sales associate

manager

assistant buyer

planner

analyst

Hudsons Bay

When I started with the Bay, it was a place where I enjoyed coming to work and doing my best for the company. I worked alongside great teammates and leaders. However, over the years, the company has gone in a wrong direction, causing the most exceptional and talented employees leaving to go elsewhere or being packaged out. What's left are leaders who are either waiting to be packaged out so they are completely incompetent or brand new leaders who don't know anything. This experience differs from the small stores to the larger volume, with larger volume stores tending to be significantly worse. To the defense of the new leaders, they are what the company needs right now however they are lacking due to the Bay's horrible training and no support. What's considered training at the Bay is a joke and this goes for both management and associates. The company expects you to figure things out on your own by combing through their dated employee website or by relying on others experience. The company currently is moving towards a "one team" approach which means that everyone is expected to do another persons job. Now this sounds good on paper but in reality this is due to not having enough people to do the job. The result is imagine having the receiver doing administrative work or having your security team do store operations/maintenance work. Now if the managers were actually doing the everyday tasks employees do, that would be different. However, the majority of the managers do not know how to do their employees job at all! You have managers that do not know how to work the register, or managers that don't know how to process write offs or correctly re-ticket. I have seen managers push back or that they do not own a specific task when asked to support. Wait.. what happened to One Team? 
As for associate engagement and morale... Lord help the Bay as if you actually spoke to the employees as equals they will tell you the truth. The poor associates are underpaid, overworked, undertrained and yet expected to do 100 things. This is while the entitled managers are nowhere to be seen on unproductive conference calls and useless meetings about driving credit applications. Corporate visits are a façade, where the stores will work to make the store look nice the day before by pushing all their junk into the back areas for the visit. When the visit is done, the stores return to looking like utter garbage. Stockrooms are hoarding junk, clothing is falling off the racks, fitting rooms are filled with clothes and the building is literally falling apart on the sales floor or behind the scenes (You have cash desks and registers that look like they are from the 80's being used in $70 million+ stores!)
You will NOT be respected here for going above and beyond, instead you will be taken advantage of once you've been identified as someone that does. 
The take away of this review is some of these ancient managers need to be reminded that they are RETAIL store employees at the end of the day not high level corporate executives so they need to stop walking around like they have any real power. The district and regional managers need to come to the stores on a daily basis in order to see the reality in order to manage their expectations. As of right now this company is living in a fairy tale world and is in SERIOUS trouble if they expect to survive or retain any of their strongest employees. My advice is a complete restructuring from the top down and to improve their training programs. The senior leaders and old general managers need to retire and they need to promote within those that show the potential to lead.

Working loss prevention at the bay used to be good. However since 2016 several changes have severely handicapped the powers investigators have at stopping shoplifters from contributing to shrink. There is a new heavy emphasis on internal and operational shrink. You quickly learn that any asset protection associate can and will be discarded without regard for previous performance or future potential if policy is breached intentionally or not. The reason for this is because asset protection is given the ability to arrest externally and are instructed to do so. However with the new and revamped policies surrounding our arrest procedures in certain situations a grey area of operation is created. The company can and will utilize this grey area as a loop hole to claim policy has been breached in any arrest scenario ultimately leading to quick and swift exit of their staff. Very little praise for doing a great job vs scolding. Demotivating at best.

At the store level support from management counterparts was strong however every final decision is passed by corporate directors that have no real sense of what occurs in these stores or how stressful, dangerous and complex dealing with volatile physical confrontations are. 

At the end of the day the asset protection department of HBC is given a lot of rope to hang itself with, and furthermore continues to struggle to identify and retain their talent - many of whom are top performers. I have personally seen some questionable characters in positions of management as well which is a key indicator of the lack of attention to their staff. There is no sense of value with their staff and as soon as a whiff of potential liability is in the air positions are vacated without hesitation. This in turn has created a system rewarding sub-par performance with mediocre effort. I would recommend this position to people needing part time work while focusing on a main goal instead of full time as those who are capable will understand the futility of the position. The average time  talented AP associates will stay for is 1-2 years.

