Day 166 - 28 Sep 95 - Page 32


     
     1   MS. STEEL:   Presumably, your Supervisor would say:  "Well, that
     2        is fine then, you know, that you have spent more on the
     3        payroll in actual pounds than was budgeted", but if the
     4        sales had gone up, then that is probably to be expected?
     5        A.  That is right.
     6
     7   Q.   Yes.  Just to get back to the point I was on before, about
     8        your Supervisor talking to you about what you were
     9        achieving in terms of labour cost percentage, if the sales
    10        had dropped off, the Supervisor might suggest that you cut
    11        down on the numbers of crew that are working?
    12        A.  Yes, perhaps.
    13
    14   Q.   You said something about the labour percentage goes down
    15        for July -----
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Either cut down on the numbers of crew or cut
    18        down on the hours which the existing members of crew were
    19        working?
    20        A.  If the business was not there?
    21
    22   Q.   Yes.
    23        A.  Yes.  In July the sales, sorry?
    24
    25   MS. STEEL:   I was trying to find it actually because I did not
    26        manage to get it all down at the time.  You said that the
    27        reason the labour percentage had gone down in July and
    28        August was because, obviously, you take a vast amount more
    29        money ---
    30        A.  Yes.
    31
    32   Q.   -- and obviously the holidays are in July as they are in
    33        August.  When you were saying that, were you referring
    34        there in terms of the holidays to the holidays meaning that
    35        the store was busier or were you referring to the holidays
    36        of the crew?
    37        A.  The holidays for the children, children's holidays.
    38
    39   Q.   So the reference was in terms of the fact that it was the
    40        holidays meant that the store was busier?
    41        A.  Yes.
    42
    43   Q.   Right.
    44        A.  Obviously, that store is a West End store and enjoys
    45        more business than some other stores.  You know, the good
    46        weather as well in those months means that more people are
    47        out, that there is a consistent, a more consistent, period
    48        of takings throughout the day than, say, January.
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Apart from anything else, it is pretty near 
    51        the peak of the tourist season so far as visitors to --- 
    52        A.  Yes. 
    53
    54   Q.   -- London, to Oxford Street, to Hyde Park, Hyde Park Corner
    55        particularly ---
    56        A.  Yes.
    57
    58   Q.   -- Marble Arch itself; that is what you attribute it to, is
    59        it?
    60        A.  Yes.

Prev Next Index