Booker: Who Am I & Who is Booker Wholesale ?

Above: Branch 276 / Booker Wholesale (Stockport)

My name is Gareth Preston, I'm an Ex Employee Of Booker Wholesale, the branch that I worked at, for Booker Wholesale was at their Stockport Branch. However, it was on Saturday 9th April 2011 (NB: 5 years after employement) that I did formally dismiss my-self from this Company known as Booker Wholesale. For a 5 year period, my employment with this company had been one of Racial Discrimination towards my-self from my fellow Booker Wholesale work colleagues.

Please see my previous blog posting for my "Constructive Letter Of Dismissal" which I did present to the Manager of Booker Wholesale Stockport after a short while of dismissing my-self from his company.

So now that you know who I am.... Then perhaps I should tell you who Booker Wholesale is..... But before I do, then I would like to explain to you all as to why I have decided to write a blog about Booker Wholesale and my experience as a Branch Assistant aka BA in the first place.

The reason why I have decided to write a blog about Booker Wholesale is because that I was a victim of Racial Discrimination from my fellow Booker Wholesale colleagues. Now for me it was very "HARD" for me to admit to my-self, let alone to admit to others that I was being bullied /discriminated against by my fellow Booker Wholesale Work Colleagues. But again on 9th April 2011 I did do something about it i.e. I self dismissed my-self from that company / employer.

Now, since leaving Booker Wholesale I have often thought about it, and I have now come to an conclusion, that is that I am not the only one that will experience Racial Discrimination in the work place. As a matter of fact, I bet that some where right now, some one is going through exactly the same experience as what I have went through with Booker Wholesale. Perhaps they work for British Gas, or British Telecom, or it may even be Natwest or Tesco etc... etc.... But the sad fact is, is that somewhere right now, someone possibly is facing Racial Discrimination in the work place and may not know exactly how to deal with it. Hence why I'm writing this blog about my own experience so I may perhaps be a possible resource of information for anyone that may be facing Racial Discrimination in the work place.

Now Booker Wholesale is a Cash and Carry, in fact it's the biggest Cash and Carry here in the UK and does have over 172 branch's in the UK. And has now even opened up it's first Branch in India. If you visit http://www.bookergroup.com/ then you shall learn in depth a great more about Booker Wholesale.

Above: A HGV drops off it's Cargo @ Booker Wholesale, Stockport from RDC

I hate Pakis and the Irish said the Booker Wholesale Employee to the Customer that he was serving. I looked to my right and I realized in horror that this Booker Wholesale Employee was is in fact talking about my-self to the Customer that he was serving.

I was at my cash register counting money / cash when I over heard this Booker Wholesale Employee say this comment of his to the Customer that he was serving. I was in shock as to what exactly it was that was going on? As it was only just last week that I had kindly pointed out to that Booker Wholesale Employee that I am in fact a British Citizen and not an Irish Citizen. I seen the customer look over in my direction, I done my best to pretend that I had not heard that Booker Wholesale Employee's comment. However, I then over heard the Customer say back to the Booker Wholesale Employee, O leave him alone it's not his fault that he is Irish.

Next thing I know is that my body is now shaking, a surge of adrenaline has now started to run through my body, some of the money / cash that I had in my hands that I was counting has now falling on the floor. Look, he can't even count money says the Customer to the Booker Wholesale Employee as he leaves the depot.

I can't believe that this has just happened, I'm now saying to my-self. What do I do? I've got to confront this because if I don't then it's only going to get worse over time. I walk out the door after the Customer who is now loading his shopping into the back of his car. What's the problem mate? I said to the Customer, Pardon? says the Customer back to me.

I say, your problem, what is it? You have a problem with me, I heard what you just said to that other Branch Assistant in there, you say that I'm Irish and you have got some kind of problem with that? This direct approach with the Customer sees him reply back to me, No not me, I don't have a problem with the Irish at all, in fact half of my family comes from Ireland on my Mothers side. I kindly explained to the Customer that if I overheard any more "Irish Banter" from him again than I would report him to Management and let them handle the situation on my behalf. This seen the Customer reply back to me that he is sorry and that it is never going to happen again.

Above: A Booker Wholesale Employee Works His Pallet

I enter the depot again and decide that it is in my best interests to report this incident to the Branch Manager. I inform the Branch Manager of this incident / conflict that has just happened. I am informed later on in the day that the Employee in question is to have a disciplinary as a result.

It became coherent over the next few days / weeks that some BA's (Branch Assistants) and Supervisors with in the group at Booker Wholesale Stockport felt that the Managers decision to take disciplinary action against the Employee in question was totally unnecessary. In fact I can even remember that time in the then Smoke Room in the depot when that female Supervisor was saying to me "don't you think that you are over reacting with all of this"? Also don't you know that you won't win over any friends from this"?