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

MARKS&SPENCER; Bath; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading retail company in Bath is seeking a Customer Assistant for a new store opening. This role involves providing excellent service, supporting customer safety, and being a visible presence in the store. Candidates should have strong communication skills, confidence, and a commitment to maintaining high service standards. The position offers a pay rate of £12.60 per hour with specific working hours on Sundays and weekdays. Join this inclusive organization to make an immediate impact.

Qualifications

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Ability to maintain high standards of appearance and uniform standards.
• Good observation skills would be a benefit.

Responsibilities

• Provide customers with a visible presence.
• Welcome customers with a smile and make eye contact.
• Respond to door alarms and report incidents.
• Support a safe shopping environment.

Skills

Confidence

Strong communication skills

Empathy

Job description

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 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.

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

Job Information

Rate of Pay: £12.60 per hour

Work Pattern:

• Sunday 10:30-16:30
• Monday 08:00-13:30
• Tuesday 08:00-13:30
• Wednesday 08:00-13:30

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.

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 & Open are proud to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make an immediate impact.

Inclusion and Diversity

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.