Pay for actual work done is fair. Benefits are good. Fair hours. No support from corporate. Mixed and conflicting directions from corporate.

Building bonds, making lasting friends and improving the quality of life for fellow associates and management is the most rewarding part of this job.

I found the Hudson's Bay Company to be reputable and upstanding with a dynamic team to work with. My co-workers were friendly, knowledgeable and always gave 100% of themselves to pleasing our clients and making certain their needs were met. We worked as a team not only with each other but with management. We respected each other and our clients. I truly enjoyed my time working at the Bay as a sales associate. If we did not carry the product or were sold out at our location we would call the other locations and have it either put on hold or shipped to us for the said client; I enjoyed helping our male clientele who were shopping for their partners and looking for dresses and so forth and at times tried on the outfits myself in order to give them a better idea of what the outfit looked like on opposed to hanging on a rack. I also had to deal with returns which at the Bay is not difficult for they truly want to please their customers. My duties also included keeping the change rooms clean and put all clothing left behind in our change rooms away. This is one area I believe the Bay should work on if they have not already for our clients were allowed to bring in too many outfits at once and did not necessarily return them to us which was in turn time consuming for the staff and enabled theft. The most enjoyable part of my job was pleasing our clients, informing them when certain designer items would be on sale by way of postcards at the time or by me; This marketing approach had just begun but would have proved to be fortuitous, I believe, had it continued however designer had been integrated with women's apparel in general. I enjoyed listening to my clients and to those especially who were dealing with something personal, hurtful or difficult at the time. Listening, sympathizing and genuinely caring for our clients I believe is imperative in sales or in any position for a bond is formed, the sales representative is then is a better position to fill their needs in sales whether it be a new wardrobe in order to start over or to buy outfits for that interview, to forget or to just feel good about themselves. As much as I love the Bay and do hope to return I honestly did not like to wear the uniforms. I believe it is much easier to sell what you yourself are wearing and I love it for what a better way to advertise, and it's free. The same rule applies in makeup for it would look and feel wrong if the sales representative did not wear makeup but then tried to convince her clientele why they themselves should wear it. I do hope that this review helps.

In an industry where companies left and right are failing, Hudson's Bay is doing fairly well. A job here is a secure job. You also gain valuable experience in customer interaction.

Management varies between departments and stores, and depends on luck. You may have wonderful management, or outright lousy management. There is also a moderate turnover rate for management staff, so don't get too comfortable when management is good, and don't worry when management is bad, because it likely won't last. Management may often breathe down your back, so to speak (i.e. micromanage), which has proven in this particular workplace to be problematic. 

The demands placed on associates vary from day to day, but it is very common to be asked to do much more than you are paid to do, seeing as you'll likely be paid minimum wage. It does help that signing customers up for credit cards gets you reward points, but if you are uncomfortable doing this, you are unlikely to prosper in this workplace. 

Hudson's Bay is a very welcoming workplace, where customers and associated come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Look around at the people around you, and you'll find people from all walks of life and all backgrounds. This is perhaps one of the greatest strengths of Hudson's Bay.

Perhaps its greatest weakness is that Hudson's Bay doesn't properly reward associates in terms of raises. Pay raises are set, and are usually very small. Thus an excellent employee will receive an identical pay rise to an awful employee. In my experience, pay raises also occur shortly before minimum wage is increased, such that you will be at minimum wage for long periods of time. Additionally, sometimes when someone is hired, they will be brought on being paid more than someone who has been in the exact same position for 5+ years. This is something Hudson's Bay must address if they are to keep their associates, as this will severely impact an employee's interest in working there and their energy/drive/enthusiasm. 

To conclude, I would recommend working at Hudson's Bay if you are in need of some cash and have no other income, but I would not suggest working here for longer than a year or so, unless Hudson's Bay were to change its practices.

