Meet Mike, one of the important volunteers at our Lifeline Shop at Narellan Town Centre.
Four days a week Mike does tagging and testing for electrical equipment, including lamps, radios and stereo systems, all in name of ensuring customer safety and satisfaction.
Mike, pictured with one of 29 televisions donated by the Holiday Inn at Warwick Farm and now distributed to Lifeline shops, occasionally visits the Lifeline store at Tahmoor when his tagging and testing services are needed.
He is a jack of all trades at Narellan and also looks after the vinyl records, CDs and DVDs – he has a personal interest and knows what they are worth.
He owns lots of CDs but now mostly uses Spotify … with headphones he bought from Lifeline.
The work in the store was always interesting, he said, because of the cool things people brought in.
“It’s fascinating to see what people donate,” he said, recalling a recent donation of a mini guitar amplifier. He looks forward to donations of vintage clocks, which he cleans up as soon as they arrive.
Mike, 72, has been at Narellan since 2019 and has been tagging and testing for four months.
He used to lift weights in his younger days, which he thinks is what has kept him fit and active. He still does some heavy lifting but “nothing silly”.
Previously Mike was a delivery driver, security guard, cabby and worked behind a bar, which explains why he has the gift of the gab, making him very useful for customer relations. He likes to help regular customers and knows their individual predilections for certain types of furniture.
One thing he doesn’t like is people who bring in TVs and DVD players without their remote controls.
He was certainly pleased that the 29 TVs provided by the Holiday Inn came with their remotes.
Mike says the Narellan store is a good store to work in, especially because he has “really nice bosses”, including Store Manager Lisa Bradley, Retail Area Manager Suzanne Mazy and Manager Retail and Distribution Sandra Cartwright, who helped him get his test and tag certificate.
Comments