Staff Stories

This month, we are celebrating ten years of The ReUsers and have asked some of our staff and beneficiaries for their stories and memories.

“Shortly after the Reusers opened I came into the shop to ask about job opportunities for my son, he was offered a job and I used to regularly collect him from work as I worked close to the ReUsers. I’ve always had a passion for upcycling furniture, and the ReUsers has always had furniture that is great for upcycling. I was looking to move on from my old job and I asked about vacancies for staff. I became the first supervisor in August 2013, so as well as ReUsers celebrating our 10th birthday, I will also have been here 10 years this summer. Every year since I’ve started I’ve set up and run our Christmas shop and I am now Mrs Christmas!” - Gina

“I’m almost 27 years old and no employer wanted to take a chance and give me a job. I’m the first person to be at the ReUsers on a new 6 month programme. I’m happy here as I get to do a real job and get paid. Everyone has been kind and helpful and I hope another employer will offer me a job when I finish my time at the ReUsers as I will have got lots of new skills. I’m already feeling more positive because I’ve been given the chance to show how I can work.” - Mark

“Not long after the ReUsers opened my sister told me about the shop. I started volunteering not long afterwards as it looked like a great place. I had to stop volunteering when I started a college course which I was sad to do, I was really pleased when a paid job came up that I was able to join the team. Since then I have been promoted to supervisor. I’m a real bookworm and I love sorting through all the book donations, we have some really unusual book donations. Just recently I found a pocket-sized bible that was sent to a British prisoner of war in World War II, and we have been able to send this to this Regimental Museum as a piece of social history. I’ve also made some great friends over the years, both other members of the team and customers.” - Liz

“I was 22 years old when I started the programme and I had been out of work for a long period of time and so was struggling to get into employment. My care worker had told me about the programme and thought it was a good opportunity to get a qualification whilst gaining valuable skills and experience for my CV to enable me into getting a job. I had a lot of friends who were getting into trouble with the police but I just wanted to keep my head down and better myself.”

“I did a mechanic’s course at college, but decided this wasn’t what I wanted to do. A friend of a friend told me about the ReUsers apprenticeships, and I started here in 2018. I was really sad when my apprenticeship ended in August 2019, but went on to work as a delivery driver. In early 2022 I was given the opportunity to come back as a member of the staff team. I absolutely love it here, I’ve met lots of fantastic people and gained some great skills. I was really grateful for the opportunity to come back and re-join my JERICHO family.” - Josh

“I first came to the ReUsers when the Job Centre sent me on a four week placement in about 2015. The ReUsers then was much smaller than it is now. Almost 18 months later, the ReUsers Manager remembered me when the staff team was being extended and he offered me a job, as I was unemployed at the time. I like working at ReUsers as we have laughs as well as working hard, and we are like a family. We also have some great customers who enjoy shopping with us, just last week a customer wrote in our comments book. “I consider myself a bit of a tip shop ‘guru’. First visit and best one in my opinion – organised, everything labelled, great quality. I will most definitely be back. Thanks x”

“I joined ReUsers in 2019 after the job centre referred me here. I was looking to get some work experience and improve my confidence. Soon after I started the first Covid lockdown happened which made my apprenticeship difficult and I had my apprenticeship extended to give me additional time to work in the shop. I got a job elsewhere when I finished my apprenticeship in early 2021. About a year ago there was a vacancy for a core team member, I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to return.”

“I had been unemployed since finishing a year of an art course and the Job Centre referred me to the ReUsers for an apprenticeship. I was really nervous and anxious about working somewhere where I knew no-one, but I had lots of help from the start when I was met off-site to have someone to walk into the shop with so I didn’t have to do it on my own. My first few months were difficult as I got used to working. I had lots of help with issues in and out of work, which helped me stay in the apprenticeship. I enjoy the positive atmosphere from both the rest of the team and the customers. My confidence has grown massively. Every day here is a new learning day. I don’t know what job I will do when my apprenticeship ends in September, but I think this apprenticeship gives me the opportunity to look at lots of different jobs.”

“The Job Centre referred me to the ReUsers for an apprenticeship as I’d been unemployed for a while. I was lacking in confidence and I was looking for a job where I could get a job and be supported to gain new skills. I real enjoy meeting new people and gaining new skills. Working at ReUsers has had a very positive impact on my mental health. I have done things outside of my comfort zone, but I have learnt that I can do new things, and this has massively improved my confidence. I’ve also made some mates for life. I’m almost half-way through my apprenticeship, I don’t yet know what I want to do next but I feel positive and confident that I will be successful in whatever I choose.” - Morgan

“I started in September at 16 years old. My mum was a regular customer and we were both looking for a supportive employer to my needs and found out more about the programme which seemed to be well suited. Since starting at ReUsers I have already noticed a positive change in just 3 months with my confidence growing and increasing and by making more friends. My favourite bit about working with ReUsers is that it is a supportive environment and I always feel supported and listened to.”

