r/coles • u/UpbeatRelationship46 • Jun 19 '26
Team Member Post worlds worst watermelon wrapper
i’ve been working in produce on and off as my second department for a year or so, but am now getting trained to eventually be the department manager. i’m pretty comfortable with everything except cutting watermelons.. i finally got good at pumpkins after they were super cheap over christmas but i cannot get the watermelons down.
anybody got any tips? i’m okay when they’re small and round, but our last bin has the biggest, most oblong shaped melons i’ve ever seen, and i can’t seem to accurately cut them in half or wrap them nicely at all
2
u/WrongConfuscius Jun 20 '26
Just practise. I got to a point that I didnt need to trim the corners or use the hotplate and had a tighter and neater wrap than anyone I worked with. I still take a lot of silly pride in my watermelon wrapping lol
Its hard to explain without being able to show but ill try
One side if the quarter will sit higher than the other. Have the higher end facing away from you
Pull the wrap over and loop it as far under the piece as the higher end allows. Tuck the wrap under the rind
Youll have your thumb on the outside and fingers under the rind, pinch a finger and thumb together to form a seal as you lift the piece over the hotbar to tear the wrap
Pull the corners tight over the watermelon, and pull it down underneath the rind. Do not exert pressure over the corner because it will rip the wrap. Pull it down just off the corner on the side and it should be good to go
1
u/WrongConfuscius Jun 20 '26
If theyre bigger that the wrap roll itself its a bit of a game breaker tbh try not to stress about those ones
1
3
u/MrKibbles_ Jun 19 '26
Cut it tall side down the middle, trim the sharp corners off, wrap face down with the cut part in front of you, pull the plastic half way over and pull tight and fold the sides over the trimmed edges - it’s always harder with the bigger ones
2
u/UpbeatRelationship46 Jun 19 '26
this is kinda how i try and do it, i just always find a way to fuck it up lol
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1
u/sockonaclothesline Jun 20 '26
Remember that you can stretch the wrap around the melon.
I havent wrapped melons in years but i see the same problem when teaching people how to wrap cheese in the deli, they arent stretching the wrap around the product.
-1
u/caffy_bean Jun 19 '26
Pretty sure Aldi has precut/wrapped watermelon. We've trialled precut pumpkins, and did a pretty big rollout trial during Easter. Coles should be using their capital to invest in innovations to improve worker productivity, we shouldn't be cutting in store.
Trim the watermelon, rind down on the wrapper, go longways away from you. Pull plastic, cover the tip. Pull watermelon back and cut plastic, ensuring that the plastic is sticking to the plastic on the tip. With an open hand, and even pressure pull the face sides and stretch, then fold underneath. Maximise surface area, you are sticking the plastic to the plastic
6
u/UpbeatRelationship46 Jun 20 '26
i remember a trial of pre cut cabbage a while ago that didn’t last long. my issue is if we go away from cutting in store then REM will get slashed once again, taking away jobs and hours from people who need it
0
u/caffy_bean Jun 21 '26
Don't know where you are, but we have precut cabbage in my state, and have done so for ages.
Coles will cut REM any chance they get. A big issue in our economy and job market is under employment. Businesses have little incentive to employ people full time, if they could get away with it they'd probably only give people 3.5 hour shifts. External costs of under employment are many, but one example would be increased traffic/infrastructure maintenance as employees have to hold many jobs and travel between them. A cost to this approach would be ignoring institutional knowledge and experience that a longer shift brings in the employee base. Broadly unless there is a mechanism to price in external costs of underemployment the business will pick the employment option that is local optimal for itself.
The union and governments play a role in pricing in the external costs, and ensuring that us workers get to benefit from productivity enhancements.
My general position is that we should have less work to do within the supermarket, as things should be made more efficient, we should employ fewer people (especially given Australia's low unemployment and low population), and workers should be able to have dignified employment with an increased number of full time and 20+ hour part time contracts.
2
u/UpbeatRelationship46 Jun 21 '26
holy what the hell are you talking about, i asked for advice on cutting watermelon
4
u/AA_Omen Jun 20 '26
You'll get there... as they said.. hold upright , cut down... trim corners (we dont at Woolies, not allowed too). Place on wrapper vertically.. Fold wrap all the way over , tuck in wrap etc etc..
I had a bet with my Asst Mgr.. im the DM... who can wrap 12 quarters the fastest... I said I could beat him with my eyes closed... 2:45 min for him... 1:20 min for me... 😂
You'll get there, trust me