ParkSyde’s Memorabilia store is trading from 22 October 2026, with its pieces in display cabinets in the store and online. It is run by a small crew, and this is how. First version, 22 October 2026.
Who is on the crew
- The coach
- A ParkSyde staff member who runs the day. The coach owns the money, the prices, the decisions and every reply that leaves the store, and signs off each skill when they have seen it done. The store’s coach holds a current Blue Card.
- The guest
- The crew member learning the work: a work-experience student, or a participant in a ParkSyde employment program. The guest does real jobs in a trading store, starting beside the coach and working towards doing each one on their own.
- Merle
- The store’s character at the online counter. Merle reads customers the labels and points them to a person. Merle is not a person and not AI, and is never a member of the crew.
How a skill is learned and signed
Every skill below moves through four steps. The coach records the date of each one in the Coach dashboard, and only the coach can.
- Shown The coach did it while the guest watched, and explained why.
- Helped The guest did it with the coach beside them, stepping in where needed.
- On their own The guest did it alone and the coach checked the result. This is the step that counts as a job done in the store.
- Teaches it The guest explained or showed it to someone else, correctly.
A guest can mark a skill ready to be checked in their own dashboard. That is a request, not a sign-off.
A day and a week
Every shift
- Open up (A)
- Log overnight messages (A4, F)
- The day’s agreed jobs: receiving, photographing, labels, questions, sales
- Close, hand over, and write the hours (A6, A7)
Every week
- Check every cabinet against the stock list together
- Clean every cabinet inside and out (J3)
- The coach reviews the guest’s skills and signs what they have seen
- Agree next week’s skills to work on
Every new piece
- Receive and register (B)
- Describe its condition (C)
- Photograph it (D)
- Label it and put it in a cabinet (E)
The jobs, and every skill in them
Fifty-eight skills in eleven jobs. The codes (A1, B3 …) are what the dashboards and the printed record use.
- A. Opening and closing the day
- B. Receiving a piece
- C. Describing condition
- D. Photographing a piece
- E. Labels and the online cabinets
- F. Answering questions
- G. Making a sale
- H. Packing and posting
- I. Keeping records
- J. Looking after the store and yourself
- K. Telling people about the store
A Opening and closing the day
A store that opens the same way every day finds its problems at nine in the morning, not when a customer does. Closing the same way every day means nothing is left out, unlocked or forgotten overnight.
What to know
- Where the keys, the store device and the stock list are kept.
- What the store looks like when it is ready: cabinets clean, every piece where its label says, the counter clear.
- Who to tell if something is missing or broken: the coach, straight away.
How it is done
- Arrive, sign in on the hours sheet, and say hello to your coach.
- Walk the floor. Look at every cabinet and check each piece against the stock list on the store page.
- Wipe the cabinet glass and the counter.
- Check messages and enquiries that came in overnight, and write each one in the enquiries log for the coach.
- Agree with your coach what today’s jobs are.
- At close: put away anything taken out, check every cabinet against the stock list again, and tell the coach about anything that changed.
- Write your finish time and what you did today on the hours sheet, and hand over anything unfinished in writing.
The skills, one at a time
- A1 Follow the opening checklist from start to finish without being reminded.
- A2 Check each cabinet against the stock list and report a difference.
- A3 Clean glass and counters so there are no smears, dust or fingerprints.
- A4 Log overnight messages so none is lost.
- A5 Agree the day’s jobs with the coach and say back what was agreed.
- A6 Follow the closing checklist and leave a written handover.
- A7 Record start and finish times honestly on the hours sheet.
B Receiving a piece
Everything the store says about a piece starts at the moment it arrives. A piece that is not checked and registered on arrival is a piece the store cannot describe honestly later.
What to know
- A ticket number is the piece’s name inside the store: PSM, a dash, and four digits, given in order and never reused.
- Pieces are held by their base or their box, with clean, dry hands. Nobody opens a sealed pack.
- The stock list (life/memorabilia-stock.json) is the one place the store’s pieces are written down.
How it is done
- Open the carton carefully, on a clear table, away from drinks.
- Check what came against what was expected, and tell the coach about anything extra, missing or damaged.
- Give each piece the next ticket number, and write it on a removable tag, never on the piece or its box.
