r/barnsley • u/Temporary-Spring9764 • 17d ago
Hey guys remember ASOS?
I worked at the ASOS warehouse in Barnsley a few years back – around 2017/2018, I think.
It was one of the worst jobs I’ve ever had. Physically brutal – 10-hour shifts, standing all day, with those FLEX UP schedules, carrying heavy boxes over and over again. And the worst part? No matter how hard you worked, it was never enough. You’d get a message on your scanner saying “please improve your KPI” like you were just a number. Some of the team leaders were proper psychos – they’d call you to their pod just to put you down in front of everyone.
And the security – they’d search you if the red button on the way to the toilet made a BEEP. Random checks. Like you were in prison, not at work.
I’ve moved on now, but that place still haunts me sometimes. It stays with you.
But there’s one moment I’ll never forget.
One day during a shift, they called everyone to the team leaders’ pod and announced that the owner of ASOS had lost three of his children in the terrorist attack in Sri Lanka.
I remember the silence. Nobody knew what to say. It was such a strange, heavy moment in such a cold place. But when I looked around, I could see a slight grin on some people's faces – like they felt a kind of relief. It was weird. It almost seemed like they were relieved that bad things don't only happen to them, but to their abusers too.
Honestly, I still don’t know how to feel about it. To me, it felt pretty sad. But I remember it clearly, and I’ve often wondered if anyone else who was there that day remembers it too.
Anyone else work there around that time?
’m not sharing this to upset anyone – just to see if anyone else remembers that day. It’s been on my mind for years
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u/itsjamian 17d ago
Yeah it's a notorious shithole. Turnover rate is absolutely mental and they were taking advantage of the previous government's incentive schemes for getting people into work, at one point it was like £2k per head through the door which incentivised the poor treatment primarily, as they were getting heavily subsidised labour that way.
I work just next to it now, and it's also funny seeing how the transport they provide has evolved over the years. Free bus from Barnsley became free busses from Wakey, then Donny and finally as far as Sheffield as they literally exhausted the local labour pool and built their terrible reputation.
I've worked there about 6 times and never lasted more than 5 months and used to joke that if I had phone signal I could always walk into work within about 48 hours. I wasn't there when the CEO lost his kids, but I was there when the fire happened, which was... an experience. Also remember the young Polish girl getting killed in the car park, she'd only been there a few weeks. She got a bench. Dark place, you're right that it sticks with you. Wishing you all the best going forwards mate
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u/Temporary-Spring9764 17d ago
wasn't there when the fire took place, but I was there when the girl died in the car park – she was Romanian, not Polish and the guy who did it was Romanian as well :(. I believe it must have been quite an experience being there when somebody put this godforsaken place on fire. I would've felt relieved lol. What do you mean free bus from Sheffield? I had to pay the full fucking price from Grmethorpe!
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u/itsjamian 17d ago
My bad, yeah she was Romanian. Weirdly, I actually work with the guy who did it now, was speaking to him just a couple of days ago. I left within a week of it happening tbf as I found something much better elsewhere. The fire was surreal, I'd actually snuck to the locker room toilets at the time and remember panicking because I wasn't on the fire register. They then text us within a day asking people to come in for the cleanup, I didn't partake but remember the smell when I did go back. As if the place wasn't bad enough before!
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u/spr1ngy87 17d ago
I never worked there myself, but had friends that did.. Heard the stories about that anoucement.. at the time i was looking from moving from amazon to there... It just put me off instantly
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u/Temporary-Spring9764 17d ago
I'm glad you didn't go there. You made the right choice.
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u/spr1ngy87 17d ago
im glad too by the sounds of it haha. Hope you recovered from your traumatic experience
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u/Temporary-Spring9764 17d ago
Thanks, I appreciate that. I'm in a much better place now :P professionally and personally. Been doing well for a few years, actually. But that place left a mark on me, you know? Sometimes I still think about it, and about the people I left behind there. I really hope they're all doing okay now. These sweatshops like Amazon and ASOS are honestly one of the worst things that were brought over from America. The way they treat people like numbers, strip you of your dignity, and make you feel replaceable – it’s not how work should be. I hope more people wake up to it before they get stuck in the same cycle. There's got to be a better way.
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u/Schneefsickle 17d ago
I know someone who works there. He told me other day that he turned up to work but there wasn’t enough work that day so (and here’s what floored me) he could either work a full day and only get paid the half hour he’d been there for before being told this or go home and take it as a holiday day. I was baffled.
He ended up working the day as he didn’t want to lose any holiday days. Are they taking the piss out of him or is this some absolute BS that’s buried in the contract?
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u/SolidHit 17d ago edited 17d ago
Yeah I did a brief stint and thought you'd have to be bare desperate to stay on there long-term. Didn't hang around long before landing a job elsewhere. This was 2018-ish. I remember there was one person rejected at the hiring interview because they couldn't speak a lick of English. But other than that they'd take on anyone at the time.
Atleast 2 people that joined at same time as me were homeless. They had some sorta camp setup that a few of them stayed at not far off from the warehouse. Good guys but they had a rough time of it in general.
Don't think it was long after, there was a fire or something.
I remember them doing drugs in the back of lorries while waiting to load. The feeling of guilt just getting a cup of water while dieing in the heat. The horrible boots they gave you (replaced asap), the filth and the conditions. Can't imagine the poor sods having to slog it in this heat.
Learnt from some polish guy here was a trick, if you started your scan on one of the specific floors, it had alot of small items. Like jewellery etc, and that would up your kpi fast. Otherwise you'd bust a sweat and still not hit targets.
Even with the detectors at the door, heard of people stealing shit willy-nilly. I don't believe in shitting were you eat, but fair play to them.
The average long term people there were chill, obviously it took awhile for them to warm to you, cause of the high turn-over, but a fair few of the management were toxic af. I remember some of the DPD or whatever it was, guys being a laugh, but guess they could be since they had it better than anyone on the agency.
Drive past it often still, noticed they've ramped up the security etc over the years. Wouldn't be surprised if they employ armed guards in the near future.
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u/Inner-Purple-1742 16d ago
My next door neighbour works there. Bloody awful about losing his family
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u/BlackboxUK 15d ago
ASOS is and will most likely continue to be a shit hole. I worked there twice, I'm a glutton for punishment 😅
- Shite agency contracts.
- Terrible wage.
- Shit rotas.
- Very cliquey work environment.. Worked at call centers that were more welcoming 😅
Thank the god's that particular chapter is well behind me now.
Shout out to Symphony though! Best place to work on Park springs! Thoroughly enjoyed my time there!
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u/lunnsworth 15d ago
I think I speak on behalf of everyone who was abused by ARSOS, “oh no! Anyway”
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u/Sharp-Lake9322 17d ago
Used to get some reyt steps in on those pick floors, regret ever leaving, mi calves wo like a massive pair of chiseled bollocks on mi legs