sales associate

assistant aux ventes

The Love Boutique

The job itself is fulfilling.  I enjoyed working with the customers, helping people to overcome nervousness or shyness towards something that should be a fulfilling part of life.  My co-workers and direct manager were amazing to work with.    The company, however is a different matter.

You are expected to work alone most of the time, which can be very intimidating when dealing with aggressive customers.  When you open you are expected to have the store ready to open 15 minutes before you are allowed to even clock in.  The policies are old and outdated, antiquated, even.   You are expected to complete cleaning tasks, as well as sweep and mop in a shift, however, you are not supposed to do this while there is a customer in the store.  So if you have a busy night, expect to be talked to about not getting the chores done!  Some of the managers will go so far as to put salt on the glass shelves to check.   

The job requires you be on your feet the entire time, or often climbing on a step stool or ladder to reach products down from the top row.  There is no health and safety training on safe ladder use or proper lifting of heavy items.  The managers have first aid training, however  most days you only will work with your manager for an hour or two at shift crossover.   So don't get hurt while you are alone.

After all of that,  if you've survived more than three years in the company, be prepared to be let go with no explanation or reason, and with less than a weeks notice.

A typical day at work included cleaning, reviewing product, organizing product, and hoping a customer would come in the door. I learned a lot about the workings of the company, and about the products we sold, which was quite fun. Generally the management was agreeable. The culture was often difficult for all employees to grasp, and even difficult to live with. An example being not allowed to sit for even a shift longer than 7 hours, with no break. Not impossible to follow, but often spoke of with a condescending nature. Questions about guidelines often unanswered, with vague responses. The hardest part of the job was working alone only when a drunk or highly disrespectful customer would come in. The most enjoyable part of the job being when customers come in, and they have no idea where to start or they are very embarrassed and I am able to show them around the store and help them make a decision that is right for their needs resulting in them being very thankful for my help and understanding.

The people are great, as individuals. Its a fun environment, and you honestly learn something new everyday. You have to be very open to work here. The main issue i found, was how they treat their staff, or the expectations they had of us. I had to work alone a lot, every Sunday and that meant for an 8 hour shift i did not great a break unless i had to use the washroom. Not allowed to eat on the floor so you'd have to sneak into their closet like office and eat really quick and go back on the floor. No anti fatigue mats and when suggested it was denied, long hours on your feet as you are not allowed to sit down unless on break. Otherwise, people were amazing, the pay was decent, hours were good. 

While it was a very easy job, what completely ruined it was management. Store managers are all petty and struggle to communicate with workers, but I can't even blame them when head management is on them 24/7.

Don't expect to have this job for a long time. They'll fire you without even a weeks warning and give absolutely no reasoning for doing so, even if you have worked there for years. You will work long shifts with no break and company skates around legalities to payout as little as possible. They do not care about their employees at all.

While it wasn't a wholly bad experience, I would never go back. I don't recommend this job even if you are desperate like I was upon being hired. I should have heeded other negative reviews. You can find a better job anywhere else!

my manager was super sweet and it’s a great opportunity for hours and being a keyholder right away, but unfortunately this company is very strict and does things that are questionable in legality, and at the very least inappropriate. basically gives you no breaks, and head management loves to play various mind games. does teach you how to be professional, but they don’t really care about their employees’ wellbeing in terms of working alone and breaks and it’s not worth the stress when they’ll literally just decide to let you go or find reasons to fire you and they come off as very disingenuous or fake.

No breaks unless you work a 7+ hour shift. Not allowed to sit for a few minutes even if store is empty and duties are caught up. Security beepers, cameras do not work. Staff left to close alone at night in unsafe neighborhoods. Was told to confront customer if suspected shoplifting. Micromanaging to extreme levels. Absolutely convoluted point of sales system with an excessive end of day routine. Want minimum wage employees to pay for police check for a position that gives them less than 15 hours a week. Owners and management severely out of touch with desirable current retail environment, boomer mentality.  Stores themselves are rundown and shabby, need a huge update. 

There are much better places to work at. 

No sitting, eating, using cellphones, reading books, or taking breaks during a 6-hour shift, even when there are no customers. I’m not sure how the lack of breaks is legal, but they enforce it anyway. Despite the minimum wage pay, employees are expected to memorize a ton of outdated, often unwritten rules and product details. The work itself can be enjoyable, especially when helping customers, as long as you can handle the occasional creep behavior. The hours are decent for part-time workers, especially for students. Just don’t take it too seriously or stay too long, and it’ll be fine until the company shuts down your location. 

Average everyday work honestly didn't learn anything I didn't know besides product knowledge. 
Management is picky about small details on silly things, the dress code is more formal than business casual. The other employees are very pleasant and create a better work experience. 
The hardest part of the job was honestly getting along with the management, I felt like I was walking on eggs shells every day I went to work even if she wasn't working. 
The thing I enjoyed the most was the interaction with the customers and everything that I did learn from the experience.

Working at The Love Boutique was great in a lot of ways. Helping the customers and learning product was rewarding. Management is a bunch of out of touch middle age women. In my time there, we had 3 different district managers because they were overworked and underappreciated. We weren’t allowed to sit, eat or go on our phones during our shifts. Harassment from customers was fairly constant, no cameras or panic buttons though. The store interior, products and general vibe is stuck in the 1980s. Feedback is not really welcomed.

Working in such a store, you learn how to deal with an array of situations, all confidential, whether it be employee or customer.
I have learned a lot about different merchandise, their uses and their makes.
The hardest part of the job would be that it is not a quick-paced environment, and I like to keep busy in doing hands on endeavours.
The most enjoyable part of the job is that it is an open and comfortable atmosphere where customers are free to talk about their wants, needs, concerns, and personal experiences.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Sales associate 1 salary reported	$15.00 per hour
Assistant aux ventes 1 salary reported	$15.00 per hour

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