My part in the product lifecycle is the transportation of goods from depot to store. A typical day for me would start 4 o’clock arriving at depot, picking my day’s work up, off to security picking my seals up and finding my vehicle, checking the load on the vehicle is secure and sealing that vehicle. I would then go out on the road to my first store.

My greatest challenges as a driver for the Co-op - obviously - would be making sure that food is in to the stores on time, to the right temperature without disturbing local communities, very small shops, very small communities. And care about the environment especially with weight limits, speed limits, also fridges and noise. Fridges will be switched off, reversing bleepers, taking care to keep your noise down when you are un-loading, working with Store Managers to do this.

Within my role, the teams that affect me are warehouse, transport department. For me going in to store, working together with Store Managers, Assistant Store Managers and people within those stores to make sure that the goods come as smoothly from depot in to store and on the shelves for the general public to buy.

I can give you a short story that explains everything about job satisfaction to me. I left my depot 4 o’clock Norwich Yarmouth, that’s where I was going to. Did all my Norwich route, into Yarmouth, got to my last store on the coast in Yarmouth. As I pulled up, I noticed a little old lady outside with a bag. I started tipping, got in to store, and she turned round and said “I’m glad you’re here”. I smiled at her, carried on. The Shop Manager came out and said, “She’s been waiting for you”. And she’d been waiting for me for a bunch of bananas. Now she knew exactly when I was going to get there and I did get there on time coming from Peterborough. It just made me smile all the way back to the depot, that stayed in my head as that is what its about. You know, people rely on the Co-op and we’re there on time, which is superb.