Dealing with people is really the best part of my job.

via: Erica Van Streen

Saturday, August 12, 12:00
general

VLISSINGEN – Hans Wildenbos worked as a dying assistant, but was turned away from this job because of a hernia. A short stint in the office made him far from happy. “I knew Ko Mechielsen, the owner of the camping center of the same name and I applied here to do a gas filling station and turn on the gas. I was in the hospital and one Sunday morning, Ko was suddenly at my bedside. He said We will not fill this gas. But when you get out of here you must visit.”. That was 24 years ago now.”

“The space we have now set up as a workshop will be converted into a camp shop by purchasing the rest of the space. I have no idea what this job entails,” I told Ko. ‘Me too’ “With Ko and Eelco we started here with two small lanes as a shop. It soon became apparent that my space was very small because foldable caravans and trailers were also inside. By moving part of it outside, we have always occupied part for selling produce. In months Winter we remove some shelves and bring new models back inside.

My work day consists of checking stock, and working with holiday workers to ensure the store is tidy and replenished. Pay attention to the client. Call the client’s incoming orders and receive new orders. Here we are like a catering team: you have to see everything. You help one customer and keep an eye on 3 others in the meantime. They also want to feel seen. While I’m explaining something to a client, I overheard another client say, “Oh my God, I can’t find it.” I ask for a moment and ask the other customer, “What are you looking for?” And the signal. Or say, “Come to you.” Then people will know that you see them and that you will arrive soon.

new colleagues
“We are looking for extra hands, both in the shop and in the workshop. There are two branches and we try to divide experienced colleagues between them. The requirement is that you have a sense of people and can deal with different personalities. 90% of our customers are German or Belgian. They are very helpful with new colleagues. , sometimes it happens that they immediately address customers in German. Then, laughing: “Although I dream in German in the summer months, I always start in Dutch, which is also great for our Dutch customers.”

“When I’m coaching my new teammates, I do my best so that they don’t need me so quickly and that they know everything. I think a lot of people have no idea how much stuff we have. And certainly new stuff. If someone comes in with a question, you have to know if You should have looked for gas or electricity or water. Or maybe you should have said “sorry we don’t have that”. The new fellows really need a few seasons for that. My big advantage is that I started with such a small shop and everything that came up was instantly natural to me Lee. Others come in a fully stocked superstore. The clients have become different in these two decades, becoming more assertive and unfortunately sometimes more impatient. Even Bass, whose diaper I didn’t change when he was already crawling here, is sometimes considered inexperienced by the clients. We notice it because they come To me too after explaining the same question. Luckily, Bass can handle it, and he’s already been through a lot.”

Continuing to work
Hans isn’t talking about continuing to work, but about “the occasional support when they call me.” There is no inference that he has been enjoying his free time for a while now. “Dealing with people, that’s just the best part of the job. And the mutual atmosphere here, trust. And whether I’m running 15,000 a day or 200 a day, nice customers color my day. In the early days, I also sold caravans myself, now it’s work in the shop.” Too much for that. A nice memory of those early days is the day Ko, Eelco, and I had a caravan sale at the same time. No one was in the shop for a while, but we were all busy putting a caravan to paper.”n

Name: Hans Wildenbos

Age: 67 years old

Place of residence: cleaning

Marital status: Married and father to Jacqueline (34) and Christian (32).

Education: Nursing

Hobbies: (“Can I say work?”), our dog and dynamic tennis.

Camping Center Sales Assistant