retail assistant manager

retail sales associate

assistant manager

team supervisor

store manager

Roots

Schedules are always late.
When you say you can't work on a specific day of the week, they still have the nerve to call you on that day to come in.
Some employees take time off without a valid excuse.
There are favourites (even if the another person worked harder).
Employees are non-sympathetic at whatever you are going through in life.
SOME of the management has a negative attitude towards some sales associates and should work on that (eye rolls, sighs, unpleased facial expression, lazy body posture), that really affects the workers' performance y'know? (you need to set a good example for others)
Some employees steal sales, so instead of putting your name for the transaction, they put theirs or sometimes whoever helped the customer the least (affects the accuracy of your sales and you sometimes get in trouble for it lol).
Workers slack off, some even go home due to being "sick" when it really just looks like they just don't want to work or some just chill out at the back office to pass time or some take longer breaks rather than 30 minutes.
If they were to ever call you in to cover someone's shift they would expect you to be there in like 5 minutes when you live 20 minutes away.
When somebody doesn't do their job at all, it is passed onto someone else when that person really could've done it themselves.
Management just doesn't appreciate their workers at all, no matter how hard you work.
The back room is total chaos, boxes all over, metal pieces sticking out everywhere (can cause injury), shoes boxes are left on the ground sometimes, there's no space for worker to get their things/sit while they're on their break.
It's a fun place to work at due to co-workers, but management sucks; which is a big factor when working. 
People's anger tend to be contagious there.
You have to wear clothes from there, though you get 50% off, their products are expensive,some regular price sweatpants would be around $80, you HAVE to wear new product on weekends and whatever is STILL in store on weekdays.

I worked at the Roots in Thunderbay. The management was awful. She bullied employees and talked about them behind their backs. There were many threats to be written up to so many different employees over instances that did not require someone to be written up. Every shift I was scared to do anything as the management would often pull you aside in the store and yell at you about something instead of training/teaching. She would do so in front of other co-workers and costumers. She had also verbally stated that she would never hire a person of color and was very adamant about making sure that when people of color would come into our store to shop that they were followed uncomfortably close because she thought they would shoplift. At one point I had told her that I did not believe the person was shoplifting and that I was uncomfortable with how I was making the customer feel. I was told by management that if I wasn't able to do the job as she wanted that I would be fired. After this situation, I began to stand up for myself when at work. This lead to me eventually putting in my two-week notice. After I gave my two-weeks, the manager "fired" me without telling me. I had found out because I went to log into my work schedule and my employee number had been removed. I proceeded to ask a co-worker if I was on the schedule and they said that the manager had been talking to the other employees about how she "fired me". I then went into the store to confront her about this and was told that I was fired because I was unable to perform tasks properly. Keep in mind that I have never been fired from ANY job and pride myself on being able to work well with others and a good work ethic. Overall, the environment at the Roots in Thunderbay is VERY unprofessional and I would not recommend working there to anyone. I realize this is a long review but I don't want anyone else going through what I have as I know many people who have worked there feel the same way as I do.

  was hired as a Team Leader at Roots, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a very challenging experience. The store was located in a mall with very few popular brands and limited foot traffic, which made it difficult to hit sales targets. The mall was often quite empty, with only the food court seeing any significant activity. At times, it felt like the store’s sales relied heavily on a few regular customers, which was disheartening.

The local community was not very welcoming. I experienced a lack of engagement from some people in the area, and there were instances where I felt dismissed or misunderstood. There were even moments where I was falsely accused of ignoring a customer when I had actually made an effort to assist them.

Training was brief, and I didn’t feel that it prepared me well for the role. Additionally, there was some tension within the team. I found that certain team members were difficult to work with, and it seemed that some were quick to criticize without offering constructive feedback. While I understand that mistakes happen, I felt that I was not given the support needed to grow in my position.

After a short time, I was demoted from Team Leader to Sales Associate, and eventually let go after about a month. When I reached out to the regional manager, I was told it was due to sales-based scheduling, though other team members were still receiving regular hours, which felt a bit inconsistent and unfair.

Overall, the work environment at Roots felt disconnected, with a strong sense of negativity and a lack of camaraderie. I also found that shifts were often long, with limited breaks, which added to the overall stress.

While this may be my personal experience, I think it’s important for potential employees to be aware of the challenges that come with working in this particular location.



There were possibilities for advancement, but in the grand scheme of things, I did not believe I would benefit from it due to many issues.

Although the company was headed in a good direction before I quit, I do believe there were still many improvements to be made when it came to employees.

My particular store, in Peterborough, was completely neglected not only by the head office, and whole of a company but also but it's teammates in the same district. I met my District manager twice, since I had been working there for 3 + years and that was out of the 4 times she visited. Also, any necessary request made to her, and sometimes other managers, were left in limbo. There was no help for this location at store level.

In terms of the employees at the Peterborough location, many were hired and kept on regardless of the work they do and the quality of service provided, but simply because the manager really liked them. This, unfortunately, resulted in poor performance and a hard environment to work in and stay motivated to do a proper and good job, as you are employed to do.

Lastly, the manager was a very significant issue. She has been there for a long time, and I believe she is no longer fit to be managing the store. She is too personal, and takes her personal issues to work with her. She also creates personal issues with staff. This makes for a awful work environment. Many employees were treated poorly and unfairly, and I do believe this hindered results for the store at profit level. When a manager does not want to be at the store, and doing her job and properly manage, this leads to employees being uncomfortable, and unmotivated.

the workday wasn't hard, however, management ensured our day was miserable. Out of maybe seven supervisors and managers, two-three were tolerable. They were constantly breathing down our neck about anything that was done. If we were folding clothes, we'd be asked why aren't we talking to customers. If we were talking to customers, we'd be asked why the store wasn't at its peak appearance. Not to mention that Roots' folding standards are some of the highest I've ever worked at. 

I did not enjoy working here at all, and everyone that I've spoken to that has worked at different Root's locations than I had, say the same thing. There is no positive feedback at all, it's always "what are you doing wrong and here's why it's wrong" and then they continue to make a hostile work environment for others as they call other employees out by name.  I don't recommend working at Roots unless you have a kink for dehumanization. 

They promise flexibility with scheduling, yet they don't abide by what they say. I booked a single day off MONTHS in advance, and then after having it reviewed, I was told they wouldn't be able to give it to me off. The only good thing about Roots was their discount policy and their app for scheduling, as it was made easy to switch shifts and book days off. 

If I could give less than one-star I would.

•	Managed daily operations 
•	Oversaw and delegated tasks to team to best maximize efficiency of store operations
•	Built productive trust based relationships with customers
•	Human resources: recruited, interviewed and trained staff for multiple districts.
•	Developed over 75 sales associates/team leaders through coaching and training of customer service, store processes and procedures, KPI performance, upselling techniques, product knowledge and visual standards.
•	Maintain payroll budget and weekly hours to ensure appropriate sales floor coverage by reviewing store schedule and adjusting as necessary to meet the needs of the business
•	Managed weekly/monthly operations; bank deposits, weekly strategy implements, receiving and processing of shipment, supply order requests, product recalls and transfers, product markdowns, in-store promotion and marketing execution, and monthly audits. 
•	Managed and coached daily, weekly and monthly KPI performance for individual associates and over all store performance
•	Managed stock; organization, placement/rotation of product and product requests/transfers.
•	Managed loss prevention; training of company procures and daily inspections of sales floor, backroom and safe; continuously decrease yearly ‘SHRINK’.

Management at the Crossiron location (Where I worked so I can't speak for all locations in Calgary) was totally incapable of anything but gossip and being lazy. They constantly wait for the main manager to go home for the day and then proceed to sit in the back storage area. If they weren't back there they would just talk and not work at the cash desk instead while the associates manned all the zones. On top of this, the amount of gossip that takes place at that store is astronomically bad, and you feel like a piece of garbage when you realize other people have been lying about you to get farther in the company. Other employees only sit on cash all day and steal sales to make themselves look better to the higher-ups so they don't get into trouble for constant low sales. Even though there is no commission you get tracked on sales and someone taking it can mean you being fired. 

Other than the discount Roots gives there isn't much else positive about. I'm not saying everyone that works there is a terrible person, but management makes the experience an utter nightmare. Do not work at the Crossiron location if you want to keep your sanity.

A typical Monday consists of coming in the morning, checking emails, and planning your whole week, through assessing the sales of the week prior and seeing what has been selling and what needs to be merchandised to maximize its appeal to the customers.  

I have learned a lot through working with my visual manager, she has been a great mentor and has guided me through everything i need to learn. 

Management is what is horrible. They are incompetent and clearly not professional. They are only concerned about keeping their position, regardless of the outcomes, and who they are effecting while doing so. They disrespect all their employees and regard them as slaves, rather than coworkers. They lack leadership, and any remote inkling on dealing with tough customers or their employees. The district manager, encourages the team into ignoring the head-office direction, and forbids any contact to a higher manager. 

The hardest part of the job, is making sure to balance all the tasks in a small amount of time. 

The most enjoyable part of the job, is communicating and working with the customers and getting their feedback regarding the stores visual appearance.

I have worked retail for over 10 years, worked at several different companies, and I can honestly say that Roots is the best place that I have ever worked! The main reason why I feel this way is because of the people that I work with and for. The SM at my location knew how to create an environment that was positive and FUN to work in! Every shift was filled with laughter and joy. I felt supported, understood and listened to the entire time. A rarity in retail. The district manager is someone who worked her way up the ranks and knows the business well. She is very interactive with her team, supportive and intellegient. Even the higher ups are kind and considerate. They make sure to take the time to talk to you everytime they come for visits, and listen to their employees feedback and do the best to make changes where necessary. I love the culture at Roots as well. Love the clothes, the quality, and what it stands for. I absolutely recommend working here and if you find yourself on a team as great as mine you'll probably never want to leave! 

This Canadian company has so much culture and they do whatever they can for their staff. The management is so sweet and kind and very respectable and organized. The products are high quality and look amazing. Best product by far is the Leather. Roots Genuine Italian Leather hand crafted in the factory in Toronto, Canada. Ages beautifully and will last a lifetime. With the repair service offered, Roots can ship your leather bag to the factory to get it fixed so you can enjoy your bag longer.

Everyone who works at Roots is so bubbly and happy and always cares about how you're feeling. Safety is always first.

Roots management trains you on how to be an HONEST SALESMAN instead of just trying to milk the customer for whatever they have. You are trained to give the customer all the product knowledge you have on the item and to offer a fitting room to try it on. And since there is no commission there is no pressure to sell. The products sell itself because of the high quality and how up-to-date the fashion is. Follow the step-by-step C.A.N.A.D.A guide on selling and you will be best salesman in no time!

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Retail assistant manager 2 salaries reported	$17.90 per hour
Retail sales associate 1 salary reported	$20.50 per hour
Assistant manager 2 salaries reported	$32,500 per year
Team supervisor 17 salaries reported	$21.47 per hour
Store manager 1 salary reported	$52,500 per year

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