retail sales associate

production manager

machine operator

lead person

account manager

Things Engraved Inc

Initially working here was great. My manager and colleagues were all about a team effort to make the “dream team” but once my manager quit I realized upper management was the issue. Upper management stresses on being dishonest to the customer. Whether you not tell the customers the cost of engraving until check out to allowing the customer to misspell something or use poor grammar. The idea is the customer is always right and if you know it is wrong it’s their fault. Eg: Doing some wedding engraving and spelling stuff wrong? If the customer spelled it out that way, then it is their fault. (However in a normal environment if the professional knows best, you’d love to listen to said professional and take the advice needed to make a perfect gift)

When your engraving tools are run down upper management blames you for misuse. However if you engrave a lot of glass and your glass needle is in bad shape then they won’t get you a new one. Always placing blame on you and the store. 

Worst of all, your life becomes this job. If you’ve never felt anxiety before, you certainly do while working here. The average manager works 37.5 hours (low compared to most managers elsewhere) however due to not having a manager and being low on staff, I ended up working several 12 hour days in a month. No one is paid enough to make Things Engraved their life. 

Last but not least, the system there is from the 90’s. The CPU still has a slot for a floppy disk. The computer has no access to the internet to help customers nor is there an intranet to speak to other members of the company. Working here you feel like you are going back in time with the type of technology.

As a retail establishment, the job focused on the customer's needs. A typical day at work consisted of greeting customers, determining their needs, and striving to meet them in creative ways. Engraving was a large part of the job as well, and good multitasking skills were often required to complete engraving orders while also serving customers.

Coworkers and management were easy to get along with, and always worked together as a team to meet engraving deadlines. Regular informal meetings were held to discus sales targets, and each staff member was always welcome to share ideas on how to improve sales. 

For me, the most difficult part of the job was the high focus on sales targets and selling techniques. While I have several years of customer service/retail experience, I prefer an environment where I can focus on meeting a customer's needs without feeling like I am required to push a product on them.

The best part of this job was the engraving. From this job I learned excellent technical skills with engraving machines and software. As well, it taught me about the properties of various materials and whether they will take engraving. I enjoyed the mechanical aspects of needing to re-tool the machines for different types of items. As well, I felt that my attention to detail and task oriented manner was well suited to the engraving aspect of the job.

I worked here for 3 years, it was fun but upper management was horrible. No support whatsoever for managers and their staff, in a year the DM didnt come in once to help or support the changes that were going on. Could never reach them either, took 3 days for them to return a phone call if it was returned at all. When you did get a call, you would be berated rather than being built up on your successes. Multiple times I would get emails demanding answers at all hours of the night, sometimes 1am or 2am, how is that professional? What you did was never good enough and you were always failing at something. There is a reason the stores do not have managers in this city, no one wants to work for the DM or can handle working for them. They will continue to lose staff and I am shocked that the RM hasnt caught on to what is happening and that the DM still has their position after losing their entire staff. 

Overall it was a fun job, but benefits of the job and bonuses continued to be taken away, along with never being appreciated for the hard work and hours you put in to keep the store profitable, and constantly being criticized on your mistakes instead is not worth the fun part of the job. The only good thing about my time there, was I gained a lot of experience from dealing with everything on my own.

This retail job is not for everyone. I personally love it. The hours are great (matched mall hours). The skills I have learned (engraving metal, glass, plastic) have taught me more than just servicing customers. I love selling, which is a main part of the job. 

I also don't need a lot of direction to work. I had a DM that wasn't involved, I did not mind. I notice other reviews need more support than myself so this probably would have been an issue for them. 

My new DM is incredible. She gives ideas on how to sell better, connect with customers and staff, and how to do administration within the store properly.

I am a manager, I have hired my entire team myself. I very much enjoy my team. And when I hire a new person I have them meet my team to know if they will work with our culture.

There is always room for advancement in this company. I know people that started as a sales associate and now run in the head office.

Like I said at the beginning. This job is not for everyone. It's retail, retail can be a hard world to work in. But if you stick to a job, show your skills, enjoy everyday, then you will succeed!

At Things Engraved I helped customers find personalized gits for loved ones. We would engage with customers and ask probing questions in order to help them find the best item. The most valuable skill that I learned was how to really listen to customers and sell based on their needs and wants.
The managers were great, helped every step of the way and always offered encouragement and advice. We had monthly and weekly progress reports based on our product sales, gift bag sales, design sales and up selling, and they really helped me master the job and motivated me to continue importing everyday. The managers would have us make monthly goals that we wish to reach, and that is something I have done even after this job and continued to do ever since.
The most enjoyable aspect of the job was the customer relations. It was great to help someone find a gift that is going to make another person happy, and in helping the customers we talk to them and learn about the reason they're out shopping and its great to see people happy.

Working for for Things Engraved was great.  It was an opportunity to work on my visual merchandising, typography and customer service skills.  The job also helped me to become a manager, something that I had worked towards for years.

With any company that deals with 3rd party products and services communication can be a struggle.  When things were happening out my control I was often frustrated on behalf of the customers.  When things went right I was happy with the results sometimes more than the customer.

My goal as a manager was always to have a light and happy work environment.  That is the key to a successful team and helps customers want to come back and continue to buy from our particular location.

Although Things Engraved as stores is no more I think there is great potential for the company to reboot and become something better.  Not sure what they have in mind for restructuring but I do know they have staff at the head office that think outside of the box and get creative.

It really is a good place to work. I had wonderful coworkers for the most part and everyone there was very eager to help you if you made a mistake or needed assistance. The only thing that wasn't too great was the management. We were short staffed for almost 2 months (3 staff total) and when the time came for me to move on to a job in my field, they were down to 2 staff running the whole store. If management had spent some time to hire more people within those 2 months we were short staffed, it would have made it an easier transition on both them and I when I left. One thing I really liked about working for this company is that at the end of each month you get a bonus. So you work for $/hour, but then at the end of the month, if you made your sales targets or over, everyone in the store would split the commission based on hours worked and how much each person made in sales that month. It was a very nice surprise on the last paycheck of each month.

Things Engraved is a very hands on specialty store. I learned how to engrave metal, glass and plastic, how to prepare promotions and to set up corresponding displays, key cutting, how to give recommendations of engraving. 
The workplace culture is great and so is the staff, from all different stores. We have a lot of friendly competition which helps with keeping you motivated to meet your standards. 
The hardest part of the job for me has been learning how to be more creative and giving suggestions based on a persons need of the product. 
The most enjoyable part of the job is creating a special gift for all kinds of different people whether it be for a birthday, a graduation, a significant other or an anniversary/wedding. It feels great to see how happy people are when they see the finished product.

A rewarding retail position where you actually learn, as well as share, valuable skills and get to build lasting relationships with customers.  It makes me proud to work for a Canadian company with a stellar reputation that prides itself on providing excellent customer service. I feel supported by my district manager and have a great rapport with our corporate head office because our company has an open door policy. We have training programs and flexible hours that make this a good entry level job or a supplementary job for anyone with a passion for people. I have worked here for over 8 years and it never gets boring because every customer brings a new occasion and a new challenge. Also as a manager having the opportunity to recruit and train new talented engravers is always enjoyable.

- A typical day would be opening the store, setting out the displays, making sure store is neat and tidy, clean products, change any prices needed changing, help customers find that perfect gift and personalize it, train staff, do payroll updates, staff scheduling, place restocking order, read till tape for overall sales, balance till, make deposits.

- I learned how to multi task with a smile on my face

- Management was great, as I was the manager of my location I only saw my district manager every few months but spoke often on the phone.

- I always enjoyed the people I worked with and was saddened when they would move on to higher endeavors in their careers. 

- The hardest part of the job was having to say goodbye to good staff when they would move on. 

- The most enjoyable part of this job was having happy customers that would come back frequently even just to say hi, how are you?

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Retail sales associate 1 salary reported	$15.00 per hour
Production manager 1 salary reported	$72,500 per year
Machine operator 1 salary reported	$23.00 per hour
Lead person 1 salary reported	$50,000 per year
Account manager 1 salary reported	$55,694 per year

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