New management changed everything-Fairview Pointe-Claire, QC
Bath&Body Works used to be a great company that, although asked a lot from their associates, always showed appreciation for their hard work. They used to set realistic sales and merchandising goals, as well as manage the staff in a fair and positive way.
Ever since the change in management at the Fairview Pointe-Claire store about a year ago, the environment has completely changed. More than 20 core associates(this does not include seasonal associates) quit during the months following the management change.
The new manager would:
- not praise the associates for any of their hard work
- speak poorly about associates to other associates (and sometimes in front of them)
- not guarantee a break for associates during long floor set shifts
- post the schedule extremely last minute
- force associates to stay late at work against their will, even when they have school early the next morning
- schedule "good" associates way over their maximum hours, and give the associates she doesn't like close to no hours at all
- show up late (sometimes hours late) to nearly every shift, and give verbal warnings when associates were minutes late without giving notice
- pick favourites and treat each associate differently, very unequal
- micromanage the other management members(assistant managers, key holders) and hold them accountable when they simply would not have enough time to complete tasks that are outside of their job title
- find something "wrong" with every associate and
ProsLots of teamwork between associates, good insurance benefits for assistant and store managers
ConsToo much is expected from associates, late schedule with errors, no positivity from management
It was a great job for a while, but after a while it started going downhill. Management doesn't get along well with most associates and could be very rude and mean. Some girls were brought to shock or tears by what was said. Some practices were questionable, such as a diabetic associate not being able to eat when she needed. It's always about meeting goals, not the customers; they're just a sale, not people. The pay was excellent, but most of the year hours were pitiful. After being there a year and a half, I ended up with only one shift a month. Not a lot of flexibility with schedules. You hours will be based on your performance, which is hard when you only work 3 hours every two weeks at the beginning of the year.
Our store was ridiculously overstaffed. As of now we have 32 people on staff. Almost all seasonal people were kept, which was very unfair for the year-round associates. I was very good at what I did, but it's almost as though they were replacing all the old associates with new ones. Hard to pay the bills on this. On-calls were awful because many times you don't have enough notice if you have other plans or transportation issues.
As for our waste policy, everything was thrown in the garbage. Nothing was recycled, and we went through a stupid amount of plastic containers. Staff weren't allowed to take anything that was going to be thrown in the trash to save on waste. Very frustrating and horrible for the environment. Even tester products that were barely touc
A fun and rewarding retail experience. However, make sure that it's what you truly want before committing to a managerial role.
A fun and fast paced work environment. Very easy to make friends and everyone is very welcoming and supportive. The company is very generous with wages/salary and is a very inclusive work culture. My experience allowed me to learn so much and deepen my understanding of retail management and recruiting which is invaluable. They strongly support learning and upward movement within the company at every opportunity. However, at times this can be a detriment, especially for any members of the management team. In my experience, I've known a few employees to receive a lot of pressure to move up into another role and remain with the company, despite vocalizing differing desires/plans in their life or their future career prospects. If you have a strong desire to become a key holder, supervisor, assistant manager or store manager and you have the skills and knowledge to get there, they will support and encourage you all the way. But be aware that if you decide you want to remain in your role/job title and not advance upward, you may find yourself be in a position where you'll need to move up or move on.
ProsCompetitive salary and wages, Benefits are well rounded and inexpensive, Lots of opportunity for growth and work culture is geared toward learning and upward mobility, Perfomance bonuses for store management staff, Incentives and contests are frequent, Tester products and gifts from the company are always being given out.
ConsDifficult to get weekends and holidays off, Work schedules are rigid, restock done late after hours, Upper Mgmt can pressure employees to move up/stay with company despite intentions/desire of employee, Store Mgmt team members tend to be removed without suitable cause when they decide not to move up.
I loved working here and I think I learned a LOT of skills about customer satisfaction and being able to tailor assistance to varying customers needs. The free stuff was GREAT (and I miss it) and the discount was good; for every new product release we would get a baggy with a full size hand soap, full size lotion, and some other small sized products. The dress code wasn’t bad (dark blue non-ripped pants and a white top). However, a growing issue for me was the pressure of sales from management. I started working full time on my gap year and I got hired in October. So Oct-Jan is the busiest time and meeting daily sales goals and hourly goals was a breeze. After that however, management started pushing sales HARD. They train you to not turn away from customers. If you approach a customer and they walk away they do role plays to show you exactly how to continue engaging in conversation (which is SO annoying for both the employees and the customer, and the customers get annoying, rightfully so). It’s not like you can walk away from them and say let me know if you need anything because management has an SLT on the floor to watch for that stuff. I, on several occasions where I chose to ignore this procedure and let the customer move on, would have the SLT come up to me and say “you just lost that sale” and they would re explain how to not leave them alone. I did love this job but it got wayyyy too much for my comfort level at some points. Also they had way too many on-call shifts.
When I first got hired at Bath & Body Works, the energy and pace of a typical day was exciting, and the management seemed to have a full handle of things. However, this RAPIDLY deteriorated. Soon, I was getting fewer and fewer shifts, and all of my shifts I were getting were 3 hours, once a week. This slightly gets better when during our busiest times of years, aka our Semi-Annual sales, but if you weren't the favourite associate of the week, then you wouldn't get a shift. Couple that with the fact that we were CONSTANTLY hiring, makes the few hours they have to give being split up between 40 + employees. Management was also particularly bad in my location, as I routinely encountered management refusing to accept being sick as a valid excuse to miss out on work, during the highest points of the COVID-19 pandemic. Management also particularly liked to bad-mouth associates who called in sick, as I personally witnessed both managers complain loudly (and very publicly) about a coworker who had a stomach flu. I believe the words "If you wouldn't drink so much, maybe you could show up to work" were used. They would also give you 3 hour shifts, then complain when people would prioritize other jobs rather than Bath and Body. Pay is pretty good for sale associates; they start you off a dollar above minimum wage, then give you a $.30 or so increase each year you work following a performance review. $1 raise around the Winter months, which sometimes they keep permanently. I understand
Coming from a neutral stand pint the Kamloops location is by far the worst I’ve worked at. You catch on very quickly that there are cliques everywhere you turn, it always appears no matter how hard you work it’ll never be good enough for management. You can work yourself to the bone but never receive enough appraisal regarding a job well done. I there’s people who will appear to be your friend but will always talk poorly behind your back, hours are non existent as an associate but store manager always states “there’s more hours coming just wait until we get out of (insert season here)” but the hours never seem to increase. Also informed “hours are determined by email capture” if you are the top in your emails or sales they will never schedule you despite that’s what increases hours. We’ve tried to work as hard as we can but it seems the only people who get hours more regularly are the associates who are closest with management I haven’t been scheduled in weeks I was basically a filler position for them to not have to hire an extra body as they will never have the hours to justify the staff they keep on their team. If you are thinking about working here I would highly recommend reconsidering unless you can live off of one 3 hour shift a month. It be lost just goes on and on everyone becomes hostile the second their job title is threatened it’s cut throat and catty and extremely draining on your mental health. the job is equivalent to walking on eggshells constantly do not reco
During a typical day of work, I would enter the back room of the store and get dressed in my apron, nametag, and two-way portable radio transceiver (walkie-talkie). I would then clock in for my shift through the store's main computer system and meet with my supervisor before beginning to work on the sales floor. While working on the sales floor, I would greet customers who had just walked in to the store and showcasing the latest products coming in for the season and ask if there is a particular scent they are looking for. I would help them experiment with different scents of soaps and lotions before making a final sale. I would never be given shifts longer than 5 hours, therefore breaks were never required. I was, however given breaks during floor set shifts where I would come to the workplace, clean off the sales stands and prepare the stands with the new scents.
I enjoyed working on the sales floor, sharing my knowledge of the product, and working both individually and as an active team member.
