Can any current or former employees give me their views on this role. It will be agency and based in Plymouth. Thanks in advance.
not done co-op but have worked for a different supermarket.
pro’s easy work
cons wait 20+ mins for the staff to come out and get the cage(s)
muppets parking in the loading bays
muppets blocking you in
im in the south east but used to see the co op lorries with quite a few drops left at 11pm as im on the way back to the yard so no idea of thier shift times. I also suggest that you get on frozen (if you have the chance and they seperate the loads) far easier and lighter cages
Coop was always hard work as you have to drag the cages off the back usually 2 to 3 on the taillift, then across or down pavements and into the store.
Fun being that some stores you have to drag then up uneven driveways, others across the car park or a few down very steep hills (in Nottinghamshire at least). Oh and they always put all the drinks into a single cage which made them ultra heavy - no intelligence on the warehouse staff!
Frozen and chilled go on same truck, with frozen down the side in a separate bit. You will need to move a few non frozen cages to get at it initially or when you full of empty cages, yeah thats fun too.
It kindof becomes easier as you go, but expect complaints from stores that no one is taking the empties you can only take so many else you’ll have to take them off to get at full cages.
Overall…I’d do it again if needed, but you’ll work hard for the money. Sortof enjoyed it in a strange way, not sure why, maybe because it was no curtains. Class 1 and 2 are basically identical, dod both. This is based on South Normanton depot but think they all the same.
trevHCS:
Coop was always hard work as you have to drag the cages off the back usually 2 to 3 on the taillift, then across or down pavements and into the store.Fun being that some stores you have to drag then up uneven driveways, others across the car park or a few down very steep hills (in Nottinghamshire at least). Oh and they always put all the drinks into a single cage which made them ultra heavy - no intelligence on the warehouse staff!
Frozen and chilled go on same truck, with frozen down the side in a separate bit. You will need to move a few non frozen cages to get at it initially or when you full of empty cages, yeah thats fun too.
It kindof becomes easier as you go, but expect complaints from stores that no one is taking the empties you can only take so many else you’ll have to take them off to get at full cages.
Overall…I’d do it again if needed, but you’ll work hard for the money. Sortof enjoyed it in a strange way, not sure why, maybe because it was no curtains. Class 1 and 2 are basically identical, dod both. This is based on South Normanton depot but think they all the same.
I’m the same, enjoyed my time on agency out of Castlewood.
As you say, once you’ve done a few shifts you get the hang of how to go out with several stores on a trailer/rigid with moving cage’s round/loading empties etc.
Sure, there are some crap stores to deliver to (Cudworth im looking at you!) but I found the vast majority okay. Plus 90% of the time you were out in either a single axel urban or the 33ft rear steer if taking a trailer or 14, 18 or 26T rigid (class 1 drivers do both).
I found it enjoyable as you weren’t driving up and down a repetitive motorway all day, instead spent large parts of your time round villages, towns and cities so massive variety and not the same view every day.
Thanks Guys for the replies, I think a fat 56 year old man like me who hasn’t driven a truck for five years is going to have fun. Thanks Glyn.
Have a look at your local Co-ops. A lot of them have a loading bay through the car park. Reversing in the dark and rain with the public milling about is no fun.
Hey Glynn
I know you’ve probably done your first shift by now but thought I’d give you a bit of my insight. I worked there on the agency (Best Connection) from 2014 to Nov 21.
It’s a very small depot that supply stores from Newton Abbot down to the bottom end of Penzance with Chilled Frozen and Ambient goods. Sometimes all on the same lorry sometimes just Chill and frozen or just the Ambient. Depends on the size of the store as to whether they can take a combi load or have to have it separately. As a class 2 driver and a new agency driver to the depot you will be mainly in and around Plymouth in either an 18 tonne or 14 tonne daf cf / lf rigid. There’s only a few handball stores but the most are cage drop and collect empties. It’s a close nit depot and the transport office staff are friendly and helpful. The drivers on the whole are nice and approachable but like anywhere you get a few a holes. It’s very much a union run depot and the politics can be very laughable, they all think they have it so tough there. It’s good money for little hours. As a class 2 you will rarely start before 6 am and you will struggle to do any more than 8 hours most days. Sadly they care more about your style of driving than the actual deliveries you make. You are judged on every element of driving and the scores are put up on the wall each week using the canbus system. I always though G was for good 
Overall it’s a good job compared to a lot of others but I would say just keep yourself to yourself. Anything else you want to know just ask mate
Also they deliver 7 days a week.
Main issue is parking, either cars parked where you want to be or if delivery is in car park, waiting for cars to move so your not blocking them in.
Cages are badly stacked and often defective, making the job harder than it needs to be.
trevHCS:
Oh and they always put all the drinks into a single cage which made them ultra heavy - no intelligence on the warehouse staff!
It’s got nothing to do with warehouse staff. Orders are generated by software and because drinks are located in say the 1st half of the warehouse that’s why you have the full cage with drinks and the next order(cage) will be other stuff (from 2nd half of the warehouse). If it were to be split in 2 then you’d have 2 orders with say 50% drinks and 50% stuff BUT it would mean a picker would have to go twice around the entire warehouse and back to collect from both halves on 2 occasions, spending precious extra minutes of walking/driving - multiply over dozens of orders per day across hundreds of pickers and the penny pinchers on the 2nd floor will have a heart attack.
I’ve not worked for Coop mind you but the warehouse(s) I’ve worked in they all use the same or similar systems
Thanks again for the deatailed replies. I’ve actually accepted an offer for a full time permanent job back on the pallet network which is what I used to do before. Thanks again.
Were you working for Langdons before the plug got pulled by the T.C? See Westfield’s are now running all the pallet stuff out of Lee Mill now