ProsDiscounts, coworkers, engaging work
ConsNo breaks, management, long hours, no hours, agression, favoritism, emotional abuse, verbal abuse
2.0
Cashier/Sales | Columbia, SC | Apr 2, 2021
Only Work Here If You Want to Feel Like an Object
I applied to Victoria's Secret thinking it was just another retail job with mostly the same guidelines. I was horribly wrong. When I first started, it was decent for the type of job it is, however, I quickly learned the true colors of people. Of course, you're going to have customers that are hard to work with, but that was not my issue here (and that's at any job involving sales). The management here is not that great. Neither are the co workers shall I add. The only manager that made me feel like a person was my beauty manager. All of the other managers won't even remember your name, they put on a fake face and act so nice to you, meanwhile, they don't even care about you (all they care about is you do their dirty work). They will push you so hard to sell credit cards to people who have consistently said no. They talk on their walkie talkies to you and tell you you're not doing a good job because you're not selling people useless items so that they make more sales. They will tell you constantly you need to sell this many bras, panties, outfits, etc. Many people you ask will say no, because most customers come in looking for one specific thing. The co workers are disgustingly rude to you as well. I had been taught how to measure and upmost of five different times, and I still had girls come over to me and tell me I'm measuring wrong (when I'm not) and embarrass me in front of customers (and those girls won't even remember your name either). I had one girl come over and take ...more
ProsPay is okay...
ConsOverworking, bad management, mean co workers, you will be asked to do more than you are getting payed to do
2.0
Sales Specialist | Pennsylvania | Feb 13, 2015
Cannot Wait To Leave
Many people, before actually beginning employment, think of working at Victoria's Secret as a glorious, fun, and easy job. Not at all true. Your typical day will mostly depend on your role in the store. Personally, as a sales specialist (one step above a sales associate) I spend the entirety of my shift walking around the sales floor assisting customers. By assisting, I mean shoving my name down every single customer's throat so they will say my name at the register for sales tracking purposes. When I first started with the company, sales tracking didn't exist and you were free to be as genuine with customers as possible. Now, the company expects you to "sell" at minimum 250 dollars per hour. This amount has no "ands, ifs, or buts". I can't keep track of how many days where there was heavy snowfall in my area, which severely affects mall traffic, and I was still berated for not hitting my sales goal with 2 customers per hour and 4 sales associates on the floor. The best is when you are scheduled to stay an hour after the mall closes to clean the store and it counts against your sales goal (because I can sell to the mannequins, right?). The management at my store is a disastrous mess. For being so close with one another you would think they would all be on the same page. Nope, each manager follows their own policies and it gets extremely confusing when you have to base your behaviors off of which manager is there that day. Every time I've approached a manager with a problem (t...more
ProsThe discount, fun customers and product
ConsUnfair sales tracking, disorganized management, rude women
1.0
Cashier/Sales | Brooklyn, NY | Aug 30, 2019
Horrible. very mean and disrespectful management, unrealistic expectations, never satisfied.
I worked at Atlantic mall. you spend most of the day either ringing people up at the registers, folding panties endlessly sometimes by yourself till 2 am, or harassing customers into buying the entire store and hoping to god they remember your name by the time they're at the registers. aside from panty table torture, it's a normal retail job. what makes it horrible is that the managers set ridiculous sales goals for everyone to meet where the only way to actually reach these goals is to either 'cheat' the system or abandon your tasks to shove your name down customers throats all day. you have to sell $100 an hour at the register and the only way EVERYONE achieves this is by giving yourself credit for sales by loophole procedures (told them how a coupon worked? yup i totally sold her the $50 bra) not sure if it was like this for everyone since my managers loved beating me down and singling me out, but they were absolutely never satisfied. hit under the daily goal amount (even by $100) they make you feel like absolute trash. if you meet your goal, they're apathetic towards you and if you exceed your goal on a good day they act suspiciously towards you as if they don't believe you can actually succeed without cheating. no positive reinforcement whatsoever which is very important to me. I have Aspergers and my managers made it very very clear that they couldn't stand me and were impatient with me. they spoke to me through gritted teeth, harsh sarcasm, spoke to me like a child, ...more
Prosfree stuff every month if they actually let you finish training, employee discount if the manager gives the time of day to help ring you up.