- Write down the maker, and copy exactly what is printed on the piece and its packaging.
- Put the piece in the holding shelf until it is photographed and labelled.
- Add it to the stock list with the coach.
The skills, one at a time
- B1 Unpack a carton safely and keep the packing for re-use.
- B2 Check a delivery against what was expected and report differences.
- B3 Handle a boxed or carded piece by its base or box, without touching the window or bubble.
- B4 Give a piece the next ticket number and tag it without marking it.
- B5 Copy what is printed on a piece and its packaging word for word.
- B6 Add a piece to the stock list correctly, with the coach checking.
C Describing condition
Under the Australian Consumer Law a piece has to match its description. A precise, plain condition note protects the customer and the store at the same time, and it is the one place where honesty is also the safest thing to do.
What to know
- Describe what you can see, not what you think it means: “the bubble is dented on the left”, not “good condition”.
- The store never values, dates or authenticates a piece. Words like authentic, genuine, mint, rare, vintage and investment are never used about a piece unless they are printed on it, and then only as a quote.
- “As printed on it” and “as we see it” are different things, and the label keeps them apart.
How it is done
- Look at the piece in good light from every side: front, back, top, bottom and both ends.
- Note every mark, crease, dent, tear, fade or loose part, and where it is.
- Write the condition in plain words, one short sentence for the piece and one for its box or card.
- Read it back to the coach, who checks it against the piece.
The skills, one at a time
- C1 Inspect a piece from every side in good light.
- C2 Name a flaw and its position in plain words.
- C3 Separate what is printed on a piece from what you observe about it.
- C4 Write a condition note that uses none of the forbidden words.
- C5 Explain to a customer why the store does not value, date or authenticate.
D Photographing a piece
In the online cabinets the photos are part of the description: what a customer can see in them, the store is telling them. Good photos sell a piece honestly and stop arguments later.
What to know
- A plain, light background and daylight from a window beat any flash.
- Every photo shows the piece and nothing else: no people, no faces, no reflections of people, no addresses, screens or paperwork in the frame.
- Photos are named by ticket number and order (PSM-0006-1.jpg, PSM-0006-2.jpg) and kept under 600 KB each, which is about 1600 pixels on the long side.
How it is done
- Set up the plain background by the window.
- Take the front first: straight on, the whole piece in frame, in focus.
- Then the back, each side, and a close-up of every flaw in the condition note.
- Check each photo on the screen for focus, glare and anything in the frame that should not be.
- Crop, shrink to size, and name each file by ticket number and order.
- Put the files in the store’s photo folder, with the coach.
The skills, one at a time
- D1 Set up a plain background and use window light.
- D2 Take a sharp, straight-on front photo with the whole piece in frame.
- D3 Photograph every side and every flaw named in the condition note.
- D4 Check the frame for people, reflections and private details, and retake if needed.
- D5 Crop and resize a photo to under 600 KB.
- D6 Name photo files by ticket number and order.
E Labels and the online cabinets
The cabinets are the store’s shop window, in the room and online. One theme to a cabinet and a label for every piece is how the best collectors’ shops and museums let a person browse without a salesperson.
What to know
- A label has five parts: the maker, what is printed on it, condition as we see it, how it came to us, and the photos.
- If nobody knows how a piece came to the store, the label says so. It never makes up a story.
- The cabinets on the store page are built from the stock list by a small tool. A change is checked on a phone before it is called finished.
How it is done
- Choose which cabinet the piece belongs in, by theme.
- Write or check the label fields in the stock list.
- The coach runs the build and publishes the change.
- Open the store page on a phone and check the piece, its label and its photos.
- Arrange the real cabinet to match: same theme, label facing out, nothing hiding anything else.
The skills, one at a time
- E1 Choose the right cabinet for a piece and say why.
- E2 Write all five parts of a label correctly.
- E3 Check a published label and its photos on a phone.
- E4 Arrange a physical cabinet so every piece and label can be seen.
- E5 Spot a label that claims something the store does not know, and fix it.
F Answering questions
Most of a memorabilia store’s work is conversation. A customer who gets a straight answer, or an honest “I’ll find out”, comes back.
What to know
- Answer only from the label and the store page, price included. For a discount, a hold, a return, or anything about value, the answer is: “I’ll get the coach for that.”
- Merle, the store’s character, answers simple questions on the website. Merle is not a person, and anything Merle cannot answer comes to the crew.
- If a customer says something that tells you they are not okay, or that someone is hurting them, stop and tell the coach straight away. Lifeline is 13 11 14, 13YARN is 13 92 76, and in an emergency, 000.
How it is done
- Greet the customer and give them your first name only.
- Listen to the whole question before answering.
- Answer from the label, or say plainly that you will find out.
- Write down anything you could not answer, with how to reach the customer, for the coach.
- Thank them, and tell them what happens next and who will do it.
The skills, one at a time
- F1 Greet a customer in person or on the phone, using first name only.
- F2 Listen to a whole question and say it back.
- F3 Answer a question about a piece from its label.
- F4 Hand a discount, hold, return or value question to the coach.
- F5 Take a written message with the customer’s question and how to reach them.
- F6 Recognise when a customer is not okay, and get the coach straight away.
- F7 Reply to a written enquiry with a draft the coach approves before it is sent.
G Making a sale
A sale is the moment the store keeps its promises: the piece is what the label said, the price is the one agreed, and the customer leaves with a record of it.
What to know
- The coach sets every price and handles the money. The crew member learns the sale beside the coach.
- Customers pay by card through Stripe. Stripe sends the receipt; refunds and anything else about money go to the coach.
- A sold piece leaves the cabinet and the stock list on the same day, or the store page tells the next customer something untrue.
How it is done
- Check the piece is in the cabinet and matches its label.
- Show the customer the piece and its condition again, including every flaw.
- The coach confirms the payment has come through in Stripe.
- Write the sale in the sales log, with the Stripe payment reference.
- Wrap the piece to protect its box or card.
- Take it out of the cabinet and mark it sold in the stock list, with the coach.
The skills, one at a time
- G1 Check a piece against its label before it is sold.
- G2 Show a customer every flaw before they buy.
- G3 Record a sale accurately in the sales log.
- G4 Wrap a boxed or carded piece so it cannot be crushed.
- G5 Remove a sold piece from the cabinet and the stock list the same day.
- G6 Thank a customer and tell them who to contact if there is a problem.
H Packing and posting
Collectors care as much about the box as the piece. Packing well is the difference between a happy customer and a return.
What to know
- Orders are posted from Canberra or Rockhampton, within Australia only, and the store promises every piece is ready to ship within 24 hours of payment. A sale is packed the day it comes in.
- A boxed piece needs its corners protected; a carded piece needs its bubble protected from pressure.
How it is done
- Wrap the piece in clean paper, then bubble wrap.
- Choose a box with room for padding on every side.
- Fill the gaps so nothing moves when the box is shaken gently.
- Seal it, label it with the address the coach gives you, and record the tracking number.
- Tell the coach it is ready to go.
The skills, one at a time
- H1 Wrap a piece to protect its box corners or card bubble.
- H2 Choose a carton of the right size and pad it so nothing moves.
- H3 Seal and address a parcel neatly.
- H4 Record a tracking number against the right sale.
- H5 Have a sold piece packed and ready to ship within 24 hours of payment.
I Keeping records
The stock list, the sales log, the enquiries log and the hours sheet are how the store knows what it has, what it sold and who is waiting for an answer. They are also how a crew member proves the work they did.
What to know
- Customer names, phone numbers and addresses go only where the coach says, and never into the stock list, a photo or anything public.
- A record is written when the thing happens, not remembered later.
- A mistake in a record is corrected and initialled, never hidden.
How it is done
- Write each sale, enquiry or delivery in its log as it happens.
- At close, check the logs against the cabinets and the messages.
- Correct any mistake openly, and tell the coach.
The skills, one at a time
- I1 Keep the enquiries log up to date during a shift.
- I2 Keep the sales log accurate and complete.
- I3 Keep customers’ details out of every public file.
- I4 Correct a record openly and tell the coach.
J Looking after the store and yourself
A store is a workplace. Glass, cartons, ladders and lifting all carry risk, and a crew member who knows how to speak up is a crew member who stays safe.
What to know
- Lift with your legs, keep the load close, and ask for help with anything awkward or heavy.
- Report broken glass, spills and trip hazards at once, and keep people away from them until they are fixed.
- Take your breaks. Tell the coach if you feel unwell, unsafe, or uncomfortable about anything or anyone.
- For a crew member under 18: the store is a space others can see into, your family can be reached while you work, you do not message customers privately, and nobody takes your photo for the store.
How it is done
- Before lifting, look at the load and the path, then lift safely or ask for help.
- If something breaks or spills, make it safe, keep people away, and tell the coach.
- If anything worries you, tell the coach, or another ParkSyde adult you trust, that day.
The skills, one at a time
- J1 Lift and carry a carton safely.
- J2 Make a hazard safe and report it.
- J3 Clean and care for the cabinets without damaging pieces.
- J4 Know who to tell about a worry, and how.
K Telling people about the store
A store nobody knows about does not trade. Posts and messages about the store are also public promises, so they follow the same rules as the labels.
What to know
- Nothing posted about the store says a piece is rare, valuable, authentic, or about to run out.
- No customer, crew member or child appears in a post, and a post quotes only the price on the label.
- Every post is approved by the coach before it goes out.
How it is done
- Pick a piece and one of its photos.
- Write a short, plain post from its label.
- Check it for forbidden words, people and prices.
- Give it to the coach to approve and post.
The skills, one at a time
- K1 Draft a short post about a piece from its label.
- K2 Check a post for claims, people and prices before it goes to the coach.
- K3 Explain why the store never uses scarcity or value claims.
The store’s rules, which every job follows
- We describe; we never value, date or authenticate. A piece is described by what is printed on it and what we can see. The store gives no opinion on what it is worth, how old it is, or whether it is real.
- The price is on the label, and only there. The coach sets every price. Nobody quotes a different one, offers a discount, or says what a piece is worth.
- No pressure. Nothing the store says claims a piece is rare, an investment, or about to run out.
- A piece matches its description. Every flaw is in the condition note and in the photos. That is what the Australian Consumer Law expects, and it is what a collector expects too.
- Customers’ details stay private. They are written only where the coach says, and never into anything public.
- Nobody’s photo is taken for the store. Not a customer’s, not the crew’s.
- If someone is not okay, the coach hears about it today. Lifeline 13 11 14 · 13YARN 13 92 76 · Emergency 000.
For work-experience students and their families
A school student comes to the store through their school. In Queensland a school work-experience placement needs a written arrangement between the school and the business, the principal’s approval, and the school’s insurance in place before the first day, under the Education (Work Experience) Act 1996. The school starts that conversation, and the store does not take a student until it is done.
While a student is with the store:
- Their coach holds a current Blue Card, Queensland’s working-with-children check.
- They work in a space other people can see into.
- Their family can reach them, and the coach, during the shift.
- They never message customers privately, never handle money on their own, and nobody photographs them for the store.
- What they did each day is written down, and the family can see the record.
Said plainly: how the Act applies to a particular placement is the school’s to confirm. This page describes what ParkSyde does; it is not legal advice.
What the record lets ParkSyde say
At the end of a placement the Coach dashboard writes a statement from the signed record. It says only what the record shows, in this shape:
[Name] worked [hours] hours on the crew of ParkSyde’s Memorabilia store, a trading memorabilia store with an online shopfront, between [first day] and [last day].
Their coach saw them do these jobs on their own: [the skills signed “on their own”].
They did these with help: […]. They were shown, and have not yet done on their own: […].
This is a record of work done in the store, kept by their coach. ParkSyde is not a registered training organisation, and this is not a qualification.
That is the whole claim. It does not say the guest is job-ready, and it promises nothing about what the record will lead to. A registered training organisation may choose to look at it when recognising prior learning; that is the organisation’s decision.
The Coach and Guest dashboards
Two views of one record. The guest sees what they have done, logs their shifts, and asks for a skill to be checked. The coach signs skills, confirms hours, and prints the record and the statement.
Where the record lives. On this device only, in this browser — the store’s own device, not a phone that goes home. Nothing is sent anywhere. That keeps a young person’s record off the internet, and it means the record is lost if the browser’s data is cleared. So print it or save the file at the end of every week, and keep the signed paper copy as the record that counts.
Use first names only. The full name goes on the printed copy, by hand.