I learned that becoming a part of the workplace requires a great deal of professionalism when approaching both customers and company management.
The management was very friendly but were very firm with informing us how determined we must be on identifying and satisfying any customers' preferences or needs.
The most difficult part of the job was being able to learn how to approach customers the way the company trained the workers to and understanding how to promote the product
Stressful and toxic workplace with poor management.
Overall I would never recommend this job to anyone. The turnover for managers at all locations is extremely high, as they are all not great at their jobs. The workplace seems okay at first and then it just gradually becomes more and more toxic and eventually becomes unbearable. The favouritism from managers basically determines if you get hours that week. I would have 30 hours one week and 3 the next. It’s extremely inconsistent in all aspects. If you want to be pushed around and yelled at for not constantly harassing customers then this job is perfect for you. If you can’t force someone to buy something, it’s entirely your fault and they make sure you know that. This job is literally retail and they treat it like the olympics and it’s so exhausting working with managers that cause this much stress and worry. I used to like this job, then the management changed, and now I dread going to work each and every time i’m scheduled. The managers are not flexible with scheduling whatsoever as they scheduled me all 3 days I had finals because they needed me there specifically, although I gave advance that I needed them off. They care about their conversion more than their staffs well-being. So basically do not work here it’s extremely detrimental to your mental health, and the discount is nowhere near worth it. Most of the daily sales are better than the 30% off discount so it’s a waste of time working for this cheap company.
Nurturing environment for me to grow and develop skills I already have and learned from the job.
Every shift would start off with an assistant manager or store manager filling me in on the sales, deals, and goals of the day. When specific tasks needed to be done, I was informed early on, and given a time frame to which was preferred I would get it done. All the while assisting customers, and backing up on cash and selling on sales floor. I did most of the back room, stock, and merchandising as I enjoyed and quickly grew familiar with organizing the products and displaying them following plans accordingly. The co-workers were the highlight of my experience, everyone was friendly and the managers were understanding and pointed out what could be done better or what you have been doing greatly in efficiently. The most enjoyable part of the job for me were the floor sets. I'm more on the detail-oriented side when it comes to projects, and during floorsets when the store would change for sales, seasons, or just for a fresh new look, I got to practice that and it gave me some room to be creative as well. The job got me to always be busy, and I prefer it that way as I like fast-paced environments, working with my hands, and helping customers. As much as I learned a lot from the job, the people and the environment helped me nurture my skills more and to practice them which I appreciated.
ProsGratis from new products, flexible on my schedule
Consstress on SPAH goal, competitive, missing or late products/plexis
What is the best part of working at the company?
The job perks and the dress code are the nicest thing in this company. In addition, you get amazing discounts on all items in the store including Victoria's Secret. Their are also times where you are given gratis and bonus incentives by the SLTs members.
What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part of the job are the hours that you are given. It can range anywhere from 45 hours per week to an absolute zero. Their have been many times where the managers suddenly stop giving you hours without a justifiable cause. They even recommended you get a second job. They aren't accommodating or respecting of your schedule so prepare to get the hours you never requested.
What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
This all depends at what location you chose to work at. Based on personal experience, the people that I worked with are generally nice. However, I occasionally had to interact with the 40-year-old women who peaked in high school. They would go on power trips and constantly paint themselves as figures that deserve to be worshipped and respected.
What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I had a wide range of tasks to complete and things to do as a sales associate. It mainly consisted of being the cashier and filling and facing the products.