Conslittle to no breaks, hard to reach goals, extremely mean/rude cut-throat management. depending on the neighborhood, scammer customers.
3.0
Cash Wrap Lead | New York, NY | Feb 19, 2015
Draining and Unsatisfying
My job at Victoria's Secret was amazing at first, but now not so much. This was the first retailer that I've ever seen care about quality of life. As in no harsh punishments for calling out here and there or having limited availability since we ALL are PART time associates because my managers understood that life happens and things pop up you don't plan for like deaths, seasonal colds, etc. Also being a few minutes late was frowned upon but never something to degrade an associate with. Now my current manager is forcing people to "resign" if their availability doesn't fit her liking. I didn't even know you could do that, especially to a part time associate. We were all about empowering each other, and women. My typical day consisted of trying to give a woman who is insecure about her body a lasting impression with the brand and help at least one person leave my store feeling beautiful and proud of their body no matter the shape or size. The idea was everyone can be sexy! It was cool, you felt good about yourself helping someone plan for a date or just making them feel comfortable with their body with the proper fitting bra. I could show a customer around the whole store and give her great product knowledge and that used to be praised. Now if i did that, i would be reprimanded for not making a sale. Lastly, the coaching between peer to peer despite the level in the company was consistent. It was an open and free place to be yourself and speak your mind. The company has changed ...more
2.0
Sales Manager | Massachusetts | Jul 8, 2022
Corporate level issue, they do not invest in their employees
Hate to say it but my experience as a manager at VS is my least favorite company to work for. They do not give enough hours to run the store accordingly up to standard and meet all sales goals. My cortisol levels are constantly high lol because I am not being set up to succeed and do my role properly solely due to them being cheap. They expect you to do so much constant work in a high volume store with as little support possible in comparison to the responsibilities. They do not properly coach or train anyone and it’s not a manager issue it’s a corporate issue. The managers don’t have time to train or even have associates become familiar with product. It’s really unbelievable because they are such a huge brand and have such high expectations that run down the chain yet do not find the hours to support that! You feel defeated. Meanwhile your not being paid enough to be doing that much work. Instead of coaching in the moment they make sure people use iPads to watch videos and PowerPoints to legit train them how to do their job? They are not going to retain all that information and they just end up asking a manager to come over for help continuously bc they literally know nothing. It’s not like our store has much downtime so investing in some extra coverage would actually give them the results they are seeking. Lastly they focus on things that don’t really matter like weekly modules that nobody reads really and it’s so disorganized because nobody is on the same page or has time ...more
ProsHelping customers, gratis occasionally
ConsNo work life balance, take advantage of employees, unrealistic expectations with not enough support or hours, cheap pay for expensive brand, no commission, lazy communication and training through iPads
3.0
Store Manager | Minnesota | Jul 19, 2021
Overworked, exhausted, intense pressure
I wouldn’t have stayed so long (over a decade) if I didn’t see positives in my career, but the list of negatives came fast and hard in the time after reopening from Covid. The company had no idea which direction they wanted to go and had multiple realignments and layoffs. We were expected to be happy and celebrate with each change...losing peers, losing mentors, and changing districts multiple times in the span of a few months. Promises for advancement are made by multiple people in the organization but never kept because of the constant realignment. Work/life balance is a joke. Working every weekend except one/month and November-December is all blackout, you’re lucky to get two days off in a row. And while “the guidebook” may state that you are “encouraged” to take your weekend off in November, you will be guilted into working or reprimanded for not “working when your business happens.” Well, the business is always “happening,” so maybe don’t tell people they get a weekend off if you don’t expect them to take it. Oh, and that’s only if your store is fully staffed...ha! So, good luck with that. Productivity demands are unrealistic. Thousands (LITERALLY) of panties and hundreds of bras need to be perfectly organized, colorized, and sorted by style & size every single day before you leave. So, good luck leaving on time. And, If you ask for more payroll to support this unrealistic expectation, you’re told to “figure it out” like some of the “top performing” store managers ...more
