Floyd – Customer Service Representative

AWIC interviewed different local professionals for an inside look into their work. You can learn more about Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers (NOC 6622) through a detailed Career Profile.

Floyd Freamon is a Customer Service Representative at the LCBO.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day for me would include receiving shipments, breaking down the shipment onto carts to be put on the store shelves. Aside from shipments and stock my day also includes helping customers in selecting items for their purchase, creating orders and being a cashier.

What was the education and training needed for your job? Any additional training for your current position?

No prior education or training is required. All training is provided by the company such as Smart Serve, WHMIS, Power Lift Equipment and Product Knowledge courses.

Why and when did you choose this career? What have you learned since you started?

I chose this career while going through college. Scheduling was very flexible allowing me to go to school full time and work evenings and weekends. I ended up choosing this as my career because I enjoy customer service and the LCBO is a great company to make a career in. Since starting here I have learned a vast knowledge of wines, spirits and beers from all over the world. I have learned how these products are made and what different conditions and methods go into making these products unique from one another. I have learned how to become a better leader through various opportunities to step into leadership roles.

What skills do you have that make you great at your job?

I have good leadership skills, I have an upbeat and welcoming personality. I also have skills in current technology which helps with the various systems we work with.

What is the biggest thing you have learned on the job?

How to de-escalate problems. Working in retail and with alcoholic beverages there are times where you have to deal with customers who are upset or angry. We have training that teaches us ways to de-escalate a problem while being courteous, professional and safe.

What is the best part of your job?

Helping customers. It may be something as simple as helping them find something for themselves, a gift or helping someone plan the drinks for their event. Its interactive and fun helping and sharing your knowledge.

What is something challenging about your job?

The most challenging part about my job is our responsibility to the public. We are tasked with keeping alcohol out of the hands of underage people and refusing service to people who are intoxicated.

What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing the career?

Be open minded and willing to learn. There is a never ending supply of things to learn. There is also a great opportunity to grow within the company. As an employee your are not limited to just the retail stores. There are constant opportunities to branch off into the different sectors of the company from warehouse to head office jobs.

How would you say COVID-19 has affected your day-today-work? (Job duties, commute, check-in process, etc.)

COVID-19 has grown our sales exponentially which has put more work on the employees. Our daily routines have not changed much with the exception of cleaning. The frequency of when we clean has greatly increased.

What has it been like to be an essential worker during a world-wide pandemic?

Being an essential worker during a pandemic has been very hectic. As a worker in retail the pandemic has created a huge spike in sales. With the huge increase in sales and no additional staff to help, it often created a lot of extra work for the staff. It was hectic and tiring and sometimes stressful.

Have you experienced loss or personal struggles since the beginning of the pandemic? How have you and your co-workers coped with working through the shut-down?

For me the only struggle was not seeing friends and family. Being I was working in a store that saw a large amount of people come through the store, I made sure I isolated as much as possible due to so much exposure from the public. As for the store I found that we came together much closer than we had been before. We had the mentality that we would get through this together. There was a lot more words of encouragement and making sure everyone was doing ok.

Could you share how being an essential worker during the pandemic has made this more personally fulfilling career?

It really showed me how great it is to work somewhere as part of a team. Without my coworkers I am not sure how I would have coped with the stress and fatigue.