Why a co-operative? Work philosophy from the chronically under paid.

Hey, Gulls!

Today, we are going into detail on our work principals and goals.

But, first! A quick renovation update.

This week we are finishing up painting, installing the hot water heater and placing down our flooring.

These are the last big jobs before we build shelves and can let you all in! Hooray!

Now onto our workplace philosophy.

If you are reading this you’ve probably worked, or are working, a job where you don’t feel valued.

Maybe you are forced to work unreasonable hours or expected to go without breaks or are paid a tiny fraction of what your boss is.

The Gull's have a decade of retail experience between them and that means a decade of the good, the bad, and the ugly of retail employment.

So while the inside joke has been that this is our “spite shop” it's more like our retelling of what retail can be.

Respecting everyone no matter their experience or title is a key tenet for us. So acting as a Worker's Co-operative made sense.

As a co-op, each worker can freely become a member. And, each member is given an equal vote on any major decisions we make. We already knew every worker was vital, and by running our business this way they all get to guide the future of The Gull’s Grocery.

In keeping with treating everyone as an equal everyone will receive the same wage no matter their role. We believe that one job in store is as important as any other. Naturally, this should be reflected in our team’s wages as well as their responsibilities.

As simple as it sounds a large part of our ethos is to treat our team like human beings, not worker drones. No one will be expected to work unreasonable hours or skip days off. Our full time work weeks will start at 35 hours across 4 days and as our team expands this will be reevaluated and potentially lowered further.

Sick days will readliy available and will come with no burden of proof. If this pandemic has underlined anything, it's that sick pay is essential. If you penalise sickness then your team will work while sick.

But, what does this mean for you, the potential customer of The Gull’s Grocery?

I’m sure you’ve gone into a shop at some point and realised pretty quickly that the staff were not enthusiastic about their job. By building an environment that values our workers ideas and time we hope to cultivate a shopping experience for our customers that is joyful.

As always, we would love to hear your thoughts over on Instagram and don't forget to sign up for our mailing list for more messenger birds in future.