Prosgreat tools to support you in building your business, hiring support from multiple leaders in a tough talent climate
ConsRead my review. Too many to mention here
5.0
Customer Service/Sales Representative | Aliquippa, PA | Apr 18, 2013
fun working with other people as well as seeing people happy
Receive, store, and issue a variety of merchandise to consumers on a routinely basis. Utilizes issue store documents to select material for shipment. Verify stock numbers, quantity in order to transfer stock to specifically prescribed locations and establish new locations as required. Responsible for performing a combination of company duties such as, receiving, processing, storing and issuing a variety of items and materials. Examined receipts and turn-ins to verify condition status, count and processes prescribed by established procedures. Determined where items should be located within the store to achieve maximum utilization of limited space, full and convenient accessibility for retrieval and protection from deterioration. Responsible for training employees on methods and displayed how to accumulate data for closing procedures. Educated employees on collection procedures concerning materials initiated in training for future employees. Verify payment account and explanation of policy when integrating inconsistencies with the consumer. Responsible for researching problems and/or reviewing issues and requests related to customer service with the customer. Identifying backlogs or major delays and prioritizing work to meet deadlines. Monitor extensively for quality control and assurance that company goals were being maintained daily. Provide production reports to manager on an hourly basis. Assist in multiple projects, performance enhancement with associates and managers. Ass...more
Proshelping people, getting to try on different bras and clothing, and the discounts
Consfloorsets
1.0
Sales Specialist | Waikīkī, HI | Jul 11, 2016
Worst Retail Company EVER
Retail jobs are all pretty much the same. High-volume and fast paced sales. In the first couple weeks of the job, it was great. I was learning a lot and actually really becoming very passionate about what I did to help girls feel beautiful and fit in their bra size. I did notice a lot of passive aggression in the work place. As a new employee I received 0 hands on training. For 4 days I spent 6-8 hours in a cold room with an iPad doing training modules. I was then tossed onto the sales floor after the 4th day. No visual, recovery training whatsoever. All this retailing company cares about is numbers and sales. They emphasize so much about 'Her Bra Journey' when its more like 'How much money can we get her to spend before she reaches the registers'. We also had typical uppermanagement visits where some doofus who doesn't even work in the stores anymore would come and stomp their feet and complain about everything. I had a room full of people shopping that i was helping. My DISTRICT MANAGER, pulled me aside and literally made me fix a messy pile of folds on the far end of the room instead of servicing the shoppers. No one on management is on the same page. They implemented a new closing rule that "No one leaves the store until, everything is 100%" I work in pink which has a lot of detailed and specific fold downs and standards for DIFFERENT pieces of apparel. Anyways theres this dumb standard where you scrunch the sleeves on sweaters but not Half zip or quarter z...more
Prosmonthly gratis
Conspoor management team, inconsistency, just a bad job in general
3.0
Operations Supervisor | Toledo, OH | Nov 26, 2022
Not your typical retail job
I worked at the Franklin Park mall location for two years. Within six months I was promoted, then promoted again eight months later. Very easy to advance in this company as long as you do your job. However, this company puts enormous pressure on its employees when it comes to sales and store performance. Higher-ups are constantly breathing down your neck and visiting the store a couple times a month which causes immense stress within management. This company expects you to break your back in order to make them money and keep their store running, while never giving you enough payroll to hire sufficient staff. Constantly understaffed as everyone we hired quit within a couple weeks due to how intense this job is. This is nothing like what you would expect retail to be, and it quickly consumed my entire life and left me drained and constantly stressed. Always felt like we had a million things to do and we were often working 10-12 hour days just to get everything done. There was also no sense of job security due to the fact that the company would fire anyone that gave them the smallest reason to; watched them fire someone who had worked for them for 17 years, and someone else who worked 50 hour weeks to help us keep the store running over a misunderstanding about whether or not we could use coupons as employees (we were never corrected, they just immediately resorted to termination). Employees do not matter to the company and it felt as if we were VERY replaceable. I was working a...more
2.0
Sales Support Representative | Normandie | Apr 29, 2016
Avoid for your own wellbeing!
