Brace yourself for the list of truths:
1.) Corporate management is not supportive or motivational. You will have district and regional managers from all walks of corporate royalty coming through your doors and all you will ever hear is... "Why haven't you done this yet? Why are you not making more money? Why are there clothes on the floor? How are you going to make this better?" These are some of the very BASIC criticisms that corporate will make and this is barely scratching the surface of what they are like. They create an ominous presence and they are not approachable. They will sit there and stare at you with a microscope while you are trying to help customers, trying to support your employees, and they will then go to your store manager and tell them all the things that are being done wrong. They do not support their own store management teams and HR is not there to help or support the store's management and they barely support the store associates. I didn't receive ANY training as a manager, I was thrown into the worst store in the district with nothing but experience as a Head Cashier and Sales Associate and when I asked for support and training, all I got was... "Oh we'll see what we can do but in about two weeks or so." It's been almost three months since I heard that and I'm still waiting...
2.) They pay pennies and expect you to move mountains. We are some of the lowest paid managers out there and our associates get it even worse. We as a management team give our people so much to do and we aren't even allowed to pay them what they deserve for actually doing it. I've been there for only three years and the only raises that I've gotten have been for minimum wage increases and one for a promotion to manager, and even that isn't comparable to any other company. My Manager of Merchandising was asking for just a quarter raise, bringing her from $14.50 to $14.75 and she wasn't even allowed that. Mind you, she has been with the company for four years and has shed so much sweat and tears she could put California's drought to bed. The company will ask you to stay long hours and give you a seemingly endless list of things to do and yet, when you try to do exactly that, you get corporate calls demanding to know what you are doing in the store for that long and then are penalized for going OT.
3.) The size and volume of the store is embarrassing. Forever21 can in no way accommodate all of the merchandise it ships out to their stores. One of my fitting rooms has had to be shut down for over a year because there is so much product, the boxes can't fit into the stock room. There are literally millions of articles of clothing shoved into those boxes and that is not including the hundreds of thousands of shirts, jeans, shorts, dresses, and everything in between haphazardly thrown onto the sales floor.
4.) The staff is definitely not the best... Sadly it's primarily because the company caters to employees who are fresh out of high school or college virgins who have ZERO senses of responsibility or integrity. They allow the store to fall into disrepair and then sit there and complain about how much there is to do, how tired they are, how they want to go home, and how much they don't want to fold three pants and put away some clothes. I'm sorry but if there is one thing that they CAN do while on my payroll, it's to actually pick up a mesh bag, talk to a customer, fold some clothes, put some clothes away, SOMETHING.
It's not that hard to just move and work while you are GETTING PAID. What's worse is when they come in with a bad attitude... Yes, we all have difficult days. Yes, we all have personal issues. It isn't made any better when you bring all of those problems to your work and bring down the entire staff with your negative energy and disheartening vibes. You have a job, just shut up and do it. Use your work to get away from your problems and actually use it as a form of therapy. I will say this... Considering you are always running around like a chicken with your head cut off and there's always so much to do, you tend to forget what's upsetting you in the first place.
5.) The return policy is what has gotten me into the most disagreements with customers over anything else. How many places only offer store credit? Hardly any... Most people expect to get their money back and rightfully so! Only getting a store credit or exchange after we have taken your money is most likely going to upset some people. Customers have thrown things at my fellow managers and I, we have been personally insulted, my employees have been reduced to tears, and we are targeted for some of the most disrespectful and hurtful retaliations to this policy yet we have nothing to do with it. What people don't seem to understand is that it's a COMPANY POLICY, the store doesn't determine what to set as a return policy, it's the company. It's the selfish, greedy corporate tyrants that only desire to pad their wallets, pay their managers and associates with bread and butter, while they take their customers' money and dine on fine wine and filet mignon.
6.) Understaffing and non-appreciation is one of the common issues that they face as a company in general. With their turnover ratio being so high, it's not hard to see that having thousands of messy, rude people shopping in a store throughout the day can be a little overwhelming. The most common problem and concern that my employees face is the feeling of being overworked with no appreciation. The company demands for so much and for such intense work while they sit there are pick apart everything that isn't being done right in that moment. As a sales associate, my managers didn't see anything I did and they didn't recognized my accomplishments, my returning customers, or my well recovered and maintained sections. No, all they saw was the one cami on the floor and the one customer that walked around without a mesh bag and suddenly everything is what I'm not doing adequately enough. As a manager it's no better. Regional managers will come in during the busiest day of the week at our peak hours and inquire as to why all 210 customers in the building are not being catered to by our 12 employees. Why are there clothes on the floor in a section that has roughly 25-30 people shopping in it and one employee covering it? Why is there a manager behind the cashwrap ringing to help with the line halfway throughout the store when they should be on the sales floor? My team and I brought my store out of the worst state its ever been in within 6short months, comping for the year and turning it from a red shrink store to a green store and what did we get? We got a short email saying thank you and that the corporate manager got an award of recognition. I'm sorry but did I miss seeing the District Manager and Regional Manager in the store until 1:30am trying to make sure the go backs weren't overwhelming the sales floor and that the floor was actually recovered? Don't ever expect a congratulations or a proper thank you, there is no such thing as positive reinforcement in this company and you will be wasting your time waiting for it.
For all three years that I have worked for the company, there hasn't been a single day that I have not wished to find another job. There are so many more disappointing cons about this company and they give you every reason to want to find another job. The ONLY reason why I haven't quit yet is because I know how to manage a system and store that I've been familiar with for years. Learning a completely new system, completely new company and culture, and going into an entirely new environment as a full time, graduate hopeful college student isn't helpful. However, the stress of it all... The insanity of the business, and the overall terrible EVERYTHING offered by Forever21 is only making the desire to leave stronger. At this moment, the only thing that is keeping me here is the fact that I haven't found another job yet.
