retail assistant manager

team leader

sales associate

retail team leader

retail store supervisor

West 49

Typical day at work would be working sales on the floor selling clothes, bags, jackets, shoes or skateboards. Communicating with customers was an occurrence with every shift.

I learned how to fully assemble a skateboard and how to organize the different clothing sections properly and efficiently. Communicating with customers was another large role which I learned and how to react in different scenarios. 

The managers were awesome, all of them were very positive and motivating. If something needed to be done it was addressed in a mature positive manner. The district manager was a little bit more harsh and had a few problems, but the store managers were great.

Co-workers were amazing. One of the best groups of people I've worked with. All young people in their early 20's or late teens. Everyone always had a positive attitude and was willing to help each other out when needed. We were all really close so there was never a shift where you wouldn't want to address or speak with another employee.

Hardest part of the job was probably having to close and go around the entire store to make sure everything was perfectly folded at the end of the night. Also, the shoebox walls in the back room were also very large and crammed so when we needed to get a pair of shoes, sometimes it could be a little tricky.

The most enjoyable part of the job was definitely working with who I got to work with. Everyone was so funny and positive that it made every day at work a great time. We would never have a dull moment but everyone was also able to be very serious when the store was really busy, but no one every got frustrated with each other so there was no arguing or yelling.

I worked for west 49 for almost 3 years and met a lot of great people. The co-workers are definitely the only plus to working here. it was the complete disregard for anyone in a key holder/team management position that forced me to leave. You can expect the Area manager to play favourite’s and overlook hard work unless it directly benefits him. Also expect your hours to get cut drastically if you can’t  pick up one shift that you’re not scheduled for. There’s absolutely no incentive to work hard since they rarely promote from within and refuse to recognize great work ethic from anyone other than upper management.  I had personally asked the Area manager multiple times if there was any way for me to improve my work ethic and possibly earn more hours or responsibility, yet I never got any real feedback (ex. Nope you’re fine). There’s clearly no interest in their employees welfare or desire to move up on the company. favouritism with hours has gotten so bad Employees are switching/giving away shifts amongst themselves to try and even out the hour distribution to prevent feuds. If you care at all about your mental well being, do NOT expect to do well here. You will almost guaranteed leave with same position you were hired in as. Moving up is not an option unfortunately. Also don’t work here if you have bills or rent, hours are so fickle and the slightest mistake could have your hours cut in half since mistakes are immediately reflected on the schedule and not communicated at all.

Worked at a store during college at a new location in a mall. Management  of any kind is almost non existent unless of course they're giving you an earful about how sales are down. Working long hours and getting short changed on your paycheque was a fairly regular thing that happened to me and a few other employees and that never got rectified no matter how many times it happened. 

The management had no respect for other peoples availability always booking me on days I booked off or said I wasn't available, no matter how many times I explained I couldn't work certain days because of school it always fell on deaf ears. This is rather odd considering most of the staff is high school and college students. This was finally fixed but I never once got an apology from my manager, instead just started changing shifts or leaving early so he wouldn't have to talk to me, then finally only giving me one small shift a week that usually got cancelled last minute. When I left I didn't get a thank you from anyone in management, 

The company is beyond terrible to work for, I can't in any good conciseness recommend working here.

I was with west 49 for 6 years, I started as a keyholder and within a few months got promoted to asm. I personally had an amazing experience with the Company, my motivation to get things done and learn personal from my dm and rm including my visual over the years lead me to really aamsing opportunities to become a store manager and run a different location. Benefits are a plus. Disliked being paid salaried base but it is what it is. They can expect alot from you but you need to prioritize and delegate certain tasks to your asm and keys so everyone has key roles to make it as a team. Busy season is usually from August back to school all the way till January. From January to March it can be slow, but there is always things that can be done to have a well maintained store. My rm and dm were super amazing, very understanding and always were a phone call away if I needed advice.  If you put in the effort and have a great team it can be a great environment to work in, and there is always room to grow but like any job you have to show initive and put in the hard work. 

I worked at West 49 for about a year and a half and managed to make excellent, ongoing friendships with a lot of my co-workers. The job itself is very laid back and quite fun if you enjoy handling merchandise and connecting with customers. The issue lies in the upper management. If you're a part time sales associate you wont have any issues but when you get to become a key holder/ASM/Manager you start to despise the higher ups. After being given the key holder position early into my job (promotion within) which may I add, does not pay you nearly enough for a supervisor position, my DM never gave me any opportunity to grow even after asking him multiple times for a chance. He always shunned our store and glorified the store at Polo Park because that's the store he came from and would never take the fall for any of his bad work, but would shove his name into anything we were being praised for. You'll love working with the people you work with, but become quickly frustrated with the lack of communication and the all around bad management styles by higher up authority.

From day one I was welcomed in by all the staff and they treated me the most respect. It's always nice walking in when you work because all the staff become your friend's, we all get along, joke around and hang out outside of work. Example me and a couple guys always go snowboard and go play hockey at the outdoor rinks and have a great time. It's almost like an extended family the way you are accepted by them. I learned to deal with customers that come from all walks of life and to B.C.I.F. which means Believe, Connect, Inspire, Fulfill. So we have to great them as soon as they come in and make them feel welcome in the store, find a topic to connect with them with i.e. music, snowboard etc, inspire them so they see you as a fun person and just not another salesman, and fulfill by giving them a great shopping experience so they return to the store. I even have regular customers that will come in just to get help from me because i followed all those steps and made their shopping experience an amazing one.

I usually start my day with checking emails and opening the tills, making sure everything is