The job itself is easy as it included tagging stock , ensuring all stocks out and serving customers however the work environment and management made you feel pretty worthless. During my time at Victorias secret I saw many passionate hardworking staff quit due to feeling unappreciated. The majority of management prioritise getting their bonus and hitting targets over making the staff feel valued and appreciated within their roles. A lot of management also can't seem to support staff when they are upset or ill and have a ' just get back to work we need to hit our targets' attitude as they want to hit targets 24/7. Management also do not seem to be trained in their roles and pass off their jobs to supervisors who will make them look good. Sales support generalists ensured stock was on the floor, served on the till and also sold on the shop floor along with a lot of other things however received no benefits whilst sales girls on the shop floor got commission and management got bonus for pretty much forcing staff to make sales and ' go green' within certain time restraints. Additionally if you worked night shifts they would put you in the next day to work ( work 10pm -7am then potentially put you in for a 6am the day after) and not show any appreciation towards whoever planned / ran the night shift and those who ran around trying to ensure everything was done on it. The company itself comes across as this empowering brand but I couldn't have felt less empowere...more
Pros30% off product, the fab friends i made
Conshaving to be available 24/7, management are unprofessional and patronising, feeling trapped and unappreciated, folding every pant in the store, working hours, no social life, no job progression, forced sales, greedy work environment, SPAH
4.0
Sales Associate | Leeds | Mar 19, 2022
An ok job role
I worked here for around 2 years in Leeds. I started as a temp and eventually became permanent after 2 months. Pros - Everyone was female aged around 17-35 it’s a great place to make new friends and there’s genuinely nice people to work with. Pre Pandemic we used to get Gratis (Free items) every month from full bra sets to perfumes. If you focus on being a seller there is chance for career progression. The majority of being a sales associate is selling on the shop floor, being on the tills, tidying the store, tagging items in the back and stock related jobs in the stockroom. So it’s a fairly easy job. Cons - The management. When writing this I’m aware several of the previous managers have left however some are still at the Leeds store. The managers like to play favourites and the clear miscommunication between management and associates is one of the main reasons I left VS. The brand managers like to give the jobs they are supposed to be doing themselves, for the associates to do and like to hide in their office instead of being on the shop floor. Associates are told we can only bring water upstairs onto the shop floor to drink throughout the shift, whilst they bring in iced lattes and smoothies etc and parade around. The management mainly just care about numbers, they each have their own ‘section’ of the day e.g 2pm-4pm and in that time the associates sales are supposed to surpass the number of sales from the previous year. So the associates put in all the hard work up s...more
ProsGood work colleagues
ConsNight shifts 9pm-6am/10pm-7am
1.0
Sales Assistant | London | Dec 30, 2018
Draining, Robotic, Stressful.
A typical day here involved 'briefs' before each and every shift filled with fake enthusiasm from each and every member of the management team - you have to force yourself to fake smile the entire time. These briefs are to do nothing but force each individual to drive up sales as well as discuss money hungry tactics to beat these targets. Followed by trips down to the sales floor to begin another day of pestering customers to remember what your name is. Management do not care about you as an individual however just see you as a money making machine. At times it also feels like you're back at school. Each person has a file - and they take lateness very seriously - you will receive a file note for even being 1 minute late past your shift. However depending on how much you're liked, these notes will be excused. 3 or more will result in you being dismissed from your job - which you will only know of right before you begin a shift. Doesn't matter if you travel an entire hour to get to work, these people do not care and will tell you before you being your shift that you are fired. Work place culture is very money orientated and those that are celebrated and mentioned are those who have made the most money for the company. The only enjoyable aspect was the generous staff discount of 30% and monthly gratis - The people in general are all miserable and management are the absolute worst. A few think they have authority and love coaching sellers to feel better about themselves -