assistant de gestion

assistant aux ventes

assistant manager

sales associate

sales specialist

Bouclair

I worked at Bouclair for 3 years and there were many ups and downs. Typically a day would be filled with merchandising, completing tasking, building furniture,  signage, stocking shelves, unloading truck, cleaning, pretty much anything but customer focus.
A typical day is usually all or nothing - youre either doing a million things being pulled in a hundred directions, or standing around bored out of your mind.
While the company expected us to hit unattainable sales goals, they also expected us to complete mass amounts of tasking with no extra man power. In my experience, stores either kept on top of tasking with the sales lacking, or fell way behind on tasking (which didn't even always improve sales because of low traffic.)
I found my team to be extremely over-worked, being expected to complete more than possible in a shift, which created a high stress environment. we were also quite understaffed - but didnt have the bodies or hour distribution to satisfy.
While i did decide to ultimately leave Bouclair as a result of this as well as a new opportunity, it was a very hard decision to make as the team was very small and very close. The people that I worked with became like family to me in the time I was there. 
I also did enjoy completing tasking, merchandising projects and what not - but the mentality of the company put so much weight on these tasks that it almost made you want to avoid customers to complete other things.
I found the communication from head office to be very one sided. While the company was small enough to hear back from head office within a few hours, they would often respond slowly to issues. It seemed as though many changes (new sales, projects, etc.) came to store level half-baked, which caused company wide confusion, added stress and pressure, and an IMMENSE amount of wasted time, when a project would inevitably have to be redone. 
Overall though, the atmosphere that my team created made the job enjoyable for me, and if you are looking to get into some form of decorating or merchandising, this job is useful as when you are on such a small team, you need to become a jack of all trades. I found this job to bode well on a resume when I included all the tasks that I was trained to complete. 

This job was also fantastic for working part-time. The manager was flexible with hours and understanding about a work/school/life relationship.

-Schedules come out a day or two before the week starts
-No consideration for time off (Worked there for one year, never requested any time off. Requested 3 days off for a camping trip and was told it was no problem to have it off, and only two weeks later my manager told me she changed her mind because it was their "friends and family sale" that week after I've already made set plans
-Gives little to no hours (I wanted only 15 and they gave me 8 hours per week...)
-Manager calls everyone "Hun" 
-Manager talks down on you as if you don't know what you're doing when you've worked there longer than her
-District manager walks in wearing all of her expensive brand name clothes nitpicking every tiny little detail, belittling all associates and managers, without recognizing the good we are doing.
-Manager constantly tells employees to TELL customers they need to give us their emails, rather than asking politely. And to badger them even when they say no.
-Tells associates there are no hours to give, then hires two or more sales associates. 
-Promises more hours in upcoming weeks so associates/key holders don't quit, then doesn't follow through and comes up with excuses. 
-Managers think store associates who work a minimum of five hours a week are going to give their ALL to a company who doesn't care about them. 
-Furniture is horrible quality, almost all of it is returned. Made poorly and cheap. 
-Only good part about the job was helping customers design their bedrooms as I am passionate about interior design, and working with other sales associates until they too quit due to management/lack of hours.

The enjoyment of working at Bouclair, like all other retail stores, is primarily dependant on the type of people you are working with. At store level, going through a typical day means working with 2 or 3 other employees, at least one being a manager or keyholder, and sometimes a visual merchandiser. As an employee, it is our job to make the store look neat and presentable, following a visual guide given by head office and rearranging the store in any way that is asked. Also, on shipment days, all the product need to unpacked, built (if needed, ie. tables, ottomans, lamps, etc.), and incorporated into the different sections of the store. This can be fun, but tiring by the end of the day. 
Most importantly though, is customer service. Making sure to greet every customer with a hello and smile, asking if you can help them find anything and just be approachable and open if a customer does have a question is very highly emphasized by Bouclair management. Obviously, there is a range of clientele coming to Bouclair from people who have just bought their first house, to people who need to find something to compliment what they already have, to finding gifts for a special occasion, to being an interior designer. There is a huge range of needs and therefore as an employee, you have to be open to a huge range of customers. 
Like any retail job, it really depends on the day!

The job itself is good, and the work can be enjoyable. However, the management at the Barrie location makes the environment very difficult to work in. Employees are not given proper training, yet are often met with passive-aggressive behaviour, condescending tones, and dismissive attitudes when asking questions. Instead of feeling supported while learning, employees are made to feel uncomfortable or spoken down to for simply trying to do their job correctly.

The area manager in particular creates a very uncomfortable work environment, which negatively impacts employee morale and overall performance. While KPIs and performance metrics may still be met, they could be significantly better if employees felt comfortable coming to work each day instead of constantly feeling on edge or worried about when management may become confrontational.

There also appears to be a lack of communication between the operations manager and store manager, which creates confusion and inconsistency within the workplace. I also believe that for the amount of effort employees put into assisting customers and driving sales, there should be some form of commission, incentive, or recognition for strong performance.

Overall, the role itself has potential, but the management style and workplace culture make it hard to stay long term.


I worked there for 6 months, I was a store coordinator and never felt useful. I was only ever given small tasks such as watching door or doing cash. Every one else on the management team had a certain area that was “theirs” even though the management wanted everyone to be an expert in each area. 
I was moving to another city and asked to be transferred at the store closer to me. At the time of asking they had an opening for my current position, when I asked the DSM I was told we would talk about it. This is the same answer I got for 3 months anytime I asked. Christmas Eve
(day we closed because of the lockdown) I told them to call me when things open back up. The DSM told me to call in the new year to talk about a transfer, I called but never got a call back. I ended up messaging the manager to ask when I’m expected back, which resulted in a video call from the DSM at which point I was informed that I’m not fully trained so they don’t feel I’m ready for a bigger store, so I would not be able to transfer. I should have been told that when I asked the first time for a transfer so I could have finished my training. 
Feels like the new management is pushing out old staff to start new, and they all seem to know the DSM.  
Also they have an unsafe truck door, you have to press the button to open and wiggle the wire till it opens.

Little pay considering all the tasks and special "positions" we were given. Management had no respect for our scheduling requests and would have biases towards who got what shift, and how many hours we received. Management had many petty actions, such as giving employees no hours or telling them to leave right away once they handed in their two weeks. They also harassed and constantly contacted employees who were leaving or asking for fewer hours, despite them firmly stating that they were not changing their minds. Management also would bend over backwards to help disgruntled customers, but in ways that changes rules and made it look like the sales associates were making unfair choices or mistakes. When in reality, management was authorizing actions that sales associates were forbidden to do, and were under the impression that management could not do so either. Expected me to train new management when I only was a sales associate, and called me to tell me off for taking too much time off, when they had approved it months ago. Had clear signs of favouritism, and would overwork certain employees who spoke up about wanting fewer hours (39 a week when part-time, and those who wanted more were not receiving them.

The work atmosphere is very friendly, and collaborative. People truly are working together for a shared goal. There is no toxic work environment between co-workers, which was a refreshing aspect of this job. A  typical day was attempting to work towards a shared goal, which even the associates were able to benefit from. This meant the staff was more motivated in completing said task. The most difficult aspect was the amount of work that was required outside of the assigned hours. The interviews/job description was not forth coming about the work, which with the added work meant that the $$ was not fair in comparison to what was being asked. The policies were extremely outdated which meant management was able to make up a lot if they decided too, which was also meant job security was not something you are able to feel. It's truly up to the management team that you get. There is no room for your own ideas, it is their way or highway. If you are looking for something temporary, and to just earn a few dollars this won't stress you out, and is easy to do then it's perfect for you.

I worked at Bouclair in the winter and summer of 2021. I did very well as a "style advisor" and mostly helped with the renovation of the store into its new concept. I had to move a lot of heavy stuff because I was a guy and wish I had a good pair of gloves to work with everyday. There werent and i usually had to go barehand or use some that were worn. This was also during covid and the sub contractors were not great at wearing masks. I was eventually asked to move to operations coordinator as i spent time both on the floor and in the back doing "truck". I assumed the role for a couple of weeks but the manager informed me that I wouldnt be getting paid for it until a later date. The date kept getting pushed back and I was working in a new role I signed a contract for that I was never compensated for as a result. It wasn't much but it probably amounted to $300-$500. Aside from that, the ladders in the back were not always the sturdiest and we had to go up pretty high distances to get stuff, which wasn't always safe but we did our best by having spotters. All in all, it's great if youre young and desperate for money, otherwise i would avoid. Nothing against staff or management, they were generally friendly and supportive.

Was pretty cool for the first few months. Enjoyed helping customers and building furniture but slowly noticed that our work went unnoticed. We would destroy our backs every week lifting up heavy furniture to put it on display all the way up on the wall, then the next week they would tell us to take it down and put it on the other side and it had to be done quick. Same thing went for the gondolas and shelf heights. We had to redo a section every week. They push employee to do sales and dont get comission for it making a competitive environment without reward. If you`re a male they leave all the work for you and ask you to throw out the garbage then when you`re low on sales they reprimand you for it but forget that you spent an hour and a half putting away furniture from the shipment and taking out the garbage. Right around the end of my expericence there they decided to cut one of the 15 minute breaks employees got when working 8 hour shifts. ( two 15 minute breaks and one 30 min lunch). They wanted employees to take a 45min lunch/break and that was all.

I left a large corporation that every decision has to be debated by a table of 20 people, and was looking for a company that values individual contribution, business acumen, gives you purpose and supports every great idea you have.

I am super happy to have been able to contribute to the growth of the business while working with an empowering leadership that recognizes and rewards you for helping this fast-paced and growing brand to be different, cool and focused.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Assistant de gestion 17 salaries reported	$20.68 per hour
Assistant aux ventes 5 salaries reported	$17.68 per hour
Assistant manager 5 salaries reported	$22.30 per hour
Sales associate 10 salaries reported	$17.88 per hour
Sales specialist 7 salaries reported	$18.63 per hour

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