Duty free Salesperson

Jeremy is a sales consultant at one of Manchester airport's branches of Alpha Retail, a chain of shops that sells tax- and duty-free goods like alcohol, perfume and tobacco.

What are your main responsibilities?

My job is a mixture of serving customers, using the till, and stock control. Most of the goods we sell are controlled by strict laws that limit how much people can buy to take into other countries.

What other tasks are involved?

I have to check passenger's boarding cards to see where they are going and then advise them what their allowances are. Although you can pay with any currency in the shop, most of the rates are worked out automatically by the till. Other tasks include printing out different tickets and price tags on a computer, answering the phones and doing a weekly stock take.

Have a look at some Cruise Ship Jobs for a career always on the move.

What hours do you work?

I do three days on and three days off, from 6.00am to 6.00pm.

What is your working environment like?

We get busy and quiet times depending on the time of year. It's obviously more hectic in the summer, but we tend to take on extra staff then.

Who do you work with?

In the whole airport about 400 people work for Alpha, and we've got three outlets. As well as sales consultants, there is a whole tier of management and administrative staff who do all the wages and the training.

What special skills or qualities do you need for your job?

You need to be hardworking and interested in what you are doing. You've also got to be good at explaining things to people, especially if you are stopping them from buying something because of the law. You need to be polite and offer the kind of service you'd expect if you walked into a shop.

Do you use any tools or equipment?

The main thing we use is a hand-held scanner for stock taking, which reads the bar codes. You then count how many items there are, key that in and log it all into the computer when you've finished.We also wear a uniform, which I quite like.

Why did you choose this type of work?

I've always worked in retail but I thought it would be a bit different to work at an airport.

What training have you done?

At Alpha, everyone does a course on selling skills. It covers six levels and teaches you different elements of customer service, health and safety and other general retailing topics. It took me about 18 months to complete, as you have to fit it in with your day-to-day work. You can carry on training towards an NVQ afterwards.

What do you like/dislike about your job?

Because I work in the international terminal, I get to meet people from all over the world which makes the job much more interesting. The early starts can take some getting used to.

How do you see your future?

Each department has senior sales staff who have a lot more responsibility, so that's what I'm working towards. After that, I'd like to move into management.

Jeremy's route to becoming a Duty free Salesperson

GCSEs.
Started work at an electrical retailer.
Spent time working in a factory and in catering.
Joined Alpha Retail in 2002.

Jeremy's Salesperson tips

You've got to be patient when dealing with the public.
Being talkative and confident helps.