Working as a full-time sales person of a known department store is a good experience in retail, finding out how things work, how merchandise is received, stocked, and sold. It's a starting point for folks looking for employment to pay the monthly bills.

Coming to work doesn't involve much preparation, so long as you're dressed to represent. There are set weekly objectives for sales in each department and it's my goal to achieve, or personally, surpass these expectations in my assigned department.

Anyone new to working for this company as a sales associate should work with folks who are knowledgeable, approachable, and helpful when asking questions on how sales work in their respective department.

I was fortunate enough to learn from one of the best sales associates in the store I work at. My colleague was able to provide guidance and practical training on the sales floor. He was detailed and thoughtful on how the registered work, what procedures to follow, etc. It was up to me to take initiative in learning how the department works.

Merchandise comes in every so often. There's little training provided to learn about each merchandise's features or benefits. Most of the experience comes from viewing and feeling the merchandise. There are occasional product knowledge sessions provided by the brand companies & organized by the store, so that's a plus.

Management is given many tasks and is expected to fulfill them as quickly as possible. At times, they can come out as stressful or seen like workaholics. The store can also not be fully staffed, but at the same time, planning staff on a monthly basis isn't a perfect science, considering the weather, sales, and other factors.

The work is very procedural, and as long as you follow the rules and policies, management won't complain. Support, in terms of following up with client complaints, is provided by management, and they will come to discuss issues with the client, at least at the store I work at.

Overall, I would say that if you meet and work with the right folks, work at the company will be enjoyable.

My typical day was to have my Customers feel as if they were at a friends house as a Guest, I would make sure that they would feel welcomed, relaxed and comfortable while in my environment.  
I wanted my Customers to have trust in what I did as a professional  and as their Consultant. I would do complimentary mini hand treatments and talk about the day.  I wanted them to have confidence in me to get their needs met.

I have learnt  that everyone is unique in their own way. 
I learnt that everyone has concerns, special needs
I learnt that a little bit of kindness can bring big results 
I learnt that everyone deserves respect and love no matter who they are 

Management is very important to me in a work environment. You have to have a leader and everyone has someone leading them (sort of like a ripple effect) .  When you are in a busy workforce you have to lead you employees to succeed but this should be done respectively and in a professional manner. "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"

My co-workers were not just my co-workers they were my friends, we were like family.  Even in difficult times in the work environment we guided and supported each other. My co-workers would listen to my suggestion whenever they would ask for my advice. We became a team with a mission and our mission was to be the greatest Ambassadors for the Hudson's Bay Company that we could be.

If you are passionate about your job there is really no hard part.  There might be times when your work load becomes a bit more demanding and/or challenging, here's what I do when it comes to that level, I pray to accomplish what needs to be done and then I can do it without the stress.

The most enjoyable part of my job is the People, People from all walks of life, whether they be Co-workers, Clients, Strangers and yes even Children.  It is quite enjoyable to interact with each and everyone. 
The other part is knowing that my Customers are happy,satisfied and pleased with my services and their purchase.

If you are in high school do not work there. You don't get a discount unless you have a bay credit card. And HR showed their favourites when it came to 18 and under on who could get a discount and who could not. Managers talked to high school students like they were stupid. Managers also never came to help when you called them to speak to a customer. They would never give the schedule way in advance. and only did paper copies, so you either had to call in to see when your next shift was, or if nobody at the department picked up, drive to the store location to look at when you are working next. Also, I used to get in trouble for them scheduling me during the school day when they knew I was in high school, and knew that my availability said I could only work after school. Some how my manager would blame me for her scheduling me wrong.  The only good thing about working at The Bay was my co-workers. Even though they were significantly older than me, most being elderly women, they would try to help me and were always comforting when my manager was rude to me. Even now, when I go to The Bay now that I quit, I try to avoid my department because I hated my job so much. I was never treated as an equal. I would do what took the other ladies that worked in my department about 6 hours to do in 2 hours. Then the manager would send me to help a different department. Even though I was treated poorly I still worked hard thinking maybe they will show me some more respect, and be fair (especially about the discount thing). After almost a year I decided to quit. So was not worth the time and stress. Even if you are not in High school it is a toxic workplace. Nothing good was ever said about the way in which the store location ran. When I was new the people in the department warned me of who was rude and who to try and avoid talking to. 

