BWS Employee Reviews

not a horrible place to work, pays good. experiences differ depending on where you work like any job, does get repetitive but does offer good discounts and you do get some good freebies

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Not great really

Store Manager (Former Employee) - Western Australia - 28 November 2023

If the prisoner doesn't open up to you you can not fix it. Only ask questions you can answer immediately. Otherwise pass the query to others to answer.

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BWS insights

Based on 16 survey responses

Areas for improvement

Ability to learn new things
Trust in colleagues
Sense of belonging

Decent

Staff Member (Former Employee) - Canterbury NSW - 24 November 2023

Was ok not that really special , meet new people and have a knowledge about wine. Well there’s some of cons work at bws that few of manager like to watch our perfomances during work

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Great place to work

Crew Member (Current Employee) - St Marys NSW - 2 November 2023

I have enjoyed my time working here, there is a good work life balance Typical day at work - start by setting up the toll and stock facing, putting away deliveries and helping customers

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Alright but very repetitive

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Devonport TAS - 29 October 2023

Worked there for 5 years. Met some good people and some not so nice people. The job is alright but you have to deal with a lot of alcoholics and bogans and it gets repetitive serving the same people and stocking the same shelves every day

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Fair place to work

Liquor Assistant (Current Employee) - New South Wales - 27 October 2023

Fair place to work. Will all be dependant on other staff and management but basic expectations are to serve customers, re stock store and deal with deliveries

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Toxic workplace and poor management

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Brisbane QLD - 17 October 2023

Terrible place to work. A lot of the team are lazy because the management doesn’t care. They try to convince as many team as possible to be part-time to save money and will get part-time team to train casual team (who get paid more). You will not be supported and there is such a high turnover of staff. Never again!

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Good with the bad

Store Manager (Current Employee) - Gold Coast QLD - 3 October 2023

I love being a manger here, took a long time to get to where I am, as you have to push and push and push to get to the top. I’ve worked for bws for 6 years. I’ve been a manager for two years was a assistant manager for 4 years , I hate the budget cuts they make us to do our rosters as it’s hard to keep the team happy, it’s also hard to find good workers as they’re uni students so their commitments are else where, so they find there phones and friends more important then helping a manager keeping customers happy or a store running. We get smashed with budget cuts and paperwork hence why we need more help from our team members but we find that friends commitments and phones on the job are more important than to help keep up with date checks and customer interaction with customers face to face or over the phone. All we ask as managers is for our team to do date checks, serve with a smile and personality all while filling and face the store. It’s really easy work and casuals get paid really well to do so little for this job. Your hours will be cut due to work ethic and budget cuts as a casual. We put our part timers first for hours cause you cost less and you get paid holidays and sick leave but casuals don’t want to transfer to part time so your hours will get cut and that’s not the managers fault that’s head office. As a store manager it’s pretty good job when you have heaps of paperwork to do and safety stuff to keep on top of, even though it’s very repetitive. The down fall is it’s a lot of environmental wastage keeping paperwork for 7 years on paper is a concern for paper -

Pros

Meet amazing people along the way

Cons

Long hours

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Unfulfilling work

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - QLD - 3 October 2023

Miserable management, staff and clientele. That's what comes with peddling liquor to alcoholics on the daily though I suppose. If you're a drinker yourself you might enjoy the work. The slow days are incredibly slow, and the busy days are a tedious grind. Trying to unload a delivery of 800 cartons alone on a Friday while simultaneously dealing with degenerate customers who can barely string together a sentence is always fun. The pay isn't anything special, especially considering the role requires an RSA. I'm getting paid more at my current retail sales position and earning a commission on top of that. BWS got me halfway through Uni until I found a better job though, so there's that.I'd only recommend working here if you already have an RSA and you're inbetween jobs or you're a Uni student who for some reason can't find casual/part time work literally anywhere else. Seriously though, unless you're incredibly enthusiastic about alcohol and think you'll be able to put up with the depressing customer base and Machiavellian management, steer clear of BWS and any other liquor retailer for that matter. Just work at Woolies/Coles or an electronics retailer and deal with a slightly less depraved form of retail sales.