5.0
Customer Service Associate / Cashier | Fort Wayne, IN | Dec 6, 2018
if you already love the products, you will love working here
I am a seasonal associate hired in Oct. 2018. I have been shopping at BBW for years and know the products fairly well. The manager made the interview very comfortable. We shared the same passion for the products BBW creates and a passion for customer service. I was hired on the spot and started at $11.00 per hour, which is a standard hourly rate for seasonal employees. The one thing that the manager did tell me during one of my visits to the store, before I applied, was that they were having a hard time keeping employees and that people just didn't show up for their shifts or they quit. The corporate office raised the hourly rate to $11.00 per hour, in an attempt to keep trained employees interested in working. After having worked at BBW for a couple of months, I now understand why the turnover, regardless of pay. It can be a very physically challenging job. BBW moves more inventory than I ever imagined. That inventory is moved by the employees, seasonal as well as permanent. There are no "men" on staff specifically assigned to move the endless boxes of inventory. And, since BBW employees are mainly women (not by design by any means), women are doing the heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, reaching, climbing, etc. Large shipments are dropped off and it is up to the employees to find a home for them, which is quite challenging, as many of the boxes are stored high on shelves and piled box on top of box. If you have any disabilities or are an older employee, be sure to
Bath and Body Works is a good place to work as an associate, but not as a management member. As an associate, hours vary constantly and it can often be frustrating to only have a week of call-in shifts and no actual shifts on the schedule. There is ALWAYS something to do, be it straightening, stocking, or the like. Management, do NOT expect to actually get a 30 minute break if you work an 8+ hour shift. Chances are that you'll be too busy moving around to Floorsets occur once, sometimes twice a month. Changes to the store happen near-nightly---marketing must be pulled and changed almost every night. Sales change constantly, so if an associate does not work for three or four days, chances are that they will not be aware of the current sales. It is VITAL that associates and managers alike maintain awareness of what is occurring in the store. Likewise, a closing shift will almost always end after the scheduled time, so do not expect to get out at 10 if you're scheduled to close. It'll usually come closer to 10:30, sometimes up to midnight or later if working during the holiday shift. Managers and associates alike can expect a scheduled 8 hour shift during holiday season but can end up working 12 hours, if not longer.
Management is another issue. Stores are broken down into managers, co-managers, sales leads, and then associates. Managers, co-managers, and sales leads are all required to open and close the store. This includes counting the opening and closing tills and ensurin
ProsTeeny tiny gratises and 30% discount for associates and CSLs, 40% for managers and co-managers.
If you're working in management, you're going to have plenty of hours but you're not going to have any work life balance unless you're the store manager making the schedule.
My experience was in a dying mall location, so we weren't nearly as stuffy and overbearing as other stores, but could be at times.
I despise the selling culture, treating customers as dollar signs and being forced to breathe down their necks and pester them until they buy something or leave. This is not a great place to work if you have anxiety.
I also hated the "coaching" methods. We were expected to ask our associates (who only work about 3-10 hours a week usually) what they could personally do to increase sales and ask what they did that may have not lead to increased sales. This is really awful to insinuate that our associates directly influence sales. Yes, they have an effect but no one can force a customer to buy something.
I hated that we were required to do a bag check every time we left the store. It infuriates me that Bath and Body Works believes that 90% of theft is internal. That is absolutely false. During my time of working there, I've seen multiple customers load bags up and just walk out of the store with $400+ of product and we weren't allowed to do anything. This makes employees feel powerless and frustrated and like fools.
And yet the company believes it's far better to distrust your employees.
In Bath and Body Works' eyes, associates are no more than slaves to their will. Floors
Was looking for a seasonal job for some extra money. I thought Bath and Body Works would be great because I love the store and their products. I also thought I could probably make some friends too given that most of the girls that work there are either about the same age as me or go to school at one of the colleges in our city.
Scheduling is super flexible, they work around your school schedule or other jobs, but as a seasonal you don't get many hours. It was only 1-2 shifts a week at 3-4 hours which really sucked. The only other times you'll really get hours are candle day, black friday, and other key days or sales. Sometimes one of the girls needed a shift covered so that was a way to get other hours, but you have to be super quick to grab it because everyone wants more hours. I don't think any of us seasonals realized that the hours would be very low, but it makes sense.. its a small sized store. If you apply seasonally, I would recommend asking about the hours unless your okay with a 4 hour shift here and there. They also have these things called "call ins" where they can make you stay until however long after your scheduled shift They warned us not ask about if we would ended up needing to stay for these call ins because it was a way to get on their "bad side", which was pretty annoying when you don't have a car and depend on rides, or when a sitter is depending on you to come back at a certain time. One time it came to the end of my shift (or so I thought) and I had
Not a bad job, but you can't live off of free shower gel
This job is relatively easy with three possible duties to be assigned throughout the day: front of shop (basically a door counter), sales floor, and cashier. Tasks are simple to learn for first time job-seekers or folks getting back into the job market. You are on your feet for your whole shift, which can be exhausting. It's a pretty nice place to work during Covid, since there are already sinks and nice soaps throughout the store and you get free hand sanitizer to keep on your apron.
In addition to the free hand sanitizer, you also can get other free merchandise as new scents get released. I've gotten two free shower gels in just two months. Employees also get 30% off at Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, and other L Brands businesses. Unfortunately, the discount only applies to full-price items and cannot be stacked onto sale or clearance priced items. Since the sale prices are usually better that 30%, it's only worth it if you really need something right away.
Due to an error from management, none of the employees that started working at the time the store re-opening in July received proper training. Because of a computer error, I still have not been able to complete mine over a month and a half after being employed.
Shifts are short: only 3 hours at a time for most positions. This means you do not get a break or a lunch. I've been scheduled at most 12 hours per week, but most often only 9. Even though the pay started over minimum wage at $14.50 per hour, the min
ConsFew work hours available, No benefits for non-management employees, Less than a week's notice for upcoming work schedule, Employee discount doesn't work on sale items
This company has a shiny exterior look and seems like it would offer plenty of upward mobility and flexibility for your schedule, but that would be false. My manager had a blatant problem with allowing myself or other associates time off without retaliating by scheduling them less hours. I wasn't scheduled less because managers are required to work 40 hours a week. I was frequently reprimanded for not meeting my sales goals, but a lot of the time I spent there I was off the floor and making up for a lack of work that my superior was doing. I was frequently harassed by this same manager, called names, put down, and accused of not doing my job. When I contacted HR regarding this issue I was required to have a meeting with them where I was pulled off the sales floor in the middle of the day and told that if I wanted to have more time off, I should have considered that before I chose this career path. The rules for time off regarding ASM and SM are that, "in the absence of the SM, the ASM must be present." This made it difficult for me to have a positive work-life balance as the SM continuously took whatever time he needed off and then refused to accept my requests for PTO. When I managed to get a day or two off here and there one year, he made mention of the fact that I wasn't a good employee for three years after the time off took place. HR did nothing, my DM did nothing, and my SM thought I was "over-reacting," I had multiple associates complain to me about the SM's behavior a
ProsPay rate is higher than most retail
ConsHold company interests higher than employee satisfaction
I would say Bath & Body Works is just like any other mall job. I applied because I enjoyed the products and thought it would be easy to sell products I believed in. For anyone who has had a retail job, this is not different. Busy days with short lunches with mediocre pay.
At Bath & Body Works I was trained for a number of different things such as stock work, register and floor sales, although most employees had their go-to area. I spent most of my time on the register. The management was great, employees are great but it doesn't exactly make for a great working environment.
Like any other job, there were sales to be made. You would go on the floor and assist customers and help them in the right direction. Bath & Body Works was VERY pushy when it came to sales. Employees had walkies on and after greeting a customer, you would be asked over the walkie what her favorite fragrance was. After learning her favorite fragrance, you would be enouraged to re-interact with her, making sure she found everything alright as well as recommending things she didn't necessarily need. I found most customers to think this as being a little pushy. Even now as a shopper, I feel a slight anxious coming in the store knowing I'm most likely not going to be left alone to shop.
