How working in security at Wimbledon helps with the huge crowds in Westfield: Naomi, Londoner #144

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• published: 12 May 2016
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Naomi works in one of the busiest retail environments in London: Westfield Stratford. She tells us how had it can be during peak busy periods, from dealing with irritable and impatient customers to having to get hundreds of pairs of shoes for everyone to try on. She also explains how her training as a security guard, working at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships helps her deal with some of the stress. 1000 LONDONERS This film is part of 1000 Londoners, a five-year digital project which aims to create a digital portrait of a city through 1000 of the people who identify themselves with it. The profile contains a 3 minute film that gives an insight into the life of the Londoner, as well as their personal photos of London and some answers to crucial questions about their views on London life. Over the course of the project we aim to reveal as many facets of the capital as possible, seeing city life from 1000 points of view. www.1000londoners.com www.youtube.com/1000londoners www.facebook.com/1000londoners Twitter: @1000_londoners 1000 Londoners is produced by South London based film production company and social enterprise, Chocolate Films. The filmmakers from Chocolate Films will be both producing the films and providing opportunities to young people and community groups to make their own short documentaries, which will contribute to the 1000 films. Visit www.chocolatefilms.com Transcript: What do you want? Shiny? Do you want something shiny? Just these ones? Because they are on sale, they're non exchangeable and non refundable, is that alright? So I've been working at Linzi's for about a year and five months, I was kind of just getting into the routine and you know the manager sat me down and said 'you know what? we're getting to the busier period, it's gonna pick up really really quick'. I used to hate it, coming here on Saturday nights and thinking oh my god, there's gonna be a rush of people and to think that it's gonna be worse than this. You do get the customer's that are like 'where's my shoe? where's my shoe? where's my shoe?' and you're like 'i've got your shoes but you've just got to wait a little bit' but they're so demanding. Sometimes I don't think they understand that you know it's hard for you to serve five people and have to get like four different shoes for five people and then you're trying to serve each customer as you've got the shoes. Some customers just want to be served straight away, like they didn't line up and there's like five people in front of them. They just want it now now now, and although I had the mindset that it was going to be busy, you can't predict what the customers are going to be like. But you have to get used to it. 'This one is the 39, so you don't want this one? So this one and that other one?' Yeah you get a few that you do recognise and a few that you kind of see and you kind of like joke about. There is one woman that comes in all the time and she always goes for the heels and I'm like 'again?' and she's like 'well you know me, every week I need a different colour shoe for a different occasion' and I'm like 'Where are you going?' and she says 'they're just going to sit in my wardrobe but just to know that I have it' she'll come in, and we just joke about, you know you kind of get a certain bond with some of the customers that come in. It's quite cool. 'She like the sausage and she's the roll yeah you get me? Sausage roll. Aint two peaches rubbing you know? She likes that banana to that peach, you get me?' Before this, I was doing security, I've been doing security since I was 18 years old. The main event that I do do is Wimbledon, I have to make sure no-one's coming in with weapons, not anything that can harm the public or harm us. We do have a few celebrities that are a bit you know and they just see us as it's just your job but you do get people like Serena Williams' Dad who's like a really really nice guy who like on certain days he used to buy us hot chocolates in the morning, so you get perks out of it. Being experienced in security actually helps me a lot in Westfield because you get this kind of mindset that you know, not everyone's having a good day, not everyone's you know, been going through what you're going through so I know that these are the steps that I have to do for me not to come off as you know a rude person, so I have to take it in steps and calm down in situations or you might just get angry and walk out the shop door.