sales associate

surveillant de magasin de détail

assistant manager

store manager

couturier

Mark's

This is a long review but it gives you an idea what the experience was like working at the Oakville Place (originally Kerr St) location. 

In theory, Mark’s Warehouse is a great place to work. They promote that inclusivity and diversity is important. In my interview, I mentioned how I value these things and would love to work somewhere where fairness and equality is valued as well, understanding what people’s skills are and how they can improve. Being someone who is incredibly dedicated and an experienced individual with a strong background in management. I joined Mark's Warehouse with 5-6 years of management experience under my belt, ready to take on a shift leader role. Unfortunately, my experience at the company was far from ideal.

From the start, I faced a lack of appropriate training due to the opening of a new location. This lack of guidance made it challenging for me to excel in my role. To make matters worse, it seemed like certain individuals with more experience were being favored by management, leaving those with less experience feeling neglected.

Communication from management was lacking, with no feedback or guidance given to help myself and others improve in their role. Additionally, the strict restrictions on talking with coworkers hindered the formation of healthy relationships within the team.

During the preparation of the new store, I was faced with hostility/harassment from the visual merchandisers when I was simply trying to help my coworkers with certain tasks. Despite speaking up,  explaining my actions, I was still seen as "difficult" by my manager, which was unfair and unwarranted. I even went as far to mention my disability (Autism) to better explain my behaviour and that sometimes I am seen as difficult due to my personality and disability which masks very well under pressure. I was under the impression that I would be given more time to do better in my role as my manager said she’d give me another month before another assessment was done.  

It was one week before I was let go for “no reason” and told “we don’t think you will grow here” despite doing an excellent job there even though I got no training. Now it seems like discrimination as the people who were hostile to me were never spoken to and I was still reprimanded. This lack of understanding and support is incredibly frustrating.

To be let go without any training in my role and without any explanation, it raises concerns about the company's intentions in hiring and letting go of employees. A company cannot reprimand employees with little knowledge if there is no training provided. That is their fault, not the employees. 

I wasn’t the only one who faced discrimination in the workplace. Several of my coworkers were told they could not speak in their own language which goes against the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well, the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). This means that as long as the employees can do their job and it does not hinder responsibilities as well, does not get in the way of customer relations it is not illegal to speak in your own native tongue in the workplace. In fact, Mark’s E Learning program (which does not count as in store training) boasts about how important Immigration is to Canada and that they “value” inclusion and diversity; this was not the case in store. 

Overall, my experience at Mark's Warehouse was disappointing and left me feeling undervalued and unsupported. It's clear that there are significant areas for improvement within the company, particularly in terms of training, communication, and fairness.

Work somewhere else that doesn’t give false promises and hope of a better and understanding workplace! 

Working at Mark's is decent. There are few physically demanding tasks and few chances of getting bored because there is always something to keep you busy. The management I have worked with has been good. Supervisors were easy to get along with and made the experience pleasant each day. I love all my co-workers; they are all wonderful people and really make you feel like you're an important part of the team. I'm sure I'll keep in touch with them once its time to leave the position. The manager at my location was very accommodating but he is so stressed and busy that he sometimes forgets what days you wanted off and will schedule you in by mistake. With that said, when he makes a mistake, he never demands you work if you're unable to and will always try his best to find someone to replace you. There are also quite a few downsides to the position. First, there are few hours to go around because the company is ALWAYS hiring new people so those who work there already get few hours and sometimes, you can go weeks on end without getting a shift. Also, there is very little chance to advance in this company. The last thing I'd like to comment on is with respect to the retail aspect of the job, which is often very stressful and emotionally demanding. Some customers will test your patience the moment they walk through the door. They'll leave a huge mess on the floor and in the changing rooms and expect you to be happy for it cause you're getting paid to be their slave, after all. There are also many customers (usually women) who are extremely picky and will sometimes have fits if an item does not come in their size or if the products available are not to their liking. Having said that, there are also customers who are a pleasure to serve and will leave you smiling after they leave. Overall, this is a good, temporary job for students who want to make money during their studies, but there are much better positions out there for older individuals who are looking to create a career for themselves.

A typical day at work here at MWW involves cleaning up my Industrial department and serving customers. On busy days, some tasks will have to be put on hold in favor of customer service. The job is great, though it is difficult to ask for a raise. 
My department managers are really good and very understanding, as they are on the floor with the sales associates so they know what's going on at all times. The most difficult aspect of the job would be pleasing customers- the Inventory Lookup system is often very inaccurate because Mark's is often a target for thefts. Due to this setup, and the fact that Mark's does inventory only once a year, the Inventory lookup system will say that a certain store will have a large number of a certain item when in fact, it does not. This would often irritate the sales associate on the other side as they do not think that the store being called is searching thoroughly enough. Another thing is employees are often not made aware of recalls, so these associates very often have no clue why a certain item has disappeared for a long time. Certain customers are also very difficult to please and would blow off steam on the sales associate.
The most enjoyable part of the job is meeting genuine people who I would frequently have long conversations with, ranging from topics about food, life, and their jobs. I have met some of the most interesting people I never thought I'd ever meet- from a Mexican pilot to a guy who accidentally stabbed himself in the abdomen with a welding torch, the amount of interesting individuals that go through the doors of MWW is never ending. My favorite thing about MWW though, is that it's a small store. By that, I mean that it's not like a large department store where everyone would be strangers even after a year of working there. The associates know and understand each other- like a little big family. As much as I dislike some aspects of the job, my little big family at Mark's makes my day a lot more bearable, even on my worst days.

The job started of great. Now it's like the entire stores capability of running is on my shoulders. It's constantly get MasterCard. Get donations. Get emails. Watch people to make sure they're not shoplifting, like. Stare at everyone's shoes when they walk in and leave.  Mark down how many emails you get, how many opt in for marketing. If you don't do good at these tasks youre shamed as they put this info in a weekly communication. Pressure is put on you to get TMCs when keyholders and management are "too uncomfortable" to do it themselves. The only incentive is $20 if you manage to get them to sign up and use it withing 30 days but everyone who shops at marks has shopped there for years and already has it or doesn't want it. Management makes passive aggressive remarks and leaves passive aggressive notes about these goals and they will stand near the cash pretending to do something while eavesdropping. I was basically in charge of TMC without the title and raise (someone else was given that and I've never once saw them talk about the MasterCard) 

Not to mention each customer has to go through 5 min or rigorous questioning starting off normal with "did you find what you were looking for today" 
Then "reinforcing the sale" that item has *insert feature* so it's a great choice 
Would you like to help get kids into sport who can't afford it? 
Do you have a CT money card? 
If yes: are you enjoying the benefits? Such as *insert benefits* you could get *insert MasterCard* benefits if you upgrade to the TMC
If no: if you got the CT points card you could collect at *insert stores* I can scan that for you and you can sign up at *website* and you can also upgrade to the TMC to get *insert benefits* 
FINALLY have customer pay and then badger them for their email then circle the amount of CT money they earned (if applicable) and bug them about the MasterCard AGAIN. 


I was a seasonal hire originally and rehired after my contract was done. I immediately had a great connection with my management team and co workers, they are all hard working individuals who genuinely care about the work they produce and helping customers. I have always been a hardworking person and if this job has taught me anything it is that your hard work may not always be brought up and you may not get a gold star but people do notice and appreciate the work you put in and customers especially can tell when you slack off. A typical day at work for me is always busy, I am constantly thinking of new ways to get stock on the floor in a way that will be attractive to customers and keep up with the image and quality our brands are committed to. There is a lot of heavy lifting and hard work that goes into my job, as well as dealing with tight schedules and having good time management. The hardest part of my job is the amount of duties and responsibility that I have in comparison to my previous position there, myself and another co-worker are in charge of half of the store and it's very difficult at times especially when it is busy to reach every single person due to the layout of our store. The most enjoyable part of my job is being able to help customers first hand in the decision making process, and with the more information I learn and pick up from others the more confident I am when answering specific questions, just to know that I can help a person pick the right pair of boots by asking a few questions about themselves and narrowing it down to what they really need is very rewarding.

I worked at Mark's for two years. Because of the generally older demographic that shops there, customer service is stressed constantly by management - which really helped make me the great salesman I am today. 

Though it builds a lot of skill, there's certainly a ton of work that needs to be done to maintain a store that's 12,000+ sq ft with a small team. At times I felt I was being a little bit underpaid, and only ever got a 25 cent raise for my efforts. 

Management at the Oshawa Centre store is incredible. I was rewarded multiple times for my efforts straight from the manager's pocket, via gift cards etc. Management at the North Oshawa store was just ok though. They have a 'holier than thou' attitude at that store, and expect employees to go way way way to far above for no reward. I was once asked to stay a half hour later to clean, only to figure out on my next pay check I wasn't even paid for it. I've had to wait around for 20 minutes past the end of my shift while the manager zipped up jackets and demanded we clean the store to perfection before leaving, which I once again was not compensated for. 

Overall it's a good place to work. They will work you to the bone, and as states above, have very very high expectations for customer service. Don't really expect any advancement in the company. In my two years I saw one person get promoted from within, and I myself, despite constantly being a top performer, was never promoted to shift leader. 


Side notes: the discount is 40% and you have a cap of about $1500, which friends and family
can use as well. They're service rating system 'J-Score' is mathematically incorrect, (a 5-star and a 3-star gives the store a rating of 2-star instead of 4-star) which always bugged me.

