Customer assistants
To join us you'll need to be a friendly, enthusiastic and helpful team player who is confident under pressure, even when our stores are at their busiest. In return, you’ll enjoy lots of training and support and some great benefits.
"He even spoke to the warehouse to make sure it would arrive in time for Geoff's fortieth."
Our customer assistants are the public face of Your Marks & Spencer and without their enthusiasm and commitment we wouldn’t be able to deliver a service people talk about.
To find out what customer assistants do in each area of the store, simply click on the relevant link.
We have teams of customer assistants throughout our stores and they all receive comprehensive training to enable them to offer expert advice on the products they work with. These teams are the public face of Your Marks & Spencer and without their enthusiasm and commitment we wouldn’t be able to deliver a service people talk about.
For Warehouse roles, call 0845 3003725 selecting the customer assistant menu. You will then be asked a series of questions.
For Visual Merchandising Roles, call 0845 3003725 selecting the customer assistant menu. You will then be asked a series of questions.
To give you a better idea of what it’s like to be a customer assistant see the three profiles below:
Profile of Cecilia
Customer Assistant, Café Revive, London
What brought you to Marks & Spencer?
My background was as a receptionist and a nanny, so starting here in our London store was a big change for me. I applied to Marks & Spencer directly and waited only a month before they asked me to come for an interview. This is a big opportunity for me and I can’t believe I’m working for such a high profile household name known to millions of people.
What’s the working environment like?
Although I’ve only been here for a month, I’ve found everyone to be really friendly and very patient in teaching me my role. The biggest part of my job has been learning to mix the different types of coffee and making sure customers feel welcome here. One thing I’ve found is how much customers love Marks & Spencer.
What is the most challenging part of your day?
Before we start we check the tables, food, cups, coffee, milk – everything – to make sure it’s all ready for the first customers. This can be challenging because when we open customers are already queuing for their coffee, especially at the weekend. Also, I need to be really flexible – if someone is absent or on holiday, I have to move around and work in any of the other cafés around the store. And since every café has its own individual arrangement and way of working, it really keeps me on my toes!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy making the coffee – especially the aroma. It’s great as I have learned to make a great tasting cup!
Profile of Emma
Customer Assistant, Clothing, London
What brought you to Marks & Spencer?
When I moved to London and started at college, I was looking for a part-time job. As I was studying Business, I wanted to get some retail and sales experience. I called the Marks & Spencer recruitment line and got an interview soon after. I started out in Menswear and enjoyed it so much I slowly increased my hours until eventually I went full-time. Now I practically live here!
What’s the working environment like?
It’s fabulous. I’ve been here two years now, and though it’s my first job I can’t believe how friendly and honest everyone is. People are so enthusiastic and I felt comfortable working here right from the start. It’s great to work in a place where everyone gets on so well and there are lots of experienced staff who are always happy to answer questions or help out. Now when new people start it’s me that gets to show them the ropes.
Describe your day-to-day responsibilities?
I spend pretty much all my time taking care of the Collezioni range. I’m responsible for organising stock, keeping track of top selling lines and feeding back to my line manager. Two hours before we open, I check that everything is ready, reorganise the lines and remove anything that’s not selling. There’s a fair amount of paperwork to keep in order, and during our peak hours between 12pm and 2pm it’s all hands on deck to deal with the rush of customers. I’m always kept busy!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
For me, it’s the satisfaction of helping customers. It’s all about how happy people are when you find the perfect thing for them – especially when they come into the store all stressed out because they’ve been in every other shop on Oxford Street. I also like chatting with them and after a while you even get customers who look out for you when they come back to the store.
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
At peak times things can get manic and you need about ten people to serve all at the same time. That’s the only time I feel pressured, but the rest of the time it’s really enjoyable.
Profile of Keith
Customer Assistant, Clothing, Menswear, London
What brought you to Marks & Spencer?
I was semi-retired and looking for a part-time job, when I saw the temporary Christmas opportunities at Marks & Spencer. I joined their seasonal team and they must have liked what they saw because they asked me to stay. It wasn’t a hard choice. Also thanks to my experience as a landlord I was used to dealing with different kinds of people so I felt this was a role I’d be suited to.
What’s the working environment like?
From the first day I walked into Marks & Spencer, they couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful. It’s very professional and there’s always a lot going on. I like to be active, so that suits me down to the ground.
Describe your day-to-day responsibilities?
I am responsible for the knitwear section of Menswear and am pretty much in charge of that on a day-to-day basis. I order stock, make sure the displays are spotless and look after my customers. But I have to be aware of what other products are on my floor in case I’m asked. Once I’ve learnt about everything in knitwear, I’ll move around to gain more experience in other ranges, like shirts.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
What I really enjoy is how many different nationalities I deal with. People travel from the four corners of the earth to come to this store. Coaches from France come over specifically to stock up on Marks & Spencer clothing. It’s good working for a brand that’s so loved by its customers. And there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing the look on a customer’s face when you tell them you’ve got the exact size and colour they were after.
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Dealing with difficult customers. They’re few and far between, but it’s challenging to deal with people who complain because you’ve stopped selling a certain product. That said, in those situations you’ve always got the support of your manager and your fellow colleagues to help you out. And it’s a great feeling to be able to turn a disgruntled customer into a satisfied one.
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