i was better… needless to say they tipt me with in 10mins and escorted me from the site saying i was banned WHOOPPEEEEEEE, my boss told me to wind my neck in, but agreed with me why shud i be doing there work for them and my company have to pay for me being a labourer instead of a driver

with regard to the splitting down of pallets thing.
they asked me to do it at morrisons. i asked if they were short staffed. they answered “no, why?”.
well if you’re short staffed i’ll help you out. but you don’t want me in the way if you have a full crew.
he looked confused, shrugged his shoulders and off he went. but no mention of getting banned.
i banned myself, by getting a proper job.

don’t get me wrong, i’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. but i won’t let them take the ■■■■.

Praise.

Wilkinsons for their speed when they start,(Double handlers.) however if there is a lot in it can take a little time to get that far. Use of canteen.

Nisa Scunthorpe. Very friendly at the ambient goods in, nice coffee machine and very clean toilets. No pressure to sit in their drivers room if you don’t want to.

Morrisons Stockton/Bellshill/Droitwitch. You can use their canteens, but these places are ex Safeway so they tend to be better than the newer ones that were Morrisons from the off, however you can use the canteen at Swan Valley.

Lidl Newton Aycliffe. Nikki on the goods in is sweet and full of joy at 6am when you are as grumpy as hell.

Slating time.

All of the departments at Morrisons Wakefield. I once went in with 22 pallets of beer, and the trailer had 2 straps at the rear. Staff asked me to climb up and remove them, and I asked if they would do the same to which I was told no,as it’s ‘Elf and safety’. So it’s ok for me to do it then? Load went back as I refused as it was ‘Elf and safety’. Tossers.

Morrisons chilled at all depots. It’s not my job to split down. I don’t care how long you keep me, I’m paid by the hour and what doesn’t get done goes back. It ain’t my problem.

Nisa Scunthorpe. If your early, they turn you away until your booking time unless the yard is empty. If your late, they refuse you.

Aldi Darlington. You have a half hour window either side of your booking time. You can’t arrive early and if your late, they refuse you. So if you have a full load, your late due to an accident or other hold up and you have a backload, it’s tough. Haven’t you heard of flexibilty you muppets.

Somerfield Bridgewater. They only have one speed slowwwwwwwwwww. Hope it’s getting shut now the Co-Op have taken over.

Lidl Newton Aycliffe. Richard the checker is a pain in the arse. If you have a pallet that has not got EUR stamped on it, you have the choice of re-stacking it, or taking it away. I’m sorry, but if your supplier has sent it out like that, it’s not my job to re-stack it.

I’m sure I’ll think of more as we go along.

Ken.

Morrison Wakefield. On the chill side. It’s the ‘Pits’. The staff actually in the warehouse are quite friendly but the conditions and the attitude of those in the office are appalling.

At the other end of the scale. Tesco Southampton. Staff are friendly and polite. Rarely there more than hour. Only complaint is that they ‘surcharge’ drivers in the canteen but, TBH, the food there was never that good. How someone could consistently ruin custard is beyond my comprehension.

Tesco Harlow. Friendly staff. Reasonably quick. However, they don’t want you to use the canteen. Probably because it is so far away and, once tipped, they want the bay cleared. I was once about two hours early and, listening to the radio, the M25 was stuffed. So I parked up on the A10 and rang them to ask if they wanted me in early. They asked what temp and when I told them. “We’re quiet that end. Bring it in.”

Tesco Hinckley. Much the same. Except that the canteen is not so far away, and is good quality. They don’t tolerate people arriving too early.

Tesco Middleton. Again, friendly staff. Usually pretty quick. I once got held up on M6 because of a fatal accident. To the extent that the road had been closed about 100 vehicles behind me. I was stuck there for hours. When I did arrive, about 4-5 hours late, I was expecting grief but, because someone in the office had kept them informed, I got a sympathetic reception and was out of there in almost record time.

On another occasion, running early, the M62 was stuffed between Birch Services and the Middleton junction. After sitting in the Services until the traffic started moving, I got to the gate well before the ‘booking-in’ time. Explaining that the Motorway was ‘stuffed’ and that a number of suppliers would be running late, I explained that they might want me in early. They did. :laughing:

Morrison Yate. Virtually all of the office staff are East European. But they are noticeably polite and courteous. Delivery times can vary but the canteen. What brilliant food. I’d rate it alongside restaurants with an accreditation. The seating is crap. But my hat goes off to the people that prepare and serve the food.

