sales associate

assistant general manager

associate

merchandising assistant

operations manager

Old Navy

I have only worked for Old Navy for a few months but it has been a terrible experience for me. I was given no proper training before being thrown into six hour shifts, though my managers knew I had no retail experience. I was then yelled at for not knowing certain things that I should’ve been told during training, and then when I  told them I didn’t have proper training they made it out to be my fault even though I had mentioned it to my supervisors multiple times and nobody reached out to help me and get me the training I required. I had to conceal tears on the job multiple times because of the harsh tones the managers would use with me when I wasn’t doing things fast enough or accidentally put an item in the wrong spot once. My managers also weren’t always clear when they communicated to me. There were always two managers on the floor during my shifts and sometimes one would tell me to do one thing and the other one would tell me to do something else, then whichever task I chose to do first got me yelled at by the other manager. If I said “the other manager asked me to do this first” they just said the task they wanted me to do was more important. I was also never provided with company emails or phone numbers to get in contact with my managers outside work hours. I had to call the line for customers one day when I called in sick, only to be told I couldn’t use that number and had to use the number specifically for managers which had never been given to me. The manager then got angry with me because I was calling in an hour and a half before my shift and I was supposed to call in two hours before which she told me I should know from my training (which I still have not been given despite being there for three months). I apologized and did feel very bad, but she only said “bye” and hung up on me. On a separate occasion I had a family emergency and had to call in again. The line at the store was not working. I called multiple times and could hear the person on the other line but they seemingly could not hear me and kept hanging up. The final time I called the person did not hang up immediately so I stated my name and that I couldn’t come to work but they hung up again after that. At this point I had to go tend to my family and could not keep calling back, so I just hoped the person on the other end had heard me. I received an angry voicemail and even a text message from my manager, which I had expected. I explained to her the situation and she only replied “you must have had the wrong number.” Which I did not as I had called the store before and every time I called that day someone answered saying that it was the Old Navy I was looking for and asking how they could help. Working at Old Navy has been a terrible experience and it is not even worth it because I barely get any hours. When I first worked there I was told they were short staffed and I would be getting a lot of hours, only then to be given two weeks off immediately after my first shift. I was looking foreword to after those two weeks ended because I was booked every singe day that week. Then, the day before I was supposed to work again, my manager called me and cancelled my shift, saying they were not as busy as she had expected. She then proceeded to call me every night and cancel the shift I had for the next day, so when I was scheduled to start on the Monday I did not end up going into work until the following Saturday. This was especially frustrating since I had made no plans during that week As I had expected to be working. I even rescheduled an important doctors appointment only to end up not working that day. After this I was then not booked for another two weeks. Now I get one shift a week, sometimes two if I am lucky. As mentioned before I am a university student and I took this job to help me pay rent, which is impossible to do while working one five hour shift per week. I was hesitant to get a second job as I had been told my hours would pick up, but that has yet to happen so I have got another job and you can guarantee I am quitting this one. Being treated terribly is not worth getting one shift a week.

READ FOR A BRUTUALLY HONEST OPINION OF WORKING AT OLD NAVY

I'm sure stores vary by management and store culture so I don't want to say working at the entire corporate company (Gap Inc.) is bad, but definitely the Old Navy location I worked at was the worst job of my life. I have been working since I was 15 (I am in my early 20s now) and I have never been at a place as bad as this one. 

To start off, the management at the store I was at sucked. All managers are rude, disrespectful, look down upon the brand associates, not understanding and cold. To start off there are like 10 managers, and yet with so many people as higher management team, they still can't get their stuff together. 

Secondly, you hardly get any shifts even if your availability is totally free and when you do get shifts, be prepared to have them cut your shift early and you get sent home. One time I was scheduled to work 11am-6pm, so I obviously cleared my schedule to work and I went on my hour break and when I came back they cut my shift. If I had known my shift would be cut I wouldn't have went on such a long break and they said "oh management only just decided that after you left, and there was no way of knowing beforehand." That's a lie, if the store hasn't been making sales all morning and it's been a slow day, I'm sure you would've known that you'll be cutting people's shifts, it doesn't only occur when I go on my break. 

Thirdly, I have witness a manager give horrible customer service to a customer, and the customer was clearly upset yet this manager straight up acted like she didn't care and gave this customer attitude in front of all associates and other customers by saying "This item is this stated price, so take it or leave it". This actually lead to the customer calling the manager a b*tch, and the manager just said "yep" super nonchalantly then after hearing that the manager turned to me and said "do you think I care if that customer thinks I am a b*tch?" I have never seen someone be so rude and disrespectful to a customer. 

Fourthly, this one time I had to switch a switch and it was done last minute as something urgent came up, but I did find someone to take my shift. The morning of at 8am, I called to store and they said you have to come in the fill out a switch shift form, and then someone can take your shift so I arrived 30 minutes later with my parts of the form all filled out. The person taking my shift went in at 1pm to fill out her part and to hand it in to the manager, and the manager declined it because this wasn't done 24 hours in advance. When I called that morning at 8am, the first manager I spoke to did not ever once mention that I had to do it 24 hours in advance, if I had known I would've have bother even going to the store and just sucking it up to take my shift. So clearly even between managers, they aren't even on top of their own game. And to be fair, how hard is it to get someone else to come in to do the exact same thing as another brand associate. Not sure why they can't be more understanding of employees' circumstances because clearly something important came up or else I wouldn't have left it so last minute. 

Aside from that I want to say the only good part of working here is the other brand associates are nice, just not any of the managers, and the discounts are good (25% at Old navy and 50% at Gap and Banana Republic).

A typical shift at Old Navy varies depending on what position the sales leader, otherwise known as a floor manager, assigns a sales associate. They are categorized by three different types of positions which includes working as a cashier, managing the fitting room, or working the sales floor. Being a cashier involves providing exceptional customer service through quick processing of returns and sales transactions to reduce wait time between customers. Cashiering also involves strong conflict resolution and communication skills when trying to meet the demands of customers. A fitting room shift involves assisting customers in conveniently trying out Old Navy apparel, as well as "processing" and "running" of clothing,  which is organizing then distributing returned clothing onto the correct departments of the sales floor. Lastly, working on the sales floor means reliably answering the questions of customers and maintaining a purchasing environment of the store by tidying particular departments in an efficient manner. With that said, all Old Navy sales associates must be well versed in the three positions and responsibly meet the demands of customers in all aspects. All in all, working at Old Navy  has been ultimately satisfying with its strong uplifting organizational culture filled with great people and understanding management. It is difficult to say that working at Old Navy can get boring when your co-workers are your friends and that being an Old Navy sales associate requires you to alternate between various roles (cashier, sales floor, fitting room). As a part time student, managing both studies and a part time job, the managers are also flexible with work scheduling within reason as long as you plan in advance. Finally, providing ideal customer service has been particularly gratifying because as an individual you were able to meet the unsatisfied need of a customer that they would have troubled figuring out themselves. In contrast, the most difficult part of the job is handling conflict resolution and acknowledging what type of customer service works for a particular customer. Working as a cashier especially can be difficult because of the various problems that can occur with misinformed promotions, discounts, mispriced items, and difficulties with payment methods. The needs of customers are prioritized in these situations and even if they are wrong, as long as the problem can be solved fairly, the customers usually receive the benefit of the doubt. At the end of the day, I have learned plenty of extrovert oriented skills at Old Navy, namely improving upon my teamwork and communication skills. I have also received more confidence in being vocal inside and outside of Old Navy because of the frequency and commonality of talking amongst strangers. Dealing with conflict resolution on a day-to-day basis has also helped me increase my emotional intelligence when understanding others. When I applied for the job I was looking to improve my abilities and become more comfortable in my skills in my aspiring field of marketing. I think these personal challenges have been met and I am fully prepared to accept relevant offers within my field of study.

Worked at Old Navy for a bit over a year and a half. In the beginning it was nice, I was treated nicely and got lots of hours during the summer. However, during school was when I noticed a shift. The hours became so low, a 3-4 hour shift a MONTH. Then after a few months, I was given about 4-5 shifts in a week I could hardly get my schoolwork done with any free time. The worst part about the shifts, were that they were always 3-4 hours, and always in the middle of the day. Not in the morning, not at night. Always from about 11-4 pm or so, which left zero chance to make plans with people or to get class work done. 

But whatever, I put up with it. Then the second summer came around. No hours again. The same small shift once a month or so. I brought this up to them and there was nothing they could do about it apparently. But whatever, school was starting soon. It was going well, not too many hours but enough, about 1-2 shifts a week. Then January came around. No hours for the entire month. Finally in February they bombarded me with so many hours AGAIN that I could not keep up with. I talked to them about it, they told me that they "are enrolling a new work plan" and this would become the new normal.. I finally gave my notice and quit, however they seemed really hesitant on letting me go, asking me to keep thinking it over. I did not. I could not keep up with the inconsistent hours and them literally giving me 20 hours in a week, every week. I could not handle that with school. I tried so hard to do it, too.

The turnaround was insanely high. I was honestly one of the only people that was there for as long as I was, besides the favourites. The managers definitely had a few favourites. I didn't mind this too much, until it was clear that the favourites got top schedule accommodations, more consistent and convenient hours, etc. Another issue was that I was constantly ignored. For everything. They did not include me in any activities, I had to say multiple times that "Hey.. I am working here, too" type comments, when I was ignored for when they asked who was currently working, who had their names and pictures on the board, etc. I really tried to look at the positives, but every single time I had a shift, I dreaded it. Another thing was I got one raise and it was about 20 cents. All the employees get the same raise, nothing based on how hard you worked.

Some good things were a 50% employee discount, however almost everything I bought I had to pay full price for, even though half the stuff was not even marked down. This really bothered me, as all the customers who complain basically get over half off even the markdown items. The employees who worked there were also really nice. I made a few friends. I just wished the managers treated everyone fairly. You also did get a few free t-shirts, although they were in really bright and ugly colours, with old navy logos all over them.

INFO 

The salary is minimum wage (currently $14/hr in Ontario). 

Employee discount is currently (check date of review) 50% off all merchandise. For merchandise that is on sale, you get 50% off the ORIGINAL price. 

Shifts range from 4 to 9 hours, but you rarely actually get more than 6.5 hours in my experience (unless you're in a higher position). Subtract 30 minutes of pay from that due to an unpaid break (make sure you ask in your orientation about the specifics of breaks and how long they are depending on how long your shift is). 

A tip for people who want to work here is to make sure you ask to get trained on not only the sales floor, but also fits (cash is mandatory but it takes a few months for them to get around to training you). Doing this helps you get scheduled more often. 

This job would be good for someone who doesn't want or need to work a lot of hours and just wants retail experience for their resume before eventually moving on. 


PROS 

The people at Old Navy are, for the most part, great to work with and supportive. I love the diversity of the staff and customers, and interacting with people throughout the day uplifts me and puts me in a good mood. I don't have any problems with management so far either, they seem to do a good job. Everyone works hard and collaborates to get things done efficiently. I find it to be a very fun, enjoyable environment. 


CONS 

However... the number one thing I don't like or quite understand about Old Navy is that they continue to hire a bunch of employees but won't give their existing employees hours. My **speculation** (not a proven fact) is that there is some kind of bonus they get for doing this or a quota they have to fill - I'm not really sure. It's frustrating, though, because many people need the hours and need the money and it feels like the company just completely disregards this. 

Many employees only get one or two shifts a week. Some get two to four. You can try to get more through an app the employees use to swap shifts, but those shift swaps aren't always approved by management. You will sometimes have one or even two weeks where you get no shifts at all. I've not only experienced this myself but have been told by multiple employees that they struggle to get shifts and this has happened to them. 

I don't think the company really wants to make much of an effort to do something about this, because surely it benefits them in some way. And it's not a situation where you can "work on it". You either give your employees hours - or you don't. You either care... or you don't.  

Hours are cut and they send you home early if you work a closing shift and the sales target for the day is not reached. 

They don't have an organized sales floor training and the training in general seems somewhat rushed.

When i applied as a part time seasonal i was told i can get 20 hrs per week and there is a big chance that i can get hired as a permanent sales associate. So i left my 25hrs per week job at another company to take the chance. I was confident that my hard work will pay off and i made a mistake of thinking they would be responsible enough of letting me know 2 weeks ahead before they let me go. They also have this app called shyft that allows you pick up the posted shifts by managers. They told me i can pick up extra shifts from there its first come first served. What they did not told me that i was fixed with 8 hours per week!! Oh but theres the shift app right? Not really bcz they didnt even bothered to cash train me (which will take mostly an hour to show me their system) so i wasnt allowed to pick up shifts. Managers always refused my requests because of the shifts always include cash floor and changing rooms. Also since you cant use your phone during your shifts you wouldnt be notified if there are extra shifts posted while you work. Also there is this toxic environment towards the seasonals. They just dont care about you because you are not a permanent and never will be. The permanents do the easy tasks as assisting customers with changing rooms and folding and hanging clothes while chatting with each other, when the seasonals do all the foot work which is an endless loop of taking back the clothes left by customers. And being told “you cant stop you have to be walking around dont let me see you standing!” That is a hot mess of a huge store you gonna be spending your entire day walking around with clothes in you hand trying to figure out which clothes belong where. I worked there 4 weeks before i was told that every seasonals are being laid off. Which was about 30 ppl!!! Why did they hired that much people if theyre just gonna give them 8 hours per week? Why hire me ( and 6 other ppl that started exact same date as me) if you gonna let us go just in 4 weeks and you already have a ton of seasonals? Only thing that comes to my mind is maybe the company wanted a certain number of seasonals hired during that period and they just lured ppl in to fill that number? So never apply as a seasonal or a part timer, it doesnt worth it.

I would go to the store to begin my orientation and job interview. They were very friendly, and considerate. It was a class of eight women who would compete for the job position. I was only there for two oriental days, where we read a booklet and answered questions. They showed us around the store, and around the back area. 

I learned that Old Navy has racks and racks of jeans hanging from the ceiling and all the way across the room. My sister friend works there, she is how I go the job interview. Working retail never seemed hard after I was there, I have thought this to be difficult. They are a very kind organization, that supports veterans. There are many Old navy locations around the Edmonton area all of which, can switch employees if needed. 

Management was great, they had a few people show us around and teach us about the working aspects. The manager at the time, was my sisters friend. She was very clean, polite, organized and interesting. I loved there focused atmosphere, they're ability to get things across, and their ability to establish a working environment. They have shown great pleasure and pride in their jobs. 

My coworkers were mostly female, of multiple races and origins. Some seemed prosperous, and others very competitive. They were good women who learned well, and each was very unique. They seemed friendly, and cooperative. There were many times when they would do something intriguing or something worthwhile in order to receive the job position. 

The hardest part of the job was competition, and feeling judged. I also felt very awkward and wasn't sure about their booklet. I love their clothes and not being hired disappoints. If I did work there, I would imagine that stocks and sales would be the hardest part, I wasn't sure exactly what to do at first start. I would think that being socially awkward made things very complicated. 
 
The most enjoyable part was feeling that I was respected and compliant to their needs. I liked working the floor because of all the wonderful costumers and the bright selection of designer wear. Their commercial is very interesting and fun, I love there concentrated atmosphere. They are a very wonderful retailer and an excellent place to receive vitality and comfort. I would thank them for their courtesy.

I was referred by a friend to work at Old Navy as it was my first job and needed to save up for college. Hiring process was very simple and laidback with some interesting questions.

As someone else previously stated for this particular location (Fairview Pointe-Claire), the bigger a company is, the bigger is the mess. Hours are very inconsistent and some managers don't respect your availabilities, even if you are a student with barely any free time. The store condition is always messy, with it only getting worse during the colder season (especially in the Winter). The amount of shipment boxes that the store receives is too much to handle in the back of house, with the overstock on the sales floor overflowing and boxes piled up everywhere in the back. The store condition is disgusting and it is obvious that the store is falling apart. The clothes are mindlessly dumped into large plastic bins onto rolling carts only to be piled up in the fitting room for whoever is assigned to work in that section. There have been instances where employees would call out but they'd still push you to work as hard. 

Back when I used to work there, overall management was decent until the pandemic hit. Higher ups would introduce themselves, stay for a bit only for them to leave/transfer to another location within a month. On top of that, some would take advantage of their authority and would blame the staff members if a given task was not completed by a certain time. The overall store layout is outdated and the task management is confusing. Certain tasks were assigned to you during the busiest hours and they would assign additional tasks on top of the ones you were already doing. There's a schedule in the back where everyone can see what section they're in - yet they never really respected it.

On the good side, most of the coworkers I met here were approachable and made the miserable work environment here much more enjoyable. We all left around the same time though - and that was the best decision we've ever made altogether.

With all that being said, if you want to gain experience in customer service or stay for a seasonal job, go for it. You've been warned though - there's no room for improvement in this company and good luck asking for a raise.

Going into Old Navy I read alot of reviews mostly good things so I was fairly excited when I got the call and was hired there. Before reading this review I would like anyone reading to understand that it was during the holiday season, so it was more busy then usual.

The job itself was basically cleaning up the store. Which was a bit difficult due to the fact that it was a two floor store and I was the only person who was cleaning it. I had to pick up any clothes on the floor which for one floor alone would take about 30 minutes since nobody else picked it up and I was usually opening. Then I had to proceed to:
Sweep
Mop
Clean Mirrors
Do bathrooms
Clean Fitting Rooms
Clean Back and Electrical Rooms
Take out the trash and replace all trash bags in the store, by myself.

The job was difficult to say the least, considering most of the time you would only be allowed 2-3 hours before the store actually opened. Management would allow other seasonal workers to leave their stuff everywhere. Let things rot in the fridge, let workers throughout the day not take the garbage downstairs and generally be slobs making the job 10X harder then it should be.The only help I ever got during the ENTIRE holiday season was a woman who was unfortunately suffering from a disability so she wasn't able to really help as much. When I approached management about needing help or objects being broken that I needed for work. I was brushed aside and my frustrations grew. Since I was told that I was "just complaining" rather then anything else. I was told and constantly expressed wanting to learn more about old navy and wanted to be taught more by the Management team, which they also brushed off. 

I would not recommend this job experience to anyone, it isn't worth it. You are underpaid and mistreated, Especially at the Square one Old Navy.

Overall, this was one of my favourite jobs to work at, and I know the location had a lot to do with it.

When I was here, there was unfortunately minimal hours given [no matter how many I offered to work], but this greatly depended on my availability at the time (both pre-lockdown and during lockdown). However, the work environment was super inclusive, and there was lots of room to improve and level up in the position I was in. Good opportunities for people who had been working there for a while, and a lot of tasks in the day-to-day process to keep busy. 

Sometimes, if you were multifaceted in terms of training, you were never in one guaranteed section/position of the store, and your position(s) changed greatly because of this. For example, I would work cash for the majority of the week but help out with sales, stock and fitting room on other days. I found this to be efficient if you are someone, like me, who seeks changes in your workplace environment to keep things feeling less redundant. 

Stock was always my favourite part of the job, personally, from the very moment I learned how to do it, but cash definitely felt the most rewarding for me; and was also the position I was in most/for the longest. 

Fitting room was my least favourite part of the job, but I never really disliked anything in that sense. Sometimes, fitting areas and cash became overwhelming when there wasn't enough staff to back up, but salesfloor always seemed constant in the sense where it was hard to run out of associates to help out 9 times out of 10.

Workplace culture was always super friendly between staff and most of management, in my opinion, and it was easy to make "friends" and feel welcomed by the management's open door policy.

Overall, I would rate my near three year working experience there between a 7.5 to 8 out of 10.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Sales associate 3 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour
Assistant general manager 4 salaries reported	$49,874 per year
Associate 4 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Merchandising assistant 5 salaries reported	$23.05 per hour
Operations manager 2 salaries reported	$65,143 per year

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