Hospitality, Supermarket Assistant

Waitrose & Partners; Cobham; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

Join Waitrose & Partners as a service counter Partner, where you'll showcase your food passion and customer service skills. You will be responsible for maintaining high hygiene and stock standards while building lasting customer relationships. This role supports a culture of teamwork and flexibility within the UK's largest employee-owned business.

Qualifications

• Effective communication skills for teamwork and customer interaction.

Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for your food counter, maintaining high presentation and hygiene standards.
• Monitor stock levels to ensure popular products are available.
• Handle open food with care, following health & safety protocols.

Skills

Effective communication

Job description

About the role

As a Partner on our service counters, you'll have the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and passion for food, ensuring ethical sourcing and recommending recipes to customers. You'll bring our ethos to life—passionate Partners serving food lovers—and use your enthusiasm to build lasting relationships, enhancing the customer's impression of the Waitrose brand and fostering loyalty. Additionally, you'll help maximize sales and profit.

Key Responsibilities

1. Take responsibility for your food counter, maintaining high presentation and hygiene standards.
2. Monitor stock levels to ensure popular products are available.
3. Handle open food with care, following health & safety protocols and reducing wastage.
4. Stay informed about new products and understand Waitrose's food values, such as animal welfare.
5. Support the wider shop team with general shopkeeping tasks when needed.

Essential skills/experience

• Effective communication skills for teamwork and customer interaction.

Desirable skills/experience

• Experience in a customer-facing role or in catering/hospitality.
• Interest in food and drink trends.
• Flexible approach to support the branch.

About The Partnership

We are the UK's largest employee-owned business, home to John Lewis and Waitrose. As Partners, we share ownership, responsibility, and rewards, working together to build a better, inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Our focus remains on retail excellence—innovating and diversifying while upholding our commitments to price, quality, and service.

We value kindness, respect, and individuality, fostering a workplace where all Partners can be themselves and grow both personally and collectively.

Important points to note:

Some roles require pre-employment vetting, including DBS checks, which will be explained during recruitment. We encourage prompt application as vacancies may close early if filled quickly. We support flexible working arrangements, including flexible hours, job sharing, or shorter contracts; please discuss these options during your interview.