A-Star Art Parlour

I'm pretty sure all of the positive reviews of this place is from management or those close to management because in my years of working there all the employees only complained about a-star. All of the negative reviews are 100% true. If you are a young girl LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE. The manager specifically TARGETS young girls by posting hiring signs in high schools etc. and only hiring girls. You will be under paid (to be honest it happens to everyone so consistently I'm pretty sure it's a tactic in order to line the manager's pockets), you will be paid late always (getting paid on time is a miracle in itself), your schedule comes out the night before and sometimes the day (if you're "on call" you have to be ready to drop everything and work so you can't make plans), and if you resign forget about receiving your last pay cheque (management will do what ever it takes to spite you and that's a common occurence). Management doesn't know the meaning of being professional but when you act like them they will call you out. This was my first job so I truly didn't know what workplace was supposed to be like and this isn't a workplace it's a shitshow. Expect to scheduled to set up an hour early before your shift starts without pay of course. The only nice part about the job is that events last a couple of hours on weekends so it fits into the high school schedule but if you have self-respect seriously look somewhere else. For anyone thinking of hiring a-star. Don't. But if you do and want to leave a tip for your artist (you really should) make sure it's given directly to your artist and not added with your payment or your artist will never get it.

If you do get tricked into working at a-star make sure your track all of your hours with photo proof of what ever you can.

A-Star is a great part time job for anyone who is willing to socialize with the public and children. Although the job itself is face-painting, balloon twisting, airbrush tattoos, etc, you need to be assertive and be able to problem solve on the spot. 
There is a lot of travel, as the job is often never in the same location twice! Going from party, to corporate event, to festival, you get to see a lot of the lower mainland and get a glimpse into the kinds of lifestyles people have. 
It really is just a part time job, since many events only happen on weekends and holidays. For a student like myself, this kind of schedule works perfectly. It is very short notice for what kind of event you will be working and where, as short as a day in advance. As long as you let the boss know that you are available to work, she is very accommodating with when and where you work and tries to make the schedules smooth for everyone, and if you say you can work, she will make sure you have an event to go to. 
The pay is quite good. Per hour, it varies, but is often above minimum wage, and tips are very common since people love supporting good art. 
Although it is an "art" job, it is still a service that you are providing, and being okay with the quality of your work in the limited time you have can be very hard to manage for new employees. This is a job, not a hobby. Yes, you are making art, but at the end of the day, this is a customer service job. Do what the client requests, be respectful, friendly and bubbly, and you will have a great time earning with A-star.

Work somewhere else, there is a reason for high turn over.

The job is fun if you like making art and working with children. My coworkers were great. It gets busy often which passes time quickly, but the cons outweigh the pros.

Almost all the employees are impressionable young girls who don’t have much experience to know if their working rights are being violated. The manager is skilled at manipulating and has no remorse lying to people. Promises to improve never go through.

There is no proper training system which brings inconsistency to the final product. Most employees cannot keep the speed the company advertises.

You will get a ride to an event when the location is very far, but their driving practices are unsafe. Sometimes coworkers sat on top of each other when supplies took all the car space. Drivers will speed through the road because they’re constantly behind schedule.

Everything is late. Schedules came late. Cheques came late. Many times pay is missing and you need to constantly hound management. You don’t find out if and where you work until the night before or the day of. If you arrive late for an event because the driver was late, you are expected to stay longer without extra compensation. 

You work in various locations which is refreshing from staying in the same place every day… But not so great if you’re spending more hours traveling than working, which does happen.

I will never regret quitting this job.

This is a job that demands hard work and competent skills as it is pretty fast paced. Bonus is that you get to work with other artists your age and work at different locations. Most events you get a ride to and travel but there are some that you have to get to on your own,  also with pay. Downside is that schedules come the night before you have to work and that is explained in interview process, so if it is no good for your schedule you can decline. It is very rewarding job when the children and parents are happy with what you have done and to bring smiles to their faces, though some parents are impossible to please. I worked for 3 years and it has prepared me for the world both socially and job wise. Loved my co-workers but school calls.

I've been working here for over 3 years and still enjoy it. I've become friends with many of my co-workers. I like how flexible the hours are and it's mainly on the weekends which work well with my schooling. The events are busy but they go by so fast, because I'm painting and dont notice the time. If you like travelling to many places this will also be a part you like. We work at many different events all over the lower mainland. My boss provides rides if the event is far away and I get travel pay. The only thing is you need to be okay with getting last minute schedules because that happens when the company is during their busy season.

I feel very fortunate indeed to have a job where every 5 or 10 minutes I receive a compliment for doing something that I love - ART.  I am a face painter.  I have worked for A-Star Art Parlour for many years now, but the joy that touches my heart, as  I watch a smile spread over a child's face after they look in the mirror or hear a parent's thanks, has never diminished.  I have had, and still have the privilege of playing a small role in the celebration of many special occasions and events.  As well I enjoy the feeling of being part of a very positive, energetic team.

During my time there, this company was horribly disorganized. I would often receive work schedules on the day of at ridiculous times (4am in the morning) letting me know I would have a shift only a few hours from then. Everything was almost always last minute and I would most times receive pay weeks or sometimes up to a month late. I loved all my co-workers and face painting was fun but I would not recommend working at this company to anyone.

company was super unprofessional and abusive. They only hire young girls because they are seen as weak and easy to manipulate. payment was always late. they drove us to each even and i was left in abbots ford for 2.5 hours because they forgot about me. there are so many bad things that happened while working there i could write a novel. NOT RECOMMENDED

This job offered me the ability to learn how to work in fast paced environment, cash handling, customer service, and team building. I loved that I could use my creative side in this job and it had limited paperwork. It was a fun job and I loved making the children smile with colourful designs. 

I've been working here for many years and it's a fun, but can be stressful at times when it's busy. I love painting, so I'm very happy. Of course there are cons to every job, but overall I just love working the events and being able to paint children all day.

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