Summer Work: Independently Managing Tasks

I was recently given the chance to develop my planning and organisational skills. Having acquired a summer job waitressing at a restaurant in Westfield, one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe, I was given the opportunity to independently manage a drinks stand which stood apart from the restaurant. The experience was particularly challenging as the task occurred on the weekend of the Wimbledon final, hence the shopping was busier than usual. Although I initially found the task of independently manning my own stand daunting, I was also eager to impress my manager and demonstrate that I have the ability to confidently make decisions without continually seeking reassurance.  Overall the experience challenged my ability to respond to demand and be perceptive; I would say that in retrospect I have improved this skill.

My main objective was to sell as many glasses and jugs of Pimms, an English beverage, to customers as possible. On the first day, sales were lucrative, however as it was initially organised on a small scale I had to stop service several times throughout the day to re-stock ingredients. This meant that customers were lost and the full potential of the scheme was not reached. Another issue which impeded sales was the fact that jugs were not returned by the customers once they had finished using them. As a result I would often sell out of pitchers and hence I was not able to upsell drinks to new customers. 

To overcome these sales issues, on the second day I obtained much more stock and prepared all of my ingredients, storing them in containers ready for service. Implementing this method was small but effective, as I was able to serve more customers in a shorter amount of time and keep my work station tidy. Having prepared all of my stock in the morning the quality of my service also improved as I was able to devote more time to interacting with my customers. Moreover, to surmount the issue of jugs not being returned by customers, I suggested the introduction of a five pounds deposit for customers that purchased a jug of Pimms. The charge of a deposit meant that customers were more likely to return their pitchers as the financial incentive of a potential loss prompted them to return the jugs.  Overall sales peaked on the second day. Unlike the first day of service all jugs used for Pimms were safely returned to the drinks stand to be used again and I had a readily available supply of jugs throughout the day. 

The successful result of operating my own drinks stand meant that my manager has reduced internal seating in the restaurant in order to accommodate a drinks cooler and bar where I continue to serve drinks and handle money in a separate money box. My additional role of responsibility was achieved due to my improved organisational skills and ability to identify better practices, which has also helped my manager to identify and capitalise on new areas of business growth for the restaurant. The experience also allowed me to exercise my cash handling skills, and my continued use of this skill within the restaurant gives me a level of credibility and trust within the company. 

The experience taught me to be perceptive and prepare for all outcomes, but I also learnt that I can perform under pressure and independently achieve results. This is particularly important in journalism, a profession which I would like to pursue, as it involves independently meeting strict deadlines and responding positively to new experiences.  Next time I would analyse the level of preparation needed from the start of a task in order to reap the full potential of an event.