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is super enjoyable

Casual Employee (Current Employee) - Perth WA - 28 September 2023

everyone is really nice and it’s a supportive environment. only thing is there could be a bit more in store training instead of all online, however all the other employees are really helpful when your new

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Good Balance

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Parramatta NSW - 25 September 2023

Working at BWS you get to meet a lot of fun characters and build product knowledge. However, you may come across situations where customers are intoxicated and must deal with them appropriately. Supportive team.

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Pretty alright

Sales Attendant (Former Employee) - Canberra ACT - 21 September 2023

A lot of things are made much harder than they should be thanks to a whole lot of reasons, but if you're not too invested in the place and aren't looking to make a career for yourself it can be pretty chill, even working full time. The actual work is pretty non-stop and very physical, but rewarding in its own way. Very much does depend on the store and it's managers though - the structure of the org and demands from head office, especially when it comes to expectations of overtime, as well as the allocated budget, sales goals, etc, make it a powder keg for toxicity and abuse in the wrong hands

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Fun Workplace

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Chermside, Australia - 17 September 2023

The job is not too mentally taxing and generally pretty stress free. It can be a bit boring at times but its always nice having rapport with the locals and your team. Really enjoyed my time here as a student in uni.

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Stress free and vibrant work life

Sales Assistant (Current Employee) - Magill SA - 28 August 2023

A great job with happy vibrant work team environment, and support from direct manager to get the job done. Experiences can change from store to store .

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Amazing Workplace

Causal Sales Assistant (Current Employee) - Bargo NSW - 26 August 2023

Working for BWS is is rewarding and fun. Even though it can be a stressful environment you’re extremely supported and looked after my team members and management.

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About what you would expect give or take depending on management

Team member (Former Employee) - New South Wales - 17 August 2023

As expected in retail, the daily tasks involve customer interactions, restocking shelves, and managing inventory. However, the manager plays a pivotal role in shaping the work environment. In my case, having a supportive and organized manager made the job enjoyable. Clear communication, fair scheduling, and a strong emphasis on teamwork were evident. On the other hand, I've heard from colleagues in different locations that their experiences varied significantly due to less effective management. Ultimately, BWS is what you make of it, with the store manager determining the degree of job satisfaction and overall atmosphere.

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Great team

Liquor Assistant (Current Employee) - West Ryde NSW - 16 August 2023

Good place to learn and decent hours for those who are studying. Opportunities to pick up shifts at any store. Great training and encouragement for anyone keen to progress within the company

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It used to be a great place to work and now it's just pointless

Retail Assistant (Current Employee) - Brisbane QLD - 13 August 2023

What is the best part of working at the company?The friends you make through colleagues What is the most stressful part about working at the company?It's not very work life friendly for a company who "strives" for that What is the work environment and culture like at the company?Can be quiet stressful and overwhelming What is a typical day like for you at the company?Doing pointless monthly paperwork (as they have no thought for the environment) serving customers, filling, stacking, display, cleaning, stock ordering, emails.

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Decent

Sales Assistant (Current Employee) - Brisbane QLD - 5 August 2023

Pros:- pays pretty good- customers are generally in a good moodCons:- not enough meal breaks- the abuse you get has the potential to be much worse than non-liquor retail jobs

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Stressful but keeps you on your feet

Team Member (Former Employee) - Narre Warren VIC - 2 August 2023

Working at a store with good people and a good manager made this job worth it. The pay was average for the job, but hours were flexible around my uni commitments.Dealt with constant abuse from aggressive and drunk customers, lots of theft as well.Stressful during busy periodsAlthough this depends on whether you're at a busy or quiet store, and what area the store is in

Pros

shift flexibility around studying, Good team = good workplace

Cons

Aggressive and drunk customers, Pay, Team Discount

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Not much to say

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Sydney NSW - 24 July 2023

Expect lots of bending down, lifting, stacking. Pretty chill job if your boss is decent. Certainly helpful to have at least some understanding of alcohol and recommendations.

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