Those recognising the above may have identified a common theme. Being that all attracting praise have a ‘counter’ area, as opposed to the traditional ‘Leper’s Window’. Following on from that theme, it is now a substantial number of years since the Betting industry, at least the main players, recognised that removing the traditional ‘Banker’s slot’ made for a more harmonious interchange between the cashier and the customer. A point which, largely, the Logistics sector has failed to recognise.

Morrison Willand. It must be the ‘one’ place where you can’t even imagine having problems. I’ve known people that have had ‘issues’ with security but, on such occasions, Management have sided with the driver.

Asda Belvedere. Not that now I go there very often but, my face is known. I have a good rapport with the staff. They do their best to get me in and out as quickly as possible.

That’ll do for now.
:laughing:

Krankee:
Those recognising the above may have identified a common theme. Being that all attracting praise have a ‘counter’ area, as opposed to the traditional ‘Leper’s Window’. Following on from that theme, it is now a substantial number of years since the Betting industry, at least the main players, recognised that removing the traditional ‘Banker’s slot’ made for a more harmonious interchange between the cashier and the customer. A point which, largely, the Logistics sector has failed to recognise.
That’ll do for now.
:laughing:

By Jove, I think he’s got it :stuck_out_tongue:
The betting shop analogy is good except the glass screens were there to protect the staff from scroats nicking the takings so the RDC staff do not need security screens to stop drivers nicking their furry pencil cases and post it notes :laughing:

Mackem:
This post relates to chilled work, so don’t know much about the ambient side -

Tescos - usually ok, no splitting down because stuff is already scanned while being picked. Co-op at Alfreton usually pretty quick turnaround and no splitting down again.

Morrisons - variable to say the least…

Willand - a long way from Sheffield but definitely the best - usually in and out in 10 - 15 mins only got time to hand notes in before you’re tipped.

Stockton - friendly, helpful ok you do a bit of splitting down, but they do most which aint bad considering all the stuff we take.

Wakefield, Northwich, Droitwich, Kettering - varies - if they’re busy it’s still slow for drop & drive and you’ll split most or all of it yourself - a pain when you’ve got pallets of sandwiches 6ft high with every filling imaginable (and some that aren’t).

Sittingbourne - 2 hours plus for drop & drive as there’s hardly anyone doing anything useful there. Then when you have split 20 pallets yourself and need a signature to get out the supervisor (orange highviz) says “I didn’t see you do that lot” - well he couldn’t as he was too busy smoking his faaag artside.

Apparently the reason Morrisons is so “manual” is because they won’t spend cash on the scanning technology used elsewhere. It’s cheaper to use the hauliers staff instead…

the white dafs are great dont you think

m.a.n rules:
praise indeed… ikea at thrapston . arrived 12 hrs early (20.00) went to security wont get tipped till morning (0800) . ok says i where is the best place to park up round here . no probs drive you can park up on site and behind you are the toilets/showers (spotless) and coffee m/c and the canteen opens at 8 in the morning (subsidised) ok for you to use. and to top it all he said if you want a pint in the village my mate here is just going off shift and im sure he will drop you off, its when you experience times like this you know youve got the best job in the world . also showered,tipped and fed by 09.20. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Sadly now gone, it was Primark last time I passed. Everything now goes to Peterborough, which has the same facilities but can be slow to say the least, and they won’t let you park on site. The longest I’ve been there was nearly seven hours for 56 pallets. The shortest was 20 minutes for a similar load. The staff are a lot better than they used to be when it first opened.

the worst for me has definately got to be iceland at enfield ignorant security on the gate ignorant in the goods in and they take hours to tip you and they dont even check the load

Perhaps this should be in the “Driver Myths” thread - has any one on here actually ■■■■■■■ a staff member of an Rdc ?
Didnt a certain woman ,goods in supervisor @Kwik save Newport get her lights punched out a few years ago ?

PRAISE

Nisa scunthorpe i found goods in staff freindly,you can sit in your truck whislt being tipped,and all the time i,ve been there i,ve always had a good turn around time.

SHAME

Its got to be sainsburys stoke on trent you have to sit in goods in area with only a few hard seats for hours on end listening to a drinks machine whine its head off,ok they do a 2 little lcd,s tv mounted high up on the walls,but compared to sainsburys hoddensdon its an joke,the best i,ve been turned round in there in 3 and half hours the worst 7 hours

I’m hoping that I can praise the standard of cuisine in Morrisons Yate as I’m here now.

Didnt a certain woman ,goods in supervisor @Kwik save Newport get her lights punched out a few years ago ?

Yes she did :smiley:

IMHO, she asked for it too, having been on the brunt end of her ignorance a few times :imp:

Pat

sainsburys north feltham is horrific as you have to sit on a park bench in a cage in a freezing cold warehouse