A day in the life of an Oxfam shop manager…
Previously, we have done a blog post all about our wonderful volunteers who contribute to making Oxfam Magdalen Street the well-oiled machine that it is. But who is the person behind all our volunteers? Who is the person keeping them all in line?
I asked shop manager Ben some questions, and in true Ben style he wrote back with answers and said, “I think I lost the original question”. Luckily, due to the way Ben can talk for Norwich, I have more than enough content to explain what he does on a day to day basis leading our wonderful shop.
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| Shop manager Ben and former deputy-manager Emma |
He starts by explaining that ‘there is no typical day!’ as each day can bring something different, whether it be: a peculiar item donated, multiple items or a whole car load full of donated items – you have no idea what you are going to expect. Additionally, due to the nature of running a shop that predominantly is filled with volunteers you are never 100% certain of who is going to be in – but it all adds to the excitement of the day!
Ben says he likes to start the day with a To Do list, and usually by 10am there is always another ten jobs added to it and none of the previous completed! Part of being a manager is knowing what to prioritise and as Ben explained to me, he chooses which jobs that can be ‘safely be left at the bottom of the list’. This way, he can purely focus on what needs urgent attention and which jobs
his volunteer team can help him with (and possibly do
a better job of it than him!)
The most obvious difference between a volunteer and a manager is that one gets paid for their work, but it should be noted that there are few jobs Ben comes across every day that can’t not be done by a volunteer. Oxfam as a charity empowers volunteers and gives them the central role in the running of the shop, never just being told what to do but being part of the decision-making process of steering the shop in a positive direction. The only difference being that the volunteers are responsible, as an Oxfam manager, Ben ends up being accountable. It seems a lot of Ben’s role is to look ahead and stay on top of the information swirling around the charity. Daily, there are thousands of different conversations between a hundred or so volunteers within a dozen different departments in which Ben has to see that the shop is kept up to date with them all.
It was clear through our blog post on the volunteers behind Oxfam Magdalen Street that they are passionate about what they do and the charity as a whole. Just because Ben is seen as a manager, doesn’t mean that he doesn’t share this incredible passion for helping fight against poverty. Again, in typical Ben fashion, he couldn’t choose one thing that he was most passionate about in his job and so gave me a top three:
1. Giving items a second chance:
Many of our items could easily end up on landfill, but Ben thinks it’s really important that we waste less as a society and appreciate the value of items even if the items we once own have lost their shine we once first saw. By providing people with a way to buy these things second-hand, we are reducing the overall consumption of new goods, which can often be produced at a high cost to the environment and human welfare. Additionally though, it hopefully gives the public some bargains!
2. A safe space:
“I (Ben) have seen volunteers grow in confidence, learn new skills and make lifelong friends, all while helping out in an Oxfam shop. I love the positivity and welcoming environment that comes from the existing volunteers and by giving our volunteers scope to plan their own window displays, run their own departments or run their own events – I truly believe we empower the unempowered in our local community and help people grow.”
Through our previous volunteers post many of us mentioned the welcoming environment the shop floor of Oxfam truly is. So as a PSA if you’re considering volunteering DO IT!
3. Raising money:
Every pound we raise helps give a person access to clean drinking water – something that is truly life-changing for someone. So, if you bought a set of glasses from our shop for 99p and put the leftover penny in our tin – think about the person’s life you’ve just changed forever every time you now take a sip of water from them!
So…what kind of management style do you need to have in order to run a volunteer-business?
I guess it’s pretty evident that being in charge of this kind of business wouldn’t be the same as managing a shop like Primark. Although Ben jokes that his management style may be ‘laziness’ it’s also quite thought provoking – his role sees him try to empower those around him because if he tried to ‘manage’ the place alone, it would soon fall apart. Ben provides the tools in order to let a volunteer change something, plan something or organise something to help progress the shop and charity further. You have to love what you do – but in this position and with all the vast characters you have around you – how could you not?
To be valuable in this role you need to be able to listen and understand people, cope with 15 things all at once and interruptions every 3-5 minutes. Unfortunately, the bitter truth is that you are never going to be liked by everyone and accept things won’t go perfectly all the time – but it’s how you handle it that makes you a valuable part of the team.
That’s the key word…team. A volunteer and manager shouldn’t see a divide between each other, only reliance. A manager wouldn’t be a manager without relying on their volunteers, and the volunteers wouldn’t be able to succeed without relying on the manager to help keep the cogs of the shop turning!
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| Email from head of retail operations |
The volunteers are essential, and nothing could be possible without them. Ben gushes that he thinks “it’s fantastic that we have some volunteers who have been giving their time for over 25 years. Or, people who volunteer the weekends after working tirelessly all week! This shop belongs to the volunteers, and they should be proud of the success they make of it!”
Recently when celebrating our volunteers at a party, an email was printed and put on display for us all to read:
“Your shop is one of our top 10 best performing shops for NSC in 2018/19, which is quite an achievement!”
Something, that wouldn’t have been able to have been achieved without our amazing, lovely volunteers.
Lastly, to end on a note that I asked most of the volunteers that I bombarded with interview questions, I asked Ben: “What was the most unusual item you’ve seen donated to the shop?”
His reply: “It’s very difficult to pick just one! Anything you’ve ever owned or seen for sale has ended up here at least once. Just this week I’ve had a fire extinguisher, a love letter and a hat made entirely of feathers – making it a pretty standard week so far.”
Written by Cerys Rees
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