sales advisor

department manager

visual merchandiser

mergers and acquisitions manager

gérant de commerce de détail

Where do I begin? It was a terrible experience in general. The interview process was quite simple, but off putting due to the unprofessionalism of the department managers, such as inappropriate vocabulary, criticizing one's personal life, setting up an incredibly late start date, pressuring you into quitting your old job, and disapproving of peoples availabilities- pressuring you to take more hours than what you may be capable of handling. If you have a friend that works at the store you plan on applying to, don't bother, they won't consider you as a possible candidate or fire you soon after hiring you. The management was incredibly disorganized with online training and with preparing name tags and the employee card. They were very judgmental and scrutinized everything you did- so much for "we are one team", right? Teammates are meant to help one another and give each other tips on how to perform well, however, they don't tell you whether if you are doing something wrong, and continuously give you praise for the work you do, but then suddenly let you go an hour before your shift begins. If you were to briefly converse with your fellow associates on your first day of training in order to get to know them, your time at H&M will be short-lived, given how they don't want NEW associates to socialize with one another whatsoever when on the floor, but are fine with older employees when it comes to hugging, excessive conversations, and laziness, such as leaving tables messy and ignoring garments that have fallen on the floor. Another thing, at the specific store I was working at, there was a lack of following COVID guidelines as the managers were in close proximity to one another in their offices WITHOUT masks on. Social distancing was clearly not respected, even by employees who should've known better after a year in a pandemic, but management sets a negative example for associates to follow. Department and store managers did not provide gloves or goggles, and I did not once see a mask in the employee break room. Management also had a bad habit of talking behind other employees backs TO OTHER EMPLOYEES, which cultivates an unhealthy and very unpleasant environment to work in, making one paranoid as to what the managers were unknowingly saying about them. Moving on, the associates are no better, they trash talk even former employees, especially those who hadn't been hired long; this one time, I had witnessed two associates bickering about one girl who'd only stayed for about a month, and they said "I knew she wouldn't survive here". Just shows the competitive and catty environment cultivated at H&M, and how they do not adhere to the 7 values that this company strives to embody. Speaking of values, at my specific location, employees and management treated the 7 values as a complete joke, and, as mentioned before, did not live up to the standard. Department managers also viewed training associates in unfamiliar departments as a "waste of time". Finally, going back to the interview process, managers had a tendency to dance around some questions and never answered them directly. Answers were normally "it depends". Do they not know the needs of the store they work at and the hours that they would ask for from a potential employee? One last thing, H&M is completely hypocritical, almost to the point where it's funny: Saying you can BE YOURSELF, but when you do try to be yourself in this work environment, you are swiftly criticized and fired.
TLDR: Rude, unorganized management setting a bad example for employees to act the same way. You're a fast fashion clothing store hiding behind the guise of values and sustainability (have you seen the huge amount of jeans they have in their stores?), but will never live up to them. Know your place, and treat people with respect and decency.


Definitely a really awesome part-time retail job. It's a very busy, fast-paced environment especially when the store is busy, and you need to be able to keep up. It was also super fun and engaging (I actually liked going to work most of the time). The co-workers were a huge factor of what made it so great - very supportive and easy to make friends with them and have relationships with them outside of work. My customer service skills wouldn't be where they are today without this job. You learn so much about how to develop true communicative skills with others that you will carry throughout your whole life and other jobs. The store manager was amazing. She was a great leader and always encouraged us to thrive.  It was also really rewarding at times, knowing you are helping the customers have a positive shopping experience. I did get promoted to be able to train other employees while I was there. The pay was decent for what it was - I feel as though maybe I deserved a little bit more for sometimes going above and beyond for the company but I know a higher level of the company would be to decide that. The hours sometimes sucked - working every single weekend but that's what all retail hours in a mall look like. Another thing I didn't love was they have "on-call shifts" meaning it's mandatory that you have to be on standby for a shift if you're in the schedule for an on-call shift, and they can give you as little as 3 hours notice to be called into work. Surprisingly you would get called-in a lot. This made it very hard to plan anything else that day or always be on edge not knowing if you had to work that day and waiting for the call or waiting for the 3 hour window to pass. There was also multiple times where they tried to get me to go in to work despite not following certain rules surrounding the on-call shifts.

It was pretty easy to switch shifts with co-workers when wanted to. As long as there was coverage for the shift, it seemed to be okay. However, with that sometimes came a lot of confusion and misunderstanding where people wouldn't show up, or someone would take your shift then bail last minute, etc.

I personally advanced and learned a lot of different skills while working there, that allowed me to do more things in the job (working in the back stockroom on the truck, getting some visual experience, etc.)

On a typical day, you will alternate between being on cash, running the fitting rooms, running clothes back to the sales floor, and cleaning and tidying a department. I really liked having a different duty every hour that way you get to stimulate all parts of your strengths/weaknesses. It was nice to be able to rotate stations so you wouldn't get bored, and it would make the shift go by quicker. Or depending on your mood it was nice to be able to talk to people (on cash) or not talk to people (clean quietly and independently on the floor).

Overall, I think H&M treated me really well and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a part-time job while in school or whatever. I miss working there a lot of time, but now I have a different career! I will always cherish the memories I made at H&M.

Bullying, Poor Communication, Low Pay/High Work Load, Unethical Shift Hours.

This company is good at marketing their work place but the management at this particular store is very unethical. The turnover rate is extremely high and the people who have quit have all experienced this. I just want to highlight my points so people applying can read about what goes on here. I left my job there due to these circumstances and stand by all these observations.

Managers belittle other managers to employees, managers talk down upon other employees to employees. This creates a culture of negative gossip in which employees will want to befriend the managers in order to not be bullied. This also creates a culture of fraternization. Respecting the power figures is of certain importance, any feedback is met with no changes what so ever.

Pay is minimum wage. You are on your feet your entire shift, breaks are frowned upon you can get between 4-9 hr shifts. Be prepared to be standing this long as well as running around. The job itself as expected is doing cash, customer service, processing shipments and putting out new clothes. Your functions will change every hour. Some days you will not get a break, you could be working until midnight and work at 7am the next day. This is EXPECTED. You are expected to work these types of hours for minimum wage.  You will notice there is little to no consistency with the management, most will do whatever they want, this confuses employees on what the standard operating procedures actually should be creating a really difficult environment as there's no real direction, especially with managers talking badly about other managers.

Part time employees do most of the work for minimum wage and there isn't enough of them. Managers are paid well with benefits. However the environment at my store was extremely toxic. I think the company has a good direction but they do not have the right people executing it at certain locations.

If you are a looking for a part time job I would look elsewhere, it's marketed as a "fun job" but there's virtually no fun involved. You are expected to work in silence some days for increased productivity. Missed breaks happen often, long hours with incomprehensible tasks. A task may be to clean an entire department by yourself, help customers, do cash, and expect everything to look according to standard by the end of the night without help from others.  Customers will clearly note there isn't enough people. If the company thinks this produces productivity that's up to them but everyone else can be the judge of that. Don't be deceived by their marketing, behind the scenes it's not well run. Lack of training in managing people as well as human resources is quickly seen.

I've had some pretty awful jobs since leaving H&M to pursue some personal career goals, and I always refer to H&M on how to run a business like a well-oiled machine. H&M in all honesty was the best job I've ever had and I'm so sad not every business is run like it. 

If you are someone like me who craves organization, routine, structure, clear rules/expectations... then this is the place for you. 

I was pretty lucky to have a good management team to lead us at our store, too. They always cheered us on, were fair when needed, and gave us ample feedback and praise. You really do feel like a huge part of a team there. 

The best part for me, being an autistic individual, was the organization and cleanliness. The store was deep cleaned every other day, and the systems the stores had in place (yes I worked at multiple locations) were all ran with military precision. Every rack to put back on the floor is organized by departments and everything was easy to put back on the floor. 
There was no timer you had to follow when you were in charge of putting back clothing from the fitting rooms to the floor either. Just keep your department clean, assist customers, take fits calls, back-up cash when needed and put back your fits racks. If you don't get everything done in your scheduled department, don't worry-- someone will come in after you and help you out. H&M has a super comprehensive training system which means every new hire knows exactly what to do right off the hop and you can truly depend on them to help you-- even in busy rushes! (I know!-- crazy!!)

Very supportive and organized "dailys" to help you stay on track and know where you're supposed to be for your shift. 
My only complaint is H&M being a hugeeeee stickler for missing signatures on return/exhange receipts. (You and a MOD need to sign on every single receipt). Be careful to not miss one or accidentally give your signed copy to a customer. MODs are pressured by Head Office to write up people for any missing signatures. Personally I wish the company would ease up on this. 

Anyway,  I stayed with H&M for 8 years for a reason. This company knows what it's doing... and you'll love it if you love fashion and working in a well-oiled machine. 

The company would benefit from people who are actually educated, people who have sense and the capacity to think rather than to excuse themselves from the poor management that is H&M. As a former Sales Advisor, the hours were not flexible and availability was disregarded - although availability was clearly stated through needs relating to illness. The store had to continuously operate through understaffed employment, which meant that the needs of the fast paced environment and amount of customers could not be met. Closing took at least two hours with not enough people on closing shifts to ensure that employees were not being burdened and made to work over-time although it is not stated that over-time is mandatory. I believe that management didn’t realize their constant complacency, or perhaps the lack of common sense was overshadowed by their blatant ignorance. At times where the store couldn’t operate to its full potential due to short staffed circumstances, management would make excuses or go as far as to put the blame on others. No improvement was done, or maybe there was but the rate productivity is comparable to their distinguishable stupidity. Of course, what makes this complete without favouritism? It seems that availability is only honoured and respected when you can win the adoration of your managers and fellow employees. H&M truly believes their a place of ‘possible’ - a place where the possibility of meeting the physical manifestation of managers with no sense of mental capacity becomes the inevitable. I think the best way to represent the attitudes I experienced was ‘Let’s yell at all the customers and employees because I don’t exactly know how to state a good argument for my poor behaviour, aggression is how we enforce conformity - intimidation is a form of intelligence, isn’t it?’ In the simplest terms - people would benefit more if they weren’t treated as breathing bodies to fulfil targeted sales.

I worked as a Sales Advisor at H&M Pacific Centre. As this was my first formal job, I initially had no experience in retail or customer service. During my first few weeks, I struggled, but I made a clear effort to improve and did show noticeable progress over time.

However, my experience with management was disappointing. At one point, while I was speaking with a coworker, a manager approached them behind my back and said, “you shouldn’t talk to problematic people.” I found this comment unfair and discouraging, especially since I had been actively improving and taking feedback seriously.

I was a very committed employee — I frequently covered shifts, sometimes working up to seven days a week, especially during peak seasons like summer and Christmas. Despite this, I often felt undervalued. Many employees, not just myself, were regularly criticized rather than supported.

Management practices also felt inconsistent. New employees were frequently hired while long-term staff received fewer hours. Additionally, employees who often called in sick during peak times were sometimes scheduled more hours than me — shifts that I would frequently end up covering.

During my yearly evaluation, I received a “partly meets expectations” rating, which did not reflect the effort and extra work I consistently put in. While I was waiting for this feedback, I asked for more hours, and the same manager who had previously spoken negatively about me told me that I would be fired before I had even officially received my evaluation. This felt highly unprofessional.

In addition, staffing on the floor was often inadequate. There were times when only one person was assigned to manage both the cash register and fitting rooms, making it very difficult to provide good customer service.

Overall, the work environment was challenging due to management style and lack of support. However, my coworkers were generally kind and supportive, which made the experience more manageable. Customers could sometimes be demanding, but that is expected in retail.

It was my first time working in a retail environment and so I thought this place would of been great at first. I wasn’t even working for one month and I noticed a lot of things while working such as management being terrible. One of the managers how ever was very condescending. I wouldn’t do anything at all to offend her and yet she would find me an easy target to pick on. It wasn’t only her, it was mostly who ever was running the shift as well. This company values themselves in team work but I did not see that at all. These people pride themselves on knowing what they are doing and being the best but all they can ever do is tell me what I have done wrong. I thought I would get positive feed back but instead all I got was negative ones. I never felt like I was successful working here, instead I always felt like I did nothing right. Basically a failure. When ever I asked for help, they made me feel like I was stupid as well when in reality I genuinely did not know a lot of things or forgot. I also noticed how rude most of the co workers were as well when it got super busy. When I told a manager about what I was experiencing, they just told me that they have also felt that way and acknowledge that it was a very high school (clique-like) environment. If he himself was acknowledging this then this is a huge problem. Management team should learn how to treat their co workers better and not single any of them out. They should be inclusive as well. No one wants to work in a “high-school esk” environment. What really got me was the fact that they told me that “everyone is willing to help but it gets busy so sometimes they have a million other things to do”. First of all, I’ve worked in the fast food industry for over 3 years and it is a lot harder than H&M. They don’t have to deal with hangry customers or other customers on drugs or lying just to get a better deal on their food. Overall, if you’re desperate to make easy cash, work at Mcdonalds instead. At least they’re more inclusive.