Even working at the register, we would have small products know as "add-ons". These were for convincing customers to buy items to add to their sales right before the transaction. Customers would also find this annoying becaus
Bath & Body Works(LBrands) is honestly THE BEST company I have ever worked for, and I have been in the retail game for 15 years. I had only been working for 6 weeks or so when they brought to my attention that the combanation of my personality & daily transactions & SPAH - that they wanted to begin the process of heading in the direction of being promoted to a Top Seller(which comes with a $2hr increase) I had never ever ever ever in my life at ANY JOB felt that I was validated, appreciated, an asset to the company, encouraged, or had mangers that not only saw potential talent in my skills, but also made sure I knew they thought that!!! I LOVED knowing that my managers had a ton of confidence in my work, that, not only did they express it daily, they also took time aside every shift to personally focus on me & help me learn what makes a great top seller. Which yes, comes with critiquing, but still, its because they believed or knew that I had what it took, and stayed on me because they truly believed I was talented & would rock the position, once I had down all the behavoirs expected of BBW&WB employees, and then also had the companies Top Seller qualities & skills & techniques down. I love my job, management is an issue anywhere you go, and thats all I say about that. They are also very accustomizing with the schedule for parents, students and also employees that have 2nd and 3rd jobs. The hours aren’t great, unless you work in a successful store, so thats on each individual
ProsEncouragement, validation, teamwork, open door policy, umderstanding, an overall sense of job security, always another position to move up to!
ConsNo say over prouct ordering or receiving, no benefits offered to PT employees, cutting shifts, never knowing a permant schedule or how many or how little hours you will get each week
Really fun as a seasonal worker - management is horrible
A typical day at this job includes all of the following, but not limited to running the cash register, tidying up the store, and up-selling customers. I started out as a seasonal associate during the winter holiday season, and it was a fast paced, fun working environment. We played Christmas music, and wore reindeer ears. For me, a lot of time was spent behind the cash register. Ringing up items and bagging them, wrapping any glass product in paper, and trying to get customers to sign up for rewards. While on the floor, it was a lot of selling to customers.
Following seasonal, I got moved to stock room for specific reasons. The store slowed down drastically, our team got cut into a third, and our sales goals were less than half what they used to be. It was a lot slower and meant there was a lot more time to do things.
While the work environment was exciting and fun, management was horrible for a handful of reasons.
Management was the biggest con of working here. When the store slowed down, if you were caught doing any tasking you would get yelled at for not selling to customers. Even if there were no customers in the store. Hours were constantly getting cut, or call-in shifts were constantly getting added. There was no balance. Management was terrible at uploading schedules on time, and refused to adhere to certain company pay policies - a change in policy stated that if an employee worked outside of their scheduled time, they would get paid time and a half. To get ar
ProsFun work environment during the holiday season, good entry level job to customer service
ConsWouldn't always get breaks, terrible management
Questions and answers about Bath & Body Works
How often do you get a raise at Bath & Body Works?
Asked Nov 18, 2022
Once a year
Answered Sep 22, 2023
jamais
Answered Sep 4, 2023
What questions did they ask during your interview at Bath & Body Works?
Asked Oct 19, 2017
If I enjoyed team work (correct answer is yes) and they thought I was “chill”.
Answered Sep 17, 2023
Tell me about yourself, what is something you notice when you shop at bath and body works ? , did a previous manager give any negative feedback on your work performance and how did you improve it? , Do you have any favorite bath and body works products?
Answered Aug 3, 2023
What tips or advice would you give to someone interviewing at Bath & Body Works?
Asked Dec 29, 2020
Be nice
Answered Aug 17, 2023
be confident , dress well and be enthusiastic about their products
Answered Aug 3, 2023
What is the promotion process like at Bath & Body Works?
Asked Dec 10, 2022
there’s no room for promotion because they just trade managers from other stores
Answered Jul 26, 2023
Theyre quick to promote as long you got the capabilities but then a lot of pressure putting in to your work. There are also times that you might do whats above your pay-grade.
Answered Jul 15, 2023
How is feedback from management delivered at Bath & Body Works?
Asked Nov 14, 2018
They’re supposed to give reviews but i never got one in the 4 and a half years I worked there, minimal coaching