I worked as Sales Person in Saskatoon.The level of favouritism and discrimination at this particular store was off the chain.It was so bold that anyone could see it.I am still considering filing a formal complaint against the company,that way even if i loose the case, at least it will go on file that someone brought the issue to light.
  The pay was close to minimum wage.The company decided to only pay sales bonus to the management team while the sales people worked for minimum wage and nothing more.It was so hilarious when managers would go around trying to push employees to push sales so they can reap the bonus.I mean,who in their right mind would work so hard so someone else can reap the benefits?A poor decision on the part of the company.
 After working hard for the company for years,i realised there was no reward or incentive to keep being the best employee.So i did what i had watched other previous employees do before they quit. I started arriving late regularly and literally doing very little during my shift.No folding clothes,no cleaning,just walking around.This specific manager transformed me from being the best employee to being the worst.She sure worked hard to bring the worst out of me. lol. I would recommend this specific store to anyone who is lazy.There were lazy employees who everyone complained of but they kept on getting promotions because of favouritism then there were hard working employees like me who upon realising that there was no reward for their hard work, intentionally became lazy but we still got  away with it.Overall A good place to unleash your laziness.

I really enjoyed working at marks. It was an easy job, I liked enough of my coworkers to have a good time and there weren’t any big surprises, work was consistent but obviously busier near Christmas.
****BUT*****
I worked there for a couple years, and I did everything that was ever asked of me. I picked up multiple shifts a week at times because coworkers constantly had “Doctor appointments” 🙄. After a year I asked for a raise, with my work ethic, I’d never been turned down before, and was often offered a raise before I had to ask. They turned me down on the spot because “corporate wouldn’t allow it”. I spent the next year openly asking for, and talking about my need for, more shifts. The problem was that if I had a full work week then there wouldn’t be anyone to take the many shifts that other people missed. So instead of being rewarded for my commitment, I was taken advantage of. After I came to terms with the situation, I made it clear that I would be leaving the company. I gave no specific date, but just a heads up so they weren’t surprised when I gave them two weeks notice. This stood out enough that they offered me a promotion. Brilliant. I was pretty happy about that but I had two important questions. I asked how many hours I would get, and how much of a raise. I would still get *under 30 hours* a week, and a raise of *20 cents* an hour (and that’s 20 cents over minimum wage), in exchange for a very significant change to my workload. I asked if I could get a slightly larger raise, or even a full time position. I was turned down. I used my lunch break to write my letter of resignation. If you want a good job, an easy job, go to Marks. If you want to make enough money to live on, avoid it like the plague.

At Mark’s, I was always encouraged to put my best foot forward. Albeit bearing a casual atmosphere, hard work and dedication were always greatly valued. Furthermore, Mark’s was a friendly and open environment that was focused on making all individuals on the premises feel heard and appreciated. As a sales associate at Mark’s, you are expected to keep the premises clean, tidy, and presentable for the customers while making an effort to hit daily sales targets. Although sales targets were important, our managers always emphasized the value of making customer service a priority. Similarly, at Mark’s, it was greatly encouraged to let excellent customer service do the selling. This being said, I quickly learned the value of interpersonal relationships in sales. I also learned the value of selling people products that they believed in; people do not buy products they do not need and do not believe in. These valuable lessons were learned due to the excellent management at Mark’s. The managers at Mark’s frequently led by example and were very approachable if you had questions. During my short time at Mark’s, my managers taught me various sales tactics and encouraged me to pursue my passions, even if those passions were not work related. The managers at Mark’s frequently led by example, and were not only excellent people, but excellent employees themselves. Similarly, this meant that scheduling conflicts seldom occurred, and if they did, they were dealt with promptly. Management was also quick to deal with other forms of conflict promptly and professionally. Ultimately, my time spent at Mark’s was both productive and enjoyable.

Overall it is not the worst, but it could definitely be a lot better. The work is what you would expect of retail but in recent years they are adding more micromanaging policies and it is infuriating. 

Biggest complaint is pay, this company will only give you a raise if minimum wage goes up, you get nothing else no matter how hard you work. If minimum wage goes up more than a dollar, they will give you a small raise a few months beforehand and then when the minimum wage increases, your raise is completely overwritten, wages do not correlate with minimum wage at all.

Management is also a mess at this company, any communication between upper management and store level is about as efficient as trying to cut bread with a wooden spoon. It is absolutely atrocious.

Formal training is also a problem, the formal training barely covers actual ways to help with sales or product knowledge, most of the time you have to look at the product yourself and just try to wing it.

While most of what I have been writing is quite negative, there are a few positives to the company. The benefits are alright, especially as you can get them part time. As well as the hours can be quite flexible if you give proper notice so that is nice as well. Finally, the discount is quite nice because it makes things at the store actually affordable.

Overall I would recommend working here as a sales associate if you need a little extra money and are in school, or if you are usually a stay at home wife or husband and want to get a hobby. Besides that I would say find somewhere else to work. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Sales associate 11 salaries reported	$16.38 per hour
Surveillant de magasin de détail 21 salaries reported	$22.39 per hour
Assistant manager 7 salaries reported	$44,829 per year
Store manager 6 salaries reported	$60,333 per year
Couturier 10 salaries reported	$20.75 per hour

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