Meet Marjolein
“Thanks to my fantastic colleagues, I look forward to my work each day.”
Marjolein Mol, Buying AssistantAbout Marjolein
After completing her higher education, Marjolein Mol came to Action through a temporary employment agency. She was recruited for a temporary, administrative assignment. Marjolein did so well there that after two years, Action took over her contract and she now works in the Buying department.
Why did you stay on at Action?
The temp agency originally put me to work alongside a group of girls with whom I got on well right away. Of course, your work has to be interesting in terms of content, but I also think it’s very important to have nice colleagues. They really determine your satisfaction in your work. We have a really nice team and that means I enjoy going to work each day.
You are a buying assistant. What exactly do you do in that role?
As a buying assistant, I am responsible for buying the products on Action’s shelves together with the rest of my team. We do this specifically for household goods – one of the largest product groups at Action. That includes glass, porcelain, ceramics, pots and pans, cutlery, baking tins and cleaning items such as mops and cloths
The products are purchased by the buyer. As soon as that is done, I get to work and support the buyer in any way I can. Suppliers send samples and I check them. Are the sizes, colours and prints correct? I also visit supplier showrooms to look at interesting products, coordinate deliveries with Supply Chain and do the arrangements for promotions. When will which products be included in a promotion? And can the suppliers deliver those products on time? I also take on various administrative tasks; my duties are very diverse. Over the past seven years, our team has grown enormously. I started when there were around 12 assistants, and now there are 30.
“The challenge in my job? Always looking out for trends and innovations.”
What is the ultimate challenge in your job?
When it comes to household products, you might think a mop is just a mop. Even so, I enjoy the challenge of looking out for trends and innovations within our product group. And I often gain my inspiration from… TikTok! Scrub Daddy scouring pads, colour-changing mugs – we discovered these and much more on TikTok. That’s a really fun part of my job.
What are you currently involved in?
Sustainability is a really hot topic. We try to actively work on plastic reduction and regularly visit stores to see if there are any products or packaging we could adapt. Will the product still be recognisable and attractive?
When you tell people that you work at Action, how do they react?
When people ask me what I do, I make sure to also tell them that Zwaagdijk is responsible for the procurement of all products for all our stores in all countries. Their reaction is usually one of surprise; they don’t expect Action to work that way, or for us to have so much influence.
What does your future at Action look like?
In the last seven years, I’ve developed tremendously. I have gained a lot of knowledge and become more confident in what I do. That’s why I was invited to become a Buying Trainee. I will follow an accelerated path for around 1.5 years, developing from assistant buyer to (junior) buyer. So yes, with a Buying Traineeship ahead of me, my future at Action looks bright. I’m really looking forward to it!