I worked at the flagship store in Toronto and so there were higher expectations of us. We got paid just over minimum wage to accommodate however there have been many staff to say it’s not enough to cover the outrageous demands placed on us. 

It’s a very busy and therefore stressful store to work in. Country management’s office is right above the store and so expect daily visits. The store managers will lose their minds and make it seem as though we are all perfect in everything we do including making us clean departments with bags on our arms. all it does is interfere with our duties but we cant get rid of them until the higher-ups leave. 

There are perks such as the staff discount, getting our birthdays off AND paid. But like any company there are also disadvantages:

Management is not very effective. Verbal abuse is constant and nothing is done about any complaints staff have. Some managers walk about like they’re the kings of the world and treat staff with the same attitude. 

If closing, expect a long night as there are never enough staff scheduled to close in case of any call-outs. The average close takes 1 hr-1.5 hrs to do. 

I worked for the company at the flagship store for about 2 years. I wanted to quit a year into working there. I’ve seen such a high turnover rate because staff are just treated with such disdain.  

Lastly, the company prides itself on growth within the company. Within the 2 years I worked there, I applied to become a supervisor and also a trainer a total of 4 times. Every time I went for an opportunity, I wasn’t even given an interview. Management acted as though I had a chance until they began acting like I was incapable of doing the job effectively.

Used to be an amazing place to work. But this last year has taken a turn for the worst! 
They have top 40 selling days where you are required to work- no exceptions (even when booking vacation) they also have about 12 weeks of blackout where no vacation is allowed- so you basically can only take time off in Jan, Feb and July. 
They send tons of daily emails of things to do, on your already busy week and sometimes even send 3 or 4 emails regarding the same instruction (from the first, but altered slightly )- so you’re left doing the same thing 4 times before it’s actually done. Sometimes they send a list of things to do at 5pm and say it must be ready for next day by open which puts a lot of pressure on the closing team.
When you ask for support on something, they don’t reply to your emails and if they do it’s put back on your shoulders to come up with every solution. 
They require 5 weeks of published staff schedules but always change the visual planning so you have to re-schedule your team accordingly and it’s usually not a 100% set schedule until just a few days prior to the next week. 
They claim to have a huge focus on people development but that’s only if your face fits and you’re already 100% doing the job you’re applying for; otherwise you’re useless to them. 
They don’t give you many hours to use in a week so while trying to do your own tasks/job, you are also doing the job of a part-time sales advisor and even a visual manager.

It’s a great job for part-time staff / super fun for an after school job, but management ? Don’t waste your time ! You will lose your mind working here!! This company has lost half its managers in this year alone!

A typical day includes literally running around the store. Every hour, your tasks change. So in a 6 hour long shift, you will be going back and fourth between different departments either cleaning, running or trying to remain sane. 

On days when your short on staff (honestly every shift) you can find yourself being responsible for cleaning an entire department, processing transactions at the cash and being responsible for watching the fitting room. Please keep in mind that if you've ever walked into an H&M before you know that the stores aren't small so its almost impossible to do this alone.

The employees are horrible. Although a lot of them are friends, they've known each other for years outside of the store! So when new people get hired, don't expect them to welcome you with open arms. When asking for help, FORGET IT. they are extremely rude and gossip constantly about how you should just "know how to do this" Its a very negative and fake workplace. Picture yourself working with the girls from Mean Girls, thats how working at H&M is. Ask any one of the employees how their shift is going.. I promise you, they'll say their "Fed up of this" 

Management is worse. None of them know how to run a team at all. They are extremely unwelcoming and two-faced. Please keep in mind, when they say: "Yeah its okay, its not a problem, sure!" its a lie and expect  to find yourself in a horrible situation a few short weeks later. 

Their on call system is jacked. IF your looking to make some extra money, just don't go there. Its very hard to get hours there. The most enjoyable part of the job: breaks and when the shift is over.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Sales advisor 29 salaries reported	$17.58 per hour
Department manager 5 salaries reported	$52,150 per year
Visual merchandiser 10 salaries reported	$48,379 per year
Mergers and acquisitions manager 4 salaries reported	$59,314 per year
Gérant de commerce de détail 4 salaries reported	$79,000 per year

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