I learned a lot while I worked at HBC (12 years Canadian head office) and I’m grateful for that but the last few years were extremely stressful.  

The stress I experienced was due to a lack of a cohesive vision and direction on how best to achieve objectives and the ultimate goal.  Very poor senior management - no empathy, no cultural sensitively, awareness and sincere desire to understand the Canadian market.  Extreme lack of collaboration internally, especially the last three years of my tenure.

Not a lot of opportunities for growth.  What I thought were opportunities at the time were just projects or tasks that no one else wanted to do and I did not receive compensation for the extra responsibilities. 

As a POC, I experienced several situations that were uncomfortable as it pertained to race.  I did not receive any support from my manager when these things occurred - often in front of my manager, so they did witness these micro aggressions and sometime overtly racist comments.  

While I worked at HBC there were no POC at the executive senior level for over ten years.  In 2015, there was one POC who was an executive but they were let go (among others) within 10 months.  

My Canadian colleagues were great for the most part but I did not experience the same warmth and belonging with my US colleagues.  

All in all I have no regrets and appreciate everything I learned but I would be hesitant to recommend HBC as a great place to work solely based on the work culture.  I sincerely hope that it has improved and wish all my former colleagues who are still there the very best with their future career endeavours.

I had been part-time employed with Hudson's Bay for almost 8 years before I parted ways. 

The job in and of itself was fairly straightforward. You get to meet and interact with customers who are pleasant at most times. 

The company does not offer any sort of health and dental benefits for their part-time employees (as expected). The only real benefit you get as a part-time employee is the 25% employee discount on almost all purchases as well as HBC Perks (Corporate discounts on things such as gym memberships,movie tickets, hotels, etc). However in order to be eligible for this discount, you must sign up for the company credit card and make the purchase using the card. Scheduling can also be an issue sometimes where management would make you work only a 3 hour shift at times and would cut hours unexpectedly. 

Throughout my years, I have been through many managers who have different management styles. For the most part, I was able to get along with them all and sales targets were not overly pushed on the employees. The only thing to keep in mind is that management is very keen on ensuring that their employees are consistently signing on new customers to their store credit cards and will sometimes push you to reach those targets. All in all, it was a great experience and a great company. 

The only truly negative thing about this job is that management might tell you one thing when it comes to customer interactions/refunds, and do the total opposite when it comes down to it.

•	Provide technical support for all servers and desktops; thin Clients, printers, Cisco switches, wireless switches, Motorola RF handhelds, and Motorola RF Price verifiers
•	Provide technical support to all Bay, Home Outfitters, and Zellers stores across Canada
•	Contribute in the software distribution to all store hardware
•	Provide maximum effectiveness to our stores through the implementation and support of store system software and hardware. This includes changes to our production stores and the opening of new stores
•	Deployment of iPhone Configuration Utility for iPhone and iPad devices
•	Coordinate and manage multiple store projects made up of various team members, including other I.S. departments, stores, HBC business teams, vendors and contractors
•	Perform quality assurance testing of any changes to the store environment and manage the changes through to the stores
•	Ensure maximum availability of all store systems by providing technical expertise whenever an incident is escalated to store implementation and support
•	Provide support to the Service Desk through appropriate and ongoing documentation and training
•	Provide guidance and assistance to the Store System Coordinators through any changes to their store system or if they are experiencing difficulties
•	Work with other groups to ensure timely and effective interfaces of HBC applications and systems with the store systems
•	Provide 24-hour, 365 day-a-year, third level support for all store system related issues
•	Contribute in pager support rotation

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