Being thrown in the deep end does have its advantages. Mark Sharland reports from the night shift If sleep eludes you and you want to achieve something constructive in the twilight hours, there is a new alternative to reading a book or watching Open University programmes on the TV. If you live near one of the major cities, you can now spend the night gliding round the aisles of your local supermarket, picking up the weekly shopping in comfort. If you do you'll be avoiding the trolley rage and checkout queues associated with the Saturday morning supermarket shopping crush. It seems 24-hour shopping is here to stay. A recent survey by the Future Foundation reported that around 20 million people want to see grocery stores open longer, and five million want them to remain open round the clock. According to the report, by 2010 about a quarter of the transactions which take place on the high street will happen outside normal business hours, equating to £40 billion of business. Up to 15 million people say they are willing to pay a premium for an out-of-hours service. The major supermarkets are listening to their customers, and they are among the first retailers to respond. Sainsbury has 63 stores trading through the night on Friday and seven open for 24 hours on Thursday and Friday. Asda recently announced it would increase to 18 the number of stores trading continuously from Monday morning through to Saturday night, and Tesco has just doubled the number of stores open 24 hours to 63. The company claims more than 20 million people are within a short drive of an all-night shop. Somerfield and Safeway are also putting a toe in the water. The advantages to the retailer are not simply increased sales and the opportunity to attract a new range of customers. Two of the key performance measurements used by major retailers are the availability of product lines and the length of queues at the checkout. If longer opening hours can spread the customer load and help avoid the peak time logjam, it will improve the retailers' service to the customer and enhance all-important customer relationships and loyalty. So both the retailer and the customer are happy. But what about the workers? 24-hour opening has inevitably brought with it an increase in shift working, not always welcomed by staff and management who already work the relatively long hours expected in the retail industry. Typically, a superstore open overnight will require the presence of at least one senior manager and two deputies, as well as other staff. Some companies pay out-of-hours premiums and night shift allowances, but as management grades are not normally expected to claim overtime, the monetary rewards for the unsocial hours may not amount to a great deal extra. There is no doubt that 24- hour opening has made retail recruitment more difficult. The long hours which employers expect from their managers and staff are already one of the most common reasons people give for wanting to leave the retail sector. In an employment market which is relatively buoyant, it is a challenge to attract high calibre, motivated candidates to a career which will involve an extended period working unsociable hours often at weekends. However for committed individuals there are benefits. The retail management experience gained working through the night in a major supermarket is hard to beat. The night manager assumes a great deal of responsibility for every aspect of the store's operation. In the early hours of the morning, the buck stops with the night manager ­ head office support services will generally not be available until morning, and in the fast-moving retail world, most problems won't wait. The night manager is not just involved in trading issues but is accountable for all the other operations which make a major supermarket run smoothly ­ transportation and deliveries, personnel issues, stock control, customer liaison and security, for example. There may not be so many customers to deal with, but the night manager will often be working with a skeleton staff, juggling logistics to complete all necessary tasks. The learning curve is steep, but the major supermarkets are recognising the value of the experience and rewarding those who have been through it successfully with fast-track career progression. In addition, graduate trainees may now find that a one-year placement as a night shift manager is a part of their training and development programme. Taking on the night shift is a daunting task, demanding a wide range of management skills, ingenuity and personal confidence. However, the early responsibility and broad experience gained in the role can provide a firm foundation for the future. Mark Sharland is a director of RRS. {{TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT }}