Mario Boy is hearing impaired and works as a system merchandiser in the toom building block laboratory. He also wanted to get a taste of the market for a few days - as is customary for all toom centralisers. How did that work out? How does the 30-year-old overcome barriers and resistance in his day-to-day work? We spoke to him.
From goods reception staff, warehouse staff and sales assistants to sales representatives, IT staff and marketing managers: there are toom employees in every field. The day-to-day work of staff at head office and on the shop floor at the DIY store is usually very different. This makes it all the more important for staff on both sides to gain an insight into each other’s working day.
It is particularly important for head office staff to understand the day-to-day work of their colleagues on the shop floor. A few days spent on the shop floor are therefore a compulsory part of the training programme. This did not apply to Mario Boy, a systems merchandiser. This is because Mario is hard of hearing and would need support to carry out his role. In an interview, he told us how he was able to make this a reality years later at the toom Baumarkt DIY store in Villingen-Schwenningen, and why it was so important to him.
one: Mario, how did you come to decide that you wanted to gain experience on the shop floor?
Mario Boy: Normally , it’s compulsory to complete a few days on the shop floor as part of your training. However, because of my hearing impairment, there were a few hurdles involved, which is why I didn’t have the confidence to do it at the time. So the requirement didn’t apply to me. However, the building blocks lab does have a lot to do with the shop floor, and that was an area I wasn’t familiar with. When it came to product changes, for example, without my shop floor experience I couldn’t assess how the DIY store handles such situations or how I could best support my colleagues in this regard.
I’ve been at the Bausteinlabor since 2019 and wanted to finally change that – both to improve myself and to be able to support Christoph, my boss, more effectively. So, together with Christoph, I contacted the toom representative for people with severe disabilities and various regional sales managers (RVKLs). Fortunately, an RVKL got in touch shortly afterwards and established contact with someone from Albstadt who, following his transfer to Villingen-Schwenningen, was happy to help me. As it turned out, this colleague – Joshua – and I already knew each other from before.
one: Can you explain to us laypeople why a support person was so valuable to you in this case?
Mario Boy: AlthoughJoshua only knows a few signs, he knew exactly from experience how to deal with my disability. The fact that he has some knowledge of sign language was helpful in many situations. He also knows that he needs to look at me whilst speaking so that I can read his lips, and ideally speak a little more slowly. Of course, other colleagues can do that too. But it was certainly easier because Joshua was used to it and did it automatically.
one: What tasks did you take on in the shop? Were there any parallels with your job?
Mario Boy: The build-block lab at toom is there to prepare products from our range for in-store display using sample set-ups and shelf displays. The range is divided into build-blocks. So there is definitely a parallel with my colleagues on the shop floor.
In the modular display lab, I’m mainly responsible for documenting and setting up the modular displays. I also take care of assigning the parts to the relevant in-store locations and handling ‘on-site replacements’ – that is, swapping items in the modular displays for successor products or updated packaging.
During my shift on the shop floor, Joshua gave me a quick tour and then we got straight down to work. First, we dealt with the returned goods. That went quite well. As the autumn check is coming up soon – when all the modules are inspected – we then went ahead and checked a few modules in preparation for that. I thought it would be quick – perhaps an hour – but no such luck! It took us a whole day. What I hadn’t taken into account in my estimate was that there are no customers in the building block lab. Joshua and I were on the shop floor with just one other colleague. So for most of the time, we were there exclusively to serve the customers. That’s really exhausting – you really do underestimate it!
„I didn't want to give customers the wrong advice, so I always asked them to wait for my colleague as it was 'my first day'. Most of them accepted that and waited. But of course, there are always people who don't and become unfriendly.“ Mario Boy
Otherwise, I was really surprised at how much I was allowed to do. Joshua was looking over my shoulder, but I got stuck in. I really enjoyed that.
one: What were the highlights of the market assignment? What did you like best, and what did you like least?
Mario Boy: What I liked best was that Joshua was my market partner and he let me get involved in everything. I was allowed to do much more myself than I’d imagined. For example, I was allowed to cut carpets and rolled turf, cut wood to size, drive the electric pallet truck and use it to fetch goods from the shelves. Joshua was there the whole time, motivating me and giving me tips on how best to do things. I just thought it was brilliant that he placed so much trust in me.
What didn’t I like? What can I say? Overall, I thought working in the shop was just brilliant.
one: Did your job give you a different perspective on the tasks or the processes in the supermarket?
Mario Boy: As we document building blocks or carry out ‘on-site swaps’ in the building block lab, we’re closely connected to the shop floor. We mostly work ‘visually’ – in the shop, that’s where it becomes reality. So whilst I was there, I paid attention to where there were problems, what helps our colleagues and what doesn’t, and also what we can do better for the shop.
one: What insights did you take away from your time in the field?
Mario Boy: As I said: in the module lab, it’s quite simple. We finish the module, it looks great – done.
It’s not like that in the shop. I was almost shocked by what it looks like ‘in real life’. Customers really do make a mess – that surprised me. (laughs) It makes sense, but I’d never really thought about it before. I’ll definitely bear that in mind when I’m planning the next module. That’s the reality in the shop, and there are a few things you have to factor in.
What’s more, unlike me, the shop staff don’t have flexible working hours, of course. They start work at 8 am. It really takes some getting used to working fixed hours... And if someone’s off sick, someone else just has to stay on longer to be there for the customers. So I have to say, the shop staff really do have a harder time of it in that respect. I found it astonishing how different Joshua’s and my habits and attitudes are in this regard.
one: Did you have any difficulties with anything because of your disability? Was there any part of the job you couldn’t do?
Mario Boy: My biggest challenge in situations like that is communication. For example, when customers come in and simply ask, ‘Where can I find…?’ I’m completely lost. Partly because I haven’t understood what they’ve said, and partly because I don’t know my way around the shop well enough. So, rather than say something wrong, I preferred to leave it to Joshua, who dealt with all the enquiries.
I also quickly lose my confidence when I have to tell customers every time, ‘Could you please repeat that? I’m afraid I can’t understand you very well because of my hearing impairment.’ Often, the person I’m talking to then gets annoyed or becomes unfriendly.
An additional challenge: people in Baden-Württemberg have a completely different dialect! This makes it much harder for me to read their lips. This, combined with the fact that I wasn’t familiar with the area and didn’t want to give customers the wrong advice under any circumstances, meant that I always asked them to wait for my colleague, as it was ‘my first day’. Most people accepted this and waited. But of course, there are always some who don’t and become unfriendly. Mainly because they perhaps didn’t understand me clearly when I spoke and realised I had a disability. I think that made things a bit harder for me. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t have missed my time at the market for the world. I gained valuable experience and was also delighted to see Joshua again.