“I started at JERICHO when I was 19 years old after working in a few food based jobs. I was looking for different route which would help with my confidence and anxiety and heard about the programme with ReUsers through the job centre. Since joining the programme there has been a difference in my confidence and anxiety and think this is because I feel supported and that here you can talk openly about how you feel and any difficulties and just feel valued as a person and not just an employee.”

“After I finished University I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and was unemployed. The Job Centre referred me to the ReUsers and I did a customer service apprenticeship there between 2019 and 2020. I had an interest in electrical items so I also had training to be a qualified Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) tester. After my apprenticeship I got a job at a local supermarket. The ReUsers manager in early 2022 wanted to employ another PAT tester so offered me a core staff at the ReUsers, which I was very pleased to accept. As well as working in the electrical department, I also test and tune the guitars as I have a passion for playing.”

“I’ve been at ReUsers almost the whole time we’ve been open. When I started we took donations and had them stored in tents, and now we have a fixed canopy to take donations. The very first donation I took was a treadmill, over almost 10 years there have been some really interesting donations including: half a Reliant Robin, a Radio controlled boat, a coffee table made by Mouseman. I’m now an assistant supervisor and on a day to day basis I run the donations station, and this includes supervising the people who are with us on supported programmes. I was an apprentice at JERICHO, and now I’m supervising apprentices. I’ve made friendships with many of my colleagues even the ones who aren’t Villa fans!”

“I had been unemployed for a number of years and I was told I had to do some voluntary work. A friend told me about the ReUsers and I came to visit, it seemed a great place. They sold bikes but no-one knew a lot about them, but I’d always tinkered with bikes so I asked to volunteer working in the bike section.  After a little while, I was offered a paid job and I was sent on a Cytech training course to upskill me on how to service bikes. The ReUsers gave a chance and having a paid job has made a massive difference to my life and allowed me to get out a hostel and into my own home.”

“I started at ReUsers two days a week as a van driver. I was asked to become a part-time supervisor and worked in donations which became a full-time job. I’ve been the assistant manager for almost 4 years. When I left school at 16 without sitting any exams, I never thought I’d be an assistant manager. As assistant manager I do everything from supporting the team to fixing things on site when they break. I love seeing the progression of our supported staff and how we can change their lives by giving them jobs, I never realised the social impact the ReUsers has until I became part of the team” - Steve

“I’ve been working at ReUsers for almost 8 years, I started as an apprentice. My Dad was already a customer and he heard about the apprenticeships. I passed my apprenticeship and there was a permanent vacancy and I joined the team. I started covering the electrical department at the weekends and I was given the opportunity to be trained to safety test electrical items before we sell them to the public. I’ve stayed at Reusers because I love what we do and what we are about, no 2 days are ever the same at ReUsers from what might get donated to seeing our regular customers. I have learnt over the years that ReUsers is a place where people often come for a browse and end up leaving with a carful all knowing that every penny spent goes back into our charity, JERICHO, allowing us to support more people.”

“I worked for another JERICHO business, but not longer after the ReUsers needed staff to move across to their team, and I’ve been working here for about 9 years.  I work mainly in the older part of the building but pretty much work everywhere. One of the funniest things I remember is when the previous assistant manager dressed up as a donkey and ran round the car park to raise money for the JERICHO charity. I like everything about work here, even on the days when it is freezing or blazing hot days. No day is ever the same. I remember testing some bubble machines but I overdid the amount of concentrate I put in and filled the car park with bubbles.” - Chris

“My wife worked at another JERICHO business and she was aware that the ReUsers was looking for additional supervisor. I researched the ReUsers and what they did really appealed to me particularly being able to help others. I’ve just celebrated my 5th anniversary of working here. I a bit fan of Marvel and other comic series fan. Not long after I started we had a big donation of Marvel comics, and we have been selling these over the last few years. Every year I set up the Halloween pop-up shop from the donations that have been saved for this celebration.” - Pete

“I was working in the online sales department for another organisation and was looking for a new challenge. A colleague had heard about the vacancy at the ReUsers and I joined the team last year as the first full-time online sales team member. Since then I’ve been promoted to online sales supervisor. When I started there was a build-up of stock which I have been sorted through. Amongst these was a watch in a mixed box of watches. It’s being sold at Bonham’s in February and I’m really excited to see what it sells for.” - Juliet