That evening, Sem opened his laptop and wrote his story. Not as a formal letter, but as a continuation of that moment.
One rainy afternoon, a little girl dropped a jar of appelstroop. It shattered near the bakery section. The nearest employee was unloading a pallet of croissants. Without thinking, Sem knelt down, waved to a passing employee for a "cleanup needed" sign, and carefully guided the crying girl away from the glass. When the store manager, mevrouw De Wit, arrived, the mess was already contained.
He attached his CV—short and honest: no work experience yet, but he added "Jumbo customer since age 5" and "professional apple pie carrier (never dropped one)." sollicitatiebrief jumbo
Three days later, his phone buzzed. "Sem, this is mevrouw De Wit. Can you come in Thursday at 4 PM? Bring your smile. And maybe some extra patience—we’re busy."
He smiled. Then he went to Jumbo to buy a carton of milk. But this time, he walked a little taller past the bakery. That evening, Sem opened his laptop and wrote his story
Every Saturday morning, 17-year-old Sem de Vries walked the same route through Jumbo supermarket in Eindhoven. He’d grab a cart, follow his mother’s list, and quietly observe the chaos behind the cheerful red logo. He watched cashiers who still smiled after four hours of beeping scanners. He saw shelf-stockers who knew exactly where the hagelslag belonged, even with their eyes closed.
"Dear Jumbo team," he wrote. "You probably don’t remember me. I’m the tall boy with the blue backpack who always buys an ice cream at the self-checkout. But today, I helped clean up a jar of appelstroop before anyone slipped. I didn’t do it for a discount. I did it because I see how your team works: fast, friendly, and without drama. I want to be part of that rhythm. I’m available after school and all day Saturday. Give me a broom, a scanner, or a cheese slicer—I’ll learn. I’m Sem, 17, and I live three streets away. My mother says I’m stubborn. I call it dedicated." It shattered near the bakery section
"You’re not on our team," she said, surprised.