Meet Renee, one of the newest members of our Book Hero warehouse team!
A keen reader, gamer and Scouts enthusiast, Renee has quickly found her feet in our busy warehouse, impressing the entire team with her speed at picking orders, and later, fulfilling - perhaps even giving Dom a run for his money...
We caught up with her to find out what life is like behind the scenes at Book Hero, what she's reading, and how working around thousands of books is affecting her ever-growing reading list!
Life Behind the Scenes at Book Hero
As a Warehouse Sidekick, Renee spends her days picking and packing books, board games, puzzles and toys for Book Hero and Toy Hero customers all over New Zealand.
One of the biggest surprises since joining the team has been the sheer number of orders coming through the warehouse every day.
"I always think we're almost done picking, until more and more orders come in."
With thousands of products to navigate and new customer orders arriving throughout the day, there's never a quiet moment. Renee says the secret to getting everything out the door so quickly is a combination of great teamwork and well-organised warehouse systems.
"Everyone is super helpful and friendly" she says. "I've learned lots of different tips and tricks from the team that make picking and packing easier."
And it turns out Renee has a competitive streak too! She's already impressed Dom, Jade and Jordan with how quickly she can pick orders, although she's keeping her techniques closely guarded.
"I can't give away all of my secrets yet"
For Renee, one of the best parts of the job is discovering how all the different parts of the warehouse work together, while getting to see the latest books and games arriving on our shelves.
Her idea of a particularly good day? "Lots of interesting orders, especially with new books I can add to my TBR."
A Fantasy and Sci-Fi Fan
Working in a warehouse full of books could be dangerous for someone with an already enormous reading list, and Renee is certainly discovering plenty of new titles to tempt her.
She's particularly fond of fantasy and science fiction, although she describes herself as a mood reader who enjoys dipping into other genres whenever the feeling strikes.
At the moment, she's reading Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher, and she's considering returning to Terry Pratchett's beloved Discworld series next. It was fun to connect Renee with Marnie, our Accounts Hero, who is also a huge Terry Pratchett fan.
Renee has also been spending time playing The Witcher 3, a huge open world role playing adventure game on PC, which has sparked an interest in reading the books behind the game.
"I noticed we sell The Witcher box set, so that might be on my list soon!"
And it's not just books catching her attention. Renee is a big fan of board games, with Risk and Stardew Valley: The Board Game among her favourites. It was great to see Renee take part in last week’s team board game night where we all came together to play some favourite games, including Warewolf, for Halloween.
And it looks like our puzzles buyer, Amelia, has been doing a great job tempting the team with her excellent puzzle selections! Renee has already spotted The World of Discworld puzzle in the warehouse, which has promptly joined her ever-growing list of things to buy!
The Pathway to Book Hero
Before joining Book Hero, Renee worked in a variety of roles in the supermarket industry, so she's no stranger to busy fast-paced environments.
It was the combination of fast-paced work, great people and a love of books that attracted her to Book Hero.
"I enjoy working in fast-paced environments, helping customers, working with a great team, and reading books. This job combines all of those things!"
She's particularly enjoyed learning about everything that goes into getting customers' orders picked, packed and dispatched so quickly.
And if there's one thing she thinks customers might be surprised to learn, it's just how fast things happen behind the scenes after they click the order button!
Scouts, Gaming and an Adventure in Portugal
Outside of Book Hero, Renee has two big passions: Scouts and gaming.
She's an enthusiastic member of Scouts Aotearoa, which has given her some incredible opportunities, including travelling all the way to Portugal to join 8,000 other Scouts!
"I love Scouts and have found it a great way to meet people and make new friends. I'd recommend it to anyone."
When she's not involved in Scouts activities, you'll often find Renee gaming or reading. She's particularly fond of fantasy adventure games like The Witcher 3 and Skyrim, which fit rather nicely with her love of fantasy novels.
Welcome to the Team, Renee!
We're so happy to have Renee as part of the Book Hero team. Her warm smile, enthusiasm, competitive spirit and willingness to get stuck in have already made her a fantastic addition to our warehouse.
And with so many books, games and puzzles arriving every week, we suspect that ever-growing TBR list isn't going to get any shorter.
Next time you receive a parcel from Book Hero or Toy Hero, Renee might just be one of the people who helped get it to your door!
You might like these that Renee enjoy the most!
