Day 154 - 13 Jul 95 - Page 44


     
     1        suddenly turned up?
     2        A.  That was an example that I chose to illustrate an
     3        instance of what could happen.  As I say, it was -----
     4
     5   Q.   It could happen if Saturday lunch-time suddenly got a
     6        little bit busier?
     7        A.  Well, in theory, it could happen.  I do not recall it
     8        ever happening over a Saturday lunch-time.  We did not
     9        usually use to give out breaks during a Saturday lunch-time
    10        between 12.00 and 2.00 because that was the peak period.
    11        We used to work breaks around the 12.00 to 2.00 period.
    12
    13   Q.   OK.  If it got a bit busier during the afternoon it could
    14        happen, it did happen?
    15        A.  It could happen exceptionally, as I said before, yes.
    16
    17   Q.   Why did you not schedule extra staff for every shift to
    18        cope with any fluctuations in demand?
    19        A.  We used to schedule enough staff to cope with any, what
    20        I would term, normal fluctuations in business.  What I am
    21        talking about here is exceptional circumstances which may
    22        occur, sort of, once every two months or longer or
    23        whatever.  Therefore, you know, it would not really make
    24        good sense to schedule extra staff for two months just for
    25        the half an hour or so where you have an extra rush.
    26
    27   Q.   The scheduling would be based on the previous, is it, week
    28        or month, or something like that?
    29        A.  We used to look at the previous year, so the
    30        corresponding week.
    31
    32   Q.   The corresponding week exactly a year prior to?
    33        A.  Yes, and the previous three weeks, and then combine the
    34        two data and then allow for special events.  For instance,
    35        if there was going to be a fair at the bottom of the high
    36        street or a meeting at the town hall or something like
    37        which may generate extra business, then we would
    38        incorporate into the projections, perhaps allow for an
    39        increase over the previous year of whatever percentage
    40        increase we were doing over the previous year and work out
    41        a projection in that manner.
    42
    43   Q.   So that would not necessarily take into account the
    44        fluctuations?
    45        A.  We generally -- say, we projected 21,000, we would, for
    46        the week, then, as I remember it, we would generally be
    47        within, sort of -- at most we were ever out was three or
    48        œ400.
    49
    50   Q.   So you felt the scheduling was pretty accurate? 
    51        A.  Well, we used to pride ourselves on the accuracy of the 
    52        projections of the business. 
    53
    54   Q.   It was run to a fairly tight scheme?
    55        A.  Well, it was run to an optimum scheme in that so we
    56        could optimise the business coming in.
    57
    58   Q.   And not waste any money on excess crew?
    59        A.  Not waste, no.
    60

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