Typical retail job but with a mentally draining, toxic environment - Sales Associate Vans Employee Review

I could write an essay on the bad things about this job but for the sake of time I’ll try to sum it up here: -The main manager didn’t greet or speak to me on my first day, singled me out and constantly made me feel like I’d done something wrong. -The managers and supervisors below the main one were all on an ego trip (aside from one) and were constantly micromanaging to the EXTREME and being massive hypocrites and passive aggressive for no reason. -Due to the constant aggression from managers and supervisors, the 5 hours I had to spend at work each day became absolutely horrific to my mental health and I felt so singled out and bullied that I got paranoid about everything. -Managers and supervisors were constantly whispering and making private comments to each other about people before laughing. I even heard my name said on multiple occasions which made me want to cry because they kept looking in my direction as they did it and they would never tell me whether I did do something wrong (even when I asked multiple times). -The store is only small and so everyone is in each others pockets and there’s nothing to do when you’re in on days where you hardly get any customers, due to this you end up bored out of your mind and having to stand and people watch while the managers go on their phones and talk. However they then yell at you for talking or standing too close to another co-worker as if they weren’t just doing the same (The managers/supervisors always stood together and talked and ignored customers). -Because the managers are so distracted by talking to each other, they end up radioing you to have a go at you for not talking to a customer when in reality you did but they didn’t see so you’re constantly defending yourself to them. -There’s an unfair amount of pressure on everyone to get “attachments” (protector sprays, socks, surveys, etc) and it’s pretty much luck of the draw on whether you happen to get customers who buy any of those add ons and whether another co-worker steals them from you first. At this store in particular, there was a lot of targeted messages on the group chat and call outs towards staff who only got a few attachments each week, this was done as if to say that those staff members weren’t trying their hardest to sell. -When I did get a good amount of surveys I wasn’t given any encouragement and instead told that they “were the least important of the attachments so..” and so I got disheartened and stopped trying so hard and when I did that I was then yelled at for “not having as many surveys as you did the other week”. What sort of mixed messaging is that? -I was snitched on to the main manager for wanting to stay outside the changing rooms to continue helping a customer because they felt like I was questioning their authority when they would ask me to swap with a different staff member. I was also insulted for doing that by being told “well if you’re THAT attached to them then stay with them”. Yet the training I was given specifically says that I should stay with a customer if I’ve taken them to the changing rooms because it helps to keep the connection? Huh?? -I was promised till training for weeks and when I spoke up about being the only one out of the new staff to not get till trained, which made me feel like the odd one out, I was yelled at and had words put in my mouth for doing so. I was then told that I might not be getting trained because of something I could have done and when I asked if I had done something I was shrugged at and told I hadn’t done anything wrong when I asked again. This made it impossible for me to ask to be till trained after that as I was terrified of being yelled at again for it and I did start to believe that I had done something wrong but wasn’t being told. (This is mainly why I quit) -The main manager also lied when I tried to defend myself so that was fun. -Everyone is under so much pressure that it’s always a hot and cold atmosphere and you never know what mood you’ll get from managers on the day. -Obvious favouritism. -Made to feel bad for asking questions (even in the first month when you don’t know everything) and for having one day off even if it’s because you’re in the hospital. -Again, extremely unfair sales targets and attachment goals. I was constantly hounded about needing to sell more protector sprays and socks and then I was immediately put on changing rooms for those shifts which meant I hardly ever had chance to sell to get those attachments that I was being harassed about getting. -Had multiple creeps coming into the store and pushing my boundaries and the managers stood and watched and never offered me any help or protection. -The company preaches in its training and job description about “family” and all sorts and yet you get treated like a number who just has to shut up and put up. -The managers all have each others backs so whenever you try to politely speak up about any issues, you’re then dismissed and made out to be the issue instead. Once you get tired of being treated badly and start to show it, you’re then treated like you’re just being difficult and a bad worker without them ever acknowledging that they’re the reason why you’re so fed up. So aka you’re not allowed to talk back or defend yourself. Overall what you expect from working at vans is not what you’ll actually get, it’s a toxic, greedy place that doesn’t care about what you have to offer. The people you work with will make or break how you’ll feel about working there. They just want to use you to push all sorts of products onto any customer you see and if you don’t get enough “attachments” you’re treated like dirt. The pay is not worth the mental torture they put you through and if you are applying to this specific store then beware because the managers and supervisors are difficult to work with if they decide from day 1 that they don’t like you for whatever reason. The fact that the customers, of all things, were always nicer than the managers here says a lot.