DUTY MANAGER ALFIE TOMKINSON SPELLS OUT THE SECRET OF HIS SUCCESS. DON’T TAKE ANYTHING SERIOUSLY, ESPECIALLY INTERVIEWS.
What on earth are you doing in this photo?
Essentially we were just cleaning up the ceiling and putting in new lightbulbs. That’s it really. Michelangelo does not need to worry. Obviously I had to ham it up a bit for the photos. And yes Luke we did stick to all the health and safety guidelines as you keep telling me to say.
Why are you doing this job?
Well it did start off with the need for money because I’d just come out of college and I couldn’t find a job that I wanted. At one point I nearly ended up getting an accountancy apprenticeship but then I got a call from the Trust, had an interview and got the job. It was Luke’s decision to hire me. I think he definitely regrets it.
How long have you been here?
Too long. Since 2019.
If someone came in here and said I’d like to work here. What would you say to them?
I’d say give it a go, It’s a bit of a niche job, but the madness is good.
What do you like most about the job?
I do like the buying and selling aspect. I get a kick when I see people buying the things I had the idea for, like the pins, the tea towels, jigsaws and the like. I think that’s a direction I’d like to explore more. To be honest when I started here I didn’t anything about retail, but after a couple of years, I began to see I could actually think of products and help to improve our retail offer.
Talking of buying and selling, how are the Christmas sales going in the Pump Room?
They’re going really well. We have any kind of Christmas decoration you can think of from boring old baubles to deeply wacky cheese graters, salt and pepper grinders, packets of spaghetti, cocktail glasses and burgers. Just your usual run of the mill tree decorations. The dinosaur on a lawnmower is my favourite. I’m buying one for my girlfriend. She’s gonna love it. It’s her main present.
We’ve also got all the hand knitted gifts from our In Stitches group, scarfs, gloves, hats etc. Those things always sell very well as they are local and unique.
Any memorable visitors?
Well we had one Russian lady who didn’t speak a word of English and we had to communicate completely in Russian through google translate. We spent an hour and a half with her and discovered she wanted to go to Lyme Park and a couple of places in Manchester. She went off quite happily, came back in the next day and brought us chocolates.
Who is your hero and why?
On reflection it would have to be Luke as he’s always happy. How does he do that?
