Sainsbury’s at Basingstoke made drivers wait in a small battered shed with a couple of plastic chairs in it. I just kept the truck door key and stayed in the cab. I was never challenged, but I’d have kicked up a fuss one way or another if I had been.
Sainsbury’s at Swan Valley was grim, too. The telly was on in one corner, showing some dismal daytime TV ■■■■, then local radio was piped through a speaker in the ceiling. There was nowhere you could sit without hearing an unholy mix of the two. All I want is somewhere quiet to read my book. I’m really glad I don’t do RDCs any more.
selby newcomer:
All new RDC’s being built should have the same system that they use at Costco in Lutterworth, when you back onto a bay a locking arm folds over onto a trailer wheel, meaning it can’t be moved until that lock is released from inside the warehouse. Costco allow to sit in the cab or inside their waiting area. But the system they use isn’t suitable for all trailers, the DonBur trailers we used at my last firm couldn’t be used as they had fairings all around the sides which would have got smashed by the locking arm.
Still make you hand in keys and turfed a few lads out of their cabs last time I was there (September 13 I think 
)
J.S at Emerson’s is a quick tip (chilled) but what an awful excuse of a waiting room, a couple of chairs, it’s normally dirty, right by the door which is normally left open and also used by warehouse staff too.
lankyphil:
selby newcomer:
All new RDC’s being built should have the same system that they use at Costco in Lutterworth, when you back onto a bay a locking arm folds over onto a trailer wheel, meaning it can’t be moved until that lock is released from inside the warehouse. Costco allow to sit in the cab or inside their waiting area. But the system they use isn’t suitable for all trailers, the DonBur trailers we used at my last firm couldn’t be used as they had fairings all around the sides which would have got smashed by the locking arm.Still make you hand in keys and turfed a few lads out of their cabs last time I was there (September 13 I think
Must have changed it since I was there last, left last job in May last year. They took keys when I was there as well, but could sit in the cab. It beats sitting in that noisy waiting room, sounds like 100 forklift reversing bleepers going off at the same time 
I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned Morrisons Bellshill.
Lidl Enfield and Lutterworth for being completely awful in every possible depressingly crap way.
There’s a DHL depot in Coventry…had the “pleasure” of being in a grotty dump of the place for a mere 6 and a half hours once with nowt to read, a broken coffee machine and the drabbest of pointless posters to amuse us.
Surely places like these must meet minimum standards if your there for such a long time…animals are treated better at times… 
milkchurns:
Tesco in Belfast is the worst I have been too.u sit in a room the size of a garden shed.no coffee/tae.if u have a spit door u have to wait to be called to lift it for them…
+1
It wouldnae be so bad if they could tip quick, but they don’t half make a meal of it.
Cant belive no one has said Amazon at either Swansea or Dunfermline 
I’ve read this thread with both dismay and anger, dismayed and angered at the way you professional drivers are treated, especially at the horrendous “waiting rooms” and lack of facilities, in these RDC’s and dismayed and angered that no one seems to do, or want to do, anything about it.
I guarantee there is something you can do, and problems will get resolved, it just needs someone to step up to the mark, and do it.
Let’s just take the three examples below, Tesco, ND, and Sainsbury.
(On the subject of …N.D….do you really think that the French drivers would put up with this in France, no way, they’d get it sorted, and quick, so why do you have to put up with it in the UK. Just because that’s how it is ? )
Tesco in Belfast is the worst I have been too.u sit in a room the size of a garden shed.no coffee/tae.
I went to a Dentressangle site this week in Corby. They force you to sit in a room about the size of a small toilet.
Sainsbury’s at Basingstoke made drivers wait in a small battered shed with a couple of plastic chairs in it.
First thing is to remain calm, don’t raise your voice, don’t swear, don’t threaten, …. be cool, calm and collected, the first to shout swear and “lose” it, has lost the argument, make sure it’s not you.
Hand your keys in, then refuse point blank to go into the “rest room”.
Demand to see the Manager, not an underling, a top Manager….ask him just one question, “ Do you think that this is acceptable” don’t say anymore than that, let him do the talking.
Depending on his answer will depend on your next move, if he agrees with you, then ask him what he intends to do about it and explain what you, as a driver need.
If he gets upset, refuses to discuss it, then ask to see their health and safety Exc and their shop steward. The manager is going to know you’re a bit serious.
If this all proves unsatisfactory to you, and they get the hump, and refuse to discuss it, then tell them that you intend to take it right to the top, by writing to the H.Q, getting middle and senior management involved, that’ll normally get some reaction, and if necessary, then you actually do it….Find out who the top exc’s are, write, and ask them to phone you so you can explain in greater detail your grievances……
If they threaten to ban you, ask on what grounds ? wanting a decent space, clean and tidy, with facilities to have a drink while you wait ? Yeah right, they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on, you however have, and would see them in court…
Next move…if NOTHING is resolved at all by the RDC, ( although I think there will be ) get your own shop steward if you have one, your union rep at union house in your town, the H&S ( yes they can work FOR you ) in your area, and your boss, who hopefully will be affiliated to a transport organization and get him to get officials involved…
Believe me, NO major blue chip company wants to get bad publicity, imagine that you get hold of a senior manager of any of the above companies and tell them that they are renowned for being one of the worse RDC’s in the country, and why. I would well imagine that they’d be horrified, something would get done, they probably haven’t a clue what you’re suffering and having to tolerate, and that they are ultimately responsible for, and maybe, someone’s head would roll.
Sit back and no nothing, and live with being treated like a second rate citizen having to put up with crap….OR…. DO SOMETHING about it……talking isn’t expensive and it can get things done…
Just remember cool, calm, and collected…
bald bloke:
J.S at Emerson’s is a quick tip (chilled) but what an awful excuse of a waiting room, a couple of chairs, it’s normally dirty, right by the door which is normally left open and also used by warehouse staff too.
I agree it’s awful in there
SubFocus:
Lidl Enfield and Lutterworth for being completely awful in every possible depressingly crap way.
Lidl Lutterworth has the most obnoxious and arrogant goods in staff I can think of.
Was in every other day running up to Christmas and it was always the same jumped up woman who was either berating a driver cos she heard half a conversation that didn’t involve her and thought he was being sarcastic about the RDC, acting as though we were the worst thing to have ruined her life by arriving, or the usual - just blatantly ignoring everyone stood there for 5-10 mins without even acknowledging their existence (my pet hate)
You could have a brand new RDC, drivers waiting room state of the art; coffee/tea, canteen, sofas, sky tv, showers, etc etc.
Within a week it would be a sh*thole, all because of the drivers.
I would say one of the better ones is waitrose or John lewis, can’t remember which at Magna park… no not that one, the other one.
I’m sure the coffee machine was free and it was real coffee too.
milkchurns:
Tesco in Belfast is the worst I have been too.u sit in a room the size of a garden shed.no coffee/tae.if u have a spit door u have to wait to be called to lift it for them…
I second this also you have be called to go in and open the split door for the useless shower of ■■■■■■■ .
Iceland enfield and lidi both ■■■■■■■■■■
And that fresh diect bicester is another dump.
Tipper Tom:
I cannot understand why once the keys are in we can’t stay in the cab. [zb] bellends
+1
irishrover:
milkchurns:
Tesco in Belfast is the worst I have been too.u sit in a room the size of a garden shed.no coffee/tae.if u have a spit door u have to wait to be called to lift it for them…I second this also you have be called to go in and open the split door for the useless shower of [zb] .
Iceland enfield and lidi both [zb].And that fresh diect bicester is another dump.
Iceland Enfield is a lot better than swindon, I went there last week, lass on the desk nice as pie, handed keys in and told to wait for a green… couldnt tell you anything about the following hour or so as it was zzzzzzzzzzzzz time.
One thing though, if you need a high bay, I was told to go on one of the smaller bays (she thought the small bays were large ones)
It didnt look like my 4.5M trailer would have got on too well with the smaller bays.
rambo19:
You could have a brand new RDC, drivers waiting room state of the art; coffee/tea, canteen, sofas, sky tv, showers, etc etc.
Within a week it would be a sh*thole, all because of the drivers.
Yep, only takes a few to ruin it for the majority
Tipper Tom:
bald bloke:
Definitely Iceland ambient for me @ Swindon.I concur
Seriously? I’ve only delivered to the chilled part, without doubt the best delivery Ive ever done, open doors, park on bay, get on the bed, chap comes to get paperwork and keys, lay on bed some more, chap came back with keys and paperword from previous delivery, happy days, cleared a 45 min break and didn’t even have to speak to goods in hitlers.
^^^^^^this ^^^^^^
swindon is good on the chill
enfield is in my satnav & google as the land that time forgot