Day in the life of a Big Yellow employee

Here at Big Yellow, we’re passionate about shining a light on the great work of our employees.

From priding themselves on brilliant customer service, dealing with new and current customer enquiries to ensuring the overall safety of the store, the role of a Big Yellow store employee is varied.

We recently caught up with Rahima, one our store managers, to find out what her job involves and what a typical day at Big Yellow looks like.

How did you start your career at Big Yellow?

“Before Big Yellow, I was working at a phone retailer as a Store Manager and had been for 13 years. After going on maternity leave, the phone retailer closed, so I took voluntary redundancy. I considered taking a year off to care for my children, but a recruitment agency contacted me about Big Yellow Self Storage and suggested I applied as my customer service skillset matched what they were looking for. I had a video interview and then a face-to-face meeting, and excitedly accepted the job four years ago.”

What does a typical day involve as a Store Manager?

“Each day is slightly different depending on the number of customers we have through the door. Our day starts with a health and safety check, which is really important to the business. We walk around the store, checking for any hazards, ensuring fire exits are clear and then prepare to open the store. As a team, we then go through the enquiries which have come through from our website overnight and start responding to them. The rest of the day consists of dealing with prospective enquiries, checking customers in and out, managing the store’s finances as well as interacting with existing customers.”

What is the most important part of your role?

“Great customer service is at the heart of what we do. We speak with customers day in and day out, so developing relationships with these people is important to us. It’s also important that our staff are friendly and approachable and show passion for what they do to demonstrate Big Yellow’s values.”
 

What are the best things about the job?

“It’s the family environment Big Yellow prides itself on. Despite being a big company, the store teams are still relatively small, so everyone knows each other and gets on really well. From one-to-one weekly catch ups, to outings outside of work, there is a great support system in place.

As a busy working mum, the flexibility in hours has been a real benefit for me. I started my Big Yellow career somewhere else, but soon the 54-mile round-trip and school run became too much so I requested a transfer. Big Yellow listened, and my transfer was completed with ease, and with the added support of the Directors who really cared about my work-life balance.”

And what are the challenges?

“Providing a storage service to customers means we deal with people who are going through stressful life moments, so whether it’s moving house or downsizing, or going through a divorce or bereavement, we do have some very sensitive conversations with our customers. It’s important to be empathetic in this role, and not to judge a book by its cover, or take things home with you.”

Why would you recommend the job to others?

“As a mum, flexibility is great at Big Yellow. The shifts are ideal for childcare, so whether it’s coming in early and leaving early so you can pick the kids up from school, or starting late to do the school run, the teams and the rotas are flexible.

Above and beyond that, there are some great perks to working at the company. For instance, if you work at Big Yellow there is the opportunity to invest in the company’s shares. As the storage industry is currently expanding, it’s a great way to save but also to feel a part of the business.

If you’re interested in a really open workplace, then Big Yellow is a perfect fit. There is fantastic communication between the store staff and head office, with frequent visits from the Directors to catch up with teams individually. It truly feels like it’s our own business sometimes, so we’re eager to do the best we can.”

To hear from some of our current employees, why not check out our video on YouTube?

And to find out more information about current openings, head to our careers page.