New Store Opening - Customer Assistant - Service & Safety Assistant - Bath Southgate

Marks and Spencer; Bath; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading retail company is seeking a Customer Assistant for their new store in Bath Southgate. You will play a vital role in providing excellent service, promoting food products, and ensuring a welcoming environment for customers. The ideal candidate thrives under pressure and is flexible across various store roles. This position offers competitive pay and the chance to make a direct impact on customer experience.

Qualifications

• Must be at least 18 years of age due to health and safety legislation.
• Ability to thrive in a high-pressure retail environment.

Responsibilities

• Deliver great shopping experiences for customers.
• Support food section and promote new products.
• Operate digital tools to improve service.
• Maintain a positive working environment.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Customer engagement

Empathy with brand values

Job description

Summary

New Store Opening - Customer Assistant - Service & Safety Assistant - Bath Southgate

All the details

New Store Opening - Customer Assistant - Service & Safety Assistant - Bath Southgate

Join M&S as a Customer Assistant in our Food section, where you’ll become at the frontline of the UK’s fastest growing retailer. We’re not just looking for someone to fill shelves - we need down-to-earth colleagues who thrive under pressure, deliver five-star service at pace, and embrace the transformation we’re driving.

We’re seeking passionate individuals who not only take pride in their knowledge of M&S Food products but are also ready to roll their sleeves up and go again, day in and day out, meeting strong customer demand head‑on.

You’ll be a resilient and committed brand ambassador who’s ready to raise the bar by confidently recommending and selling our newest food products to our customers. Through remarkable service you’ll make sure our customers feel truly valued every time they shop with us.

At M&S, our customers don’t wait. You’ll thrive in a high‑pressure environment, staying sharp, fast, and focused when the store is at its busiest. You’ll go above and beyond, to serve, sell, fill and help drive growth in sales.

Being digitally confident is essential. You’ll utilise our digital tools, such as the Sparks App and our in‑store devices, to enhance the customer experience and ensure they get the products they want when they need them.

Being a team player is crucial. You’ll contribute to a positive, high‑energy environment, where everyone works hard and supports each other in delivering a seamless customer experience.

Flexibility is also vital. You should be poised to work across various areas of the store, adapting to the changing demands of the retail environment. No two shifts will look the same - and you’ll embrace the challenge.

This is a frontline role, not for the faint‑hearted. But for those who are ready to roll up their sleeves, there’s huge opportunity.

Are you ready for it? Take Your Marks and apply today.

Under 18 Disclaimer

To comply with health and safety legislation and keep our colleagues safe in the workplace, colleagues in this role must be 18 years of age or older.

Rate of Pay

£12.60 per hour

Work Pattern

Thursday 11:00-18:00
Friday 13:00-19:00
Saturday 11:00-19:00

Job Description:

Purpose

To deliver a great shopping experience for our customers, we are looking for colleagues who put customers before tasks every time whilst championing and promoting our brilliant products. As the face of the business, you will be the voice of our customers helping us to continually improve.

Key Accountabilities and Measures

• Clearly identified to provide customers with a visible presence at the beginning of their shopping journey

• Confidently welcome customers to the store with a smile and by making eye contact, and use a range of greeting techniques known to deter theft from the store

• Flexible and trained to support other areas within the store i.e. Foods, C&H, Operations

• Be knowledgeable of the store, support key marketing messages, latest products and top questions (e.g. what time do you close?)

• Assist customers in navigating the store, recognising when a customer needs help and provide the right level of support

• Thank our customers for shopping with us when they exit

• Deal calmly and empathetically with people in a variety of retail circumstances, including confrontational situations

• Respond to door alarms in a sincere and apologetic manner, resolving any issues the customer may have

• Be a visible deterrent against violence, anti-social behaviour, targeted theft, till snatches and criminal activity to support a safe shopping environment.

• Identify and monitor suspicious persons, activity or theft and take appropriate customer engaging actions as required to deter

• Ensure all incidents are reported through the M&S Incident reporting process either through the Hicom app (on the Honey well) or into the Security Operations Centre, and to the police where necessary

• Ensure that persons served with a trespass notice do not re-enter the site

• Responsible for carrying store radio and engaging with police and other security personnel to improve service to M&S, this may include crime partnership meetings, agreed police meetings, shop watch schemes

• Apprehend external thieves (only if necessary) in line with business policy and only if all components of theft are seen

• Report any incidents of known or suspected internal theft or malpractice

Key Skills

• Being confident with an easily felt presence and friendly and natural personality is essential

• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage customers with ease

• Ability to remain focused at greeting customers and deterring suspicious activity

• To have a natural empathy with our M&S brand and values, including service behaviours

• To be self‑motivated, willing to improvise and suggest or try new approaches

• Able to maintain high standards of appearance and uniform standards

• No requirement to be licensed, but good observation skills would be a benefit

Key Relationships and Stakeholders

• Store Management team

• Store Colleagues

• Operational Security Manager

• Regional teams (RLPMs/RCOMs)

• Store Detectives

• SOC

• Police

• Local Networks

Everyone's Welcome

M&S is ready to push boundaries to lead the retail industry into a greener, speedier, more inspiring digital era. That’s why we’re revolutionising how we work and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. There’s never been a better time to be part of our team. Marks & Spencer aims to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make an immediate impact.

Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunities

We are committed to an active Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process, and we are happy to talk flexible working.

If you consider yourself to require reasonable adjustments to any part of our recruitment process, we invite you to share those requirements with us when completing your application. We will make every effort to ensure your needs are met to provide a fair and transparent process of assessment.