What started out as a job to help contribute to funding his studies has led to a career in retail for Hardayal Punshi.

 Mr Punshi moved to Australia from India in 2017 to complete a Masters in IT. He started working at a 7-Eleven store in Sydney while studying.

“To be honest, when I started, I never thought that I would have taken the retail industry as my long-time career. I worked at two different stores both a company owned and a franchised store in Sydney. I have loved what I have got from the customers, team, and leaders first in Sydney, and now here in Melbourne. I had great interest in being a computer developer, and loved my study, but when I compared the experience between developer and retail I felt that as a people person, retail was a better fit for me,” Mr Punshi said.

“I enjoy helping people and making them smile. There is always an active and happy workforce at 7-Eleven which really helps to create an atmosphere that that is motivating for me. 7-Eleven’s culture is to make every moment for our customers extraordinary, and I really believe in that. It’s why 7-Eleven continues to appeal to me. I feel supported to be able to make that culture statement come to life. There are so many times when the team members of 7-Eleven make people happy with their services that’s why I love being part of 7-Eleven.”

“I had a customer call my store one night at about 9pm who wanted to buy Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to surprise her daughter for her birthday. Our store was in walking distance from her home, and her car had broken down so she couldn’t go to another store. We had run out of Krispy Kreme and were waiting on our delivery sometime after midnight. I contacted our delivery driver, and was able to get the delivery of doughnuts before 11pm so that the lady could give them to her daughter for her birthday. It made me so happy to be able to do something extra for someone. I still can see her happy face,” he smiles.

 Mr Punshi says that having a customer focused mindset is key to succeeding as a 7-Eleven Australia store team member.

“If you have a customer focussed mindset and understand that the business won’t be successful without happy and returning customers and that you, as the team member are the key to achieving that, then you have the skills and positive attitude to be successful as a team member,” Mr Punshi said.

“We challenge each other to grow sales in-store, which is a bit of fun and we get rewarded for doing a great job. It might be who can sell the most chocolate bars or sandwiches in a shift, with a prize for the winner, it’s great you make your customers happy by giving them a deal and you get recognised for doing it.”

Having a great leader to help you learn and challenge yourself is also important to Mr Punshi.

“7-Eleven wants to be the best at meeting customer needs and making their experience extraordinary. They want your dedication and hard work to make that possible but in return in my experience you get support and mentoring from your leader. It’s a win-win situation for me. 7-Eleven gives so many opportunities to their employees for career progression and I’d like to develop to a leader role,” he concluded.