floor supervisor

retail sales associate

merchandise flow team member

merchandise manager

driver

Talize

I worked at Talize for several years, never once do I feel I was mistreated or screwed over although I understand that has been the experience of others. 

I worked on the sales floor my entire time at talize, I worked cash, fitting room, the donation center, and tidying the sales floor (which is all that is asked of you as sales floor staff, sometimes less depending on what your strengths are and where staff are needed). The job in its entirety does require a certain level of physical activity when working the donation center or tidying the floor, however with longer shifts it can still be rough on your body as besides breaks you are always on your feet. Outside of any physical activity the job is not difficult once you learn the ropes. Staff who have been there for a while know all the tricks and will do their best to teach new staff. 

YOUR WORK ETHIC WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOU! If you work hard and do what is asked to the best of your ability, management will recognize that. I
Understand that others feel this is not true, but be mindful the large majority of sales floor staff at talize are young adults and teens with varying work ethics. Most staff at talize I love with my entirety as they are what made my experience so great, there's always a couple coworkers who won't be your favourite but you learn to move forward. 

If you prove to be a valuable team player management will accommodate your schedule with any changes to your availability provided to them approx. 2 weeks in advance, however they've done last minute switches in past. You will be asked to work various positions, sometimes management loses track of who is trained in which positions, DO NOT feel obligated to work a position you are not trained to work, they can accommodate or give you a crash course in what to do. Starting salary for part-time is minimum wage with raises given annually based off performance reviews done by staff and management and then discussed during a meeting to ensure understanding of results. Raises vary for each individual since they are based off performance which is why discussing wages with co-workers can result in a consequences. 

The customer base at talize is...unique. I met some wonderful people interacting with customers, I've also met some incredibly rude and hurtful people. Management in most cases is incredibly understanding of this and are available to chat if approached to do so by staff. I would be clear in communicating your feelings regarding the workplace to management to ensure they are most helpful to you. 

Staff are often coming and going on the sales floor at talize considering the ages of majority of staff which are students. However, they are a fantastic group and became somewhat of a family. The folks who have been there the longest know the job the best and will therefore value your commitment, work ethic and ability to work as a team and solo. 

There are team events once a month, weekdays for the warehouse staff as they are only there on weekdays, and on weekends for sales floor staff as there are no warehouse workers present on weekends. These team events are most often coffee and muffins for everyone but will change for seasonal days like easter chocolates for easter, gift cards for Christmas etc. 

Halloween is a big deal at talize (very busy, lots of customers and sales) BUT to make up for the chaos you are able to dress up for the entire month of October which many staff have a lot of fun with (and theres candy in the break room a lot). 

Yes some days are more demanding then others, but you'll find that at any retail position. Yes some staff can be difficult to work with, but you'll find that at any retail position. Yes sometimes management will make calls that are disagreed with by staff, but again, that will happen at any retail position.

The job is easy if you make an effort to learn, the job is fun if you make it fun, and the people are wonderful regardless.

I recommend talize to everybody I know who's looking for a job. 

Hopefully this helps you.

At Talize, you will be overworked and underpaid. A toxic workplace at its core, not because of the people you will directly work with, but because of the company, upper management, and policies specifically made to systematically oppress its workers. 

Constantly understaffed. Those in middle management (floor managers, etc) would be asked to do 12-13 hour days if one of the other few who can open and close get sick. The company refuses to hire more full time people, as that would cost them in wages and benefits, and in doing this they allow the good staff they have drown in work until they quit. When people quit Talize, they often do so immediately without notice.

There are floor staff, who work the retail store. There are production staff who work the donation centre in the back pricing and putting out items for sale. There is a clear discrepancy between how the two are treated, which isn’t to say both don’t suffer from the company culture, just that they suffer in different ways. Production staff receive consistent Monday-Friday hours, multiple ‘non production days’ which serve as free day off, and get to participate in special initiatives set by the company (such as celebratory gatherings when the store does well financially) while floor staff must continue to work despite their hand in ensuring those amazing financial days happen. Floor staff doesn’t get “non floor days” other than the regular holidays which usually come before or after some sale day that is so busy you can’t even enjoy the day off with your family. Floor staff hours regularly include closing shifts followed by opening shifts the next morning with disregard for how that effects an employee’s mental health.

Floor staff will suffer the wrath of management if, on a busy sale day where there is barely a moment to gather your thoughts, unimportant busywork tasks go undone. No ‘thank you’ for ensuring the store made record profits that day, only reprimanding for not perfectly sorting bagged items by price that same record breaking day. There is no gratitude from upper management, only notes on how floor staff aren’t doing their job. 

There is at least one policy the company has in writing that is illegal (not being able to discuss wages with fellow employees). There are policies and actions taken by upper management that are clear attempts at union busting. If you wish to attempt unionization, prepare for horrific retaliation in terms of an awful work schedule and targeted mistreatment by upper management. 

Any sort of communication about any of the issues mentioned here or noticed on the fly are shrugged off by the company. For a company that claims to care about people, you would hope they would value their employees enough to pay them equally and fairly, treat them with the bare minimum of respect, and actually put physical and mental health are the top of the list. Unfortunately, Talize is a for profit company and behaves like it to the very end. 

I cried before, during, and after every shift I worked at Talize. Please, don’t work here.

where do i even begin. My experience all started with me looking for an innocent, low stress part time job. how feeble of me to think i would find that working at talize. To say the managers are unqualified is a gross understatement, they watch you, micromanage you, and bark orders like that of a prison warden, seriously i would not be surprised if they breathed fire. They are cold, void shells of humans with a holier than thou, pompous attitude and make you work like a dog, and treat you like a common sewer rat while doing so. They would have you on your literal hands and knees cleaning. I had a paycheck be blatantly wrong in only the second month of working there, and i received all of three paystubs in the five months that i worked there. For part time they will literally not allow you to hand in an availability form with under 20 hours available to work each week. They constantly schedule you outside of your availability like you have no personal life, school, or other commitments??? They expect you to sacrifice your first born child and let the spirit of customer service possess your mortal body to bow down and kiss the very feet of the crackheads they call customers. They had the sheer audacity to pay me student wage even though i was going to be 18 in a matter of weeks And they are making 100% profit because all of the garbage is donated for free. One night after only a five hour shift, my toe was bleeding profusely because they had me zooming around doing everyone's job while they sat and talked about their weekend plans, No word of a lie. Everytime i stepped foot into that store i would instantly feel miserable and underappreciated. i would never get told good job, i would only get told do work harder or do things faster. Oh and you think an entire month is enough notice for one day off? SIKE!  Think you can call in any more than seven times for the entire year? fat chance. so if you're on here searching for a good place to work part time, choose anywhere else. please.

Management only cares about 1 thing: productivity. They will not hesitate to fire you if your production drops for any reason within your 3 month probation. They also most likely exploited workers by promising them long-term, full-time jobs before their new store opened to help get it up and running. All while not having enough work to go around for all their hires, most likely knowing the situation would result in them firing a large portion of their hired production staff before the store even opened. If they wanted to hire contractors to get the store up and running that would be one thing. However, they chose to give people hopes of long-term employment, most likely without having the intention of following through with keeping all these people long-term. Management demonstrates a lack of trust in their own employees with daily bag checks upon the conclusion of shifts. Management was also highly disorganized and unprepared for employees to begin setting up the store. Workers are put on tight time crunches for everything they do, worsened by the constant juggling of their positions. Management assigns workers to different tasks throughout the production process and very rarely provide adequate training, instead deferring to other employees to train and look after new workers in their area. This job, the stress, and feeling of being treated like a mindless drone is not worth the minimum wage they pay you. The interview will make working on the production team sound like a great opportunity. Please stay away for your own sake. Too many people are being put through too much stress here.     


A typical workday at this location often varied depending on the priorities set by upper management. The hours were generally from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, though they could end earlier depending on management's schedule.

In my experience, there were challenges related to leadership and communication. There appeared to be a lack of consistent training and direction from management, which contributed to a disorganized and sometimes stressful environment.

Concerns were raised about how some managers handled their responsibilities, including delegation and decision-making. Tasks that could have been managed independently were often delayed due to unnecessary escalation. This sometimes led to inefficiencies and additional stress for supervisors and staff.

Supervisors were occasionally asked to participate in meetings that seemed more focused on disciplinary action than on collaboration or problem-solving. Several of us had to frequently step in to correct or complete tasks that fell under managerial responsibility, particularly during team briefings and daily operations.

There were also incidents where communication was not handled professionally. In one instance, a colleague and I were spoken to in front of staff in a way that felt inappropriate. When we attempted to address it respectfully in a follow-up meeting, the feedback we received did not reflect openness to dialogue.

The company has some dedicated employees who care about their work and team. However, in my experience, the management style contributed to a high-stress environment. Feedback often fluctuated unpredictably, making it difficult to maintain morale.



 Daily duties simple but tedious. Different managers have different expectations of you so depending who is working the environment is different.

Favoritism is obvious. The difference of treatment between Full-Time, Part- Time employees and between Front End Sales Associates and the Warehouse workers in the back, is prevalent.

Clique-y colleagues, if you do not fit in, its super isolating and obvious.. Coworkers will talk about you behind your back constantly & even go as far as to continue to do so outside of work via texting/ social media if you are close with them. 

Your mental health does not matter. Management does not care if you are struggling, if it affects the way you work, you will be written up/ repremended for it. 

Booking time off due to school/ previous engagements ect is difficult.  

You are allowed 10 days per year to call in, (sick, emergancies,ect) if you call in more than this you will be written up, and repremended further. 

In the Donation portion of the job, it can get incredibly dangerous, people bring trash and garbage along with their donations. I recieved cat litter, needles, medical equipment, and items that are safety hazards before. When busy the area fills up and you cannot move around, if not staffed properly you cannot get help.

Talize is a decent first job, and will allow you to experience the best and worst parts of joining the work force. Its a stepping stone at best, you do not want to work here forever.


It started…okay. Went a bit downhill ever since. I was eager to work here because I love thrift. The production room is insane. Think warehouse… literally, but less organized. All they care about are numbers. Very high pressure to meet unrealistic standards. It would probably run smoother if the highest up in the store didn’t sit in the office all day and engaged with the team. There is such a divide between the sales floor and back production room. They are out to get each other. Think high school… but adults. So much staff turnover, we are always hiring new people. This makes it difficult as there is no constant. Notice they constantly have job postings up? Doesn’t look good. Things are constantly changing, and not necessarily for the better. Awful communication between all. No one is truthful about anything. There was recently one supervisor that was amazing but they left on their own terms. In my opinion they were too good for the company and the company didn’t work hard enough to keep a good thing. Sure the hours are good but it’s hard to have a work/life balance when your mental health comes home with you. Sales floor is paid fairly for a retail job, I’m not sure how people want more than any other retail job for a minimum wage job,  but production should be competing with warehouse labour. 
They do team events once a month which is nice and benefits are a plus, but other than that there’s not much else pros. Your mental health is worth more than this. You will lose your mind working here. 

I worked here for about five months as a supervisor, and it was one of the most physically demanding and stressful retail jobs I’ve had.

The role involved constantly hauling very heavy (exceeding my contracted weight limit) loads of donated clothing and equipment by hand, including large carts and bins, unloading trailers, rotating stock, and moving containers weighing hundreds of pounds. These tasks were expected while also supervising staff and running daily operations.

the small team of staff regularly had to deal with difficult donations such as broken glass, dirty diapers, and bags of spoiled food. Cleaning and maintenance were also part of the workload.

The store opening felt extremely rushed and poorly planned. Training was minimal, and many procedures had to be figured out by the store team while the store was already operating. Expectations and production targets kept increasing while support felt limited.

I was also injured on the job. When I reported it to my manager, I was told not to document the injury.

The coworkers and customers were the one positive. However, the physical strain and stress eventually led me to leave. Shortly after, the store announced it would be closing.

Morale efforts like pizza dont make up for the workload

I worked in production. Was promised full time. Job wasn't full time. Supervisors and management spend the day walking around and telling everyone to go faster.  They hope to get their quota as fast as possible so that they can send everyone home early. So, you hear "I need 250 more items" every day or something like that being harped  at you. They time you on every job you do. Literally, you write it down on sheets. The times alloted aren't much. You will spend all day hauling at warp speed for..... minimum wage and so they can cut your hours savung themselves more money.  If you ever need time off, you will most likely be denied. Family getting married and need 2 days off? Forget it. If you get sent home sick, you will be forced to bring a doctor note before you can work next. Even if they see you are sick and ask you to go home. Daily, the talk amongst employees consists of griping about how very little they are paid, the way they are talked to by the production supervisor/management, how they can't afford their families because of the lack of hours and they all talk of quitting. This Talize seems to have "hiring fairs" beause so many quit.  Bottom line, if you want a job where you are severely overworked, underpaid, can never miss a single day and like getting talked to ignorantly by your bosses, this is the job for you. Why not sell your self respect and dignity for minimum wage?

Co workers are great, head office is incredibly un-accommodating.  Talize preaches coaching, leadership, and development during the interview process, however as time passes you realize most of your job is just running around the store doing trivial tasks. They verbally tell you that all salaried positions are 45 hours a week prior to breaks, however nothing in contracts or policies that are signed off on state that. 

They promote a work life balance, however that is really only if you work in the back. If you are on the retail floor and are full time, you get one weekend off a month. Your hours vary (which is fair, it is the retail floor). You’ll only get a work life balance by working in the back, which typically sees you working 8-430 Monday to Friday.

Ultimately, Talize should be more forthcoming with their expectations. For a company that wants to preach work life balance, they should make it fair to both sides of the business, not just one. Leadership from their head office team is abysmal. They are primarily people that want to point fingers and take no accountability for their own leadership and development skills. 

What could be an incredibly place to work is actually mentally de-destabilizing and unaccommodating.  


Top Job Titles	Average salary
Floor supervisor 112 salaries reported	$45,667 per year
Retail sales associate 57 salaries reported	$17.68 per hour
Merchandise flow team member 42 salaries reported	$17.71 per hour
Merchandise manager 30 salaries reported	$45,760 per year
Driver 19 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour

Working at Talize: company overview and reviews

Talize

Talize ratings

Popular jobs at Talize

Salary satisfaction

Job seeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected