My Work Experience at The Garden Furniture Centre Ltd
By Caitlin Woolley
At the Garden Furniture Centre, they import goods from various suppliers overseas. This includes weird and wonderfully unique products ranging from 4-meter-long reclaimed teak tables to South African Bull drink coolers.
The goods arrive on large shipping containers and are stored in the warehouse until they are ready to be despatched. The warehouse office is the main operation centre where we arrange the delivery of hundreds of orders by different methods depending on their size and weight:
Company vehicles: I have organised the maps and delivery routes for the drivers.
Courier: I created the labels for delivery.
Pallets: these are loaded onto an Arctic truck using a forklift.
I gained a great deal of useful knowledge and understanding about how the business works and operates daily.
I learned how to recycle the cardboard from all the excess packaging by throwing it into a cardboard baler. This compresses the recyclable materials into compact bales which are then stacked and transported for recycling.
I also discovered a lot of useful administration skills such as using productivity tools like ‘Trello’ and learning the phonetic alphabet which is handy when reciting postcodes and confirming people’s addresses on the phone for their delivery.
Furthermore, I did a lot of admin work using Microsoft Outlook Express as well as learning how to operate the calendar and setting reminders. I also had to call the customers to book in their deliveries which allowed me to speak to the public in a professional manner. As well as this, I did some benchmarking and learned to use Mircrosoft Excel. I then made routes and maps from scratch for the drivers and created schedules on Trello so they could see what was ordered and where their drop offs would be.
With most benches there is an engraving option to personalise your item. The laser inscription machine is used to copy files of exact images and text onto these items such as Memorial benches, Eco Park benches and much more! With this, I have created an image of my name to be inscribed on a piece of wood to remember my experience.
I then went down to the showroom and met the marketing/website and sales teams in their own separate offices where I learned about their roles in the company. They were extremely friendly and lovely which was great!
I was able to see the products and try them out. Jo showed me how they worked which I loved as in the office I’ve been seeing all these products online, so I got to see them in person and understand how they operated.
Overall, I have really enjoyed my time at The Garden Furniture Centre and have learned so much about the working world and how big businesses operate. I’ve gained a lot of general knowledge about the company and industry, but most importantly it has been a very beneficial and positive experience.
Every employee has made me feel welcome and it was a lovely atmosphere with the team always in good spirits. There was a great buzz in the office due to the height of the season, and everyone was happily getting on with their work.
I would recommend working here for work experience as the company gives you lots of opportunities and chances to learn new things. They make you feel so welcome and part of the team. You also meet lots of new people who encourage you to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Thank you to the company director Jon Haimes and everyone in the office for this fantastic opportunity!
