Most of the jobs were offering low pay and many had unsociable hours, but the applicants turned up in their thousands.
The 2500 people who yesterday waited up to seven hours to apply for one of 150 jobs at a new South Auckland supermarket showed competition is fierce when options are few and unemployment is high.
The line of Countdown job-seekers extended hundreds of metres around a Manukau warehouse being used as a makeshift interview suite.
At the end was a 15-minute sit-down with one of up to 40 interviewers. At stake were a variety of positions, from "trolley boys" and "checkout chicks" to butchery, delicatessen, produce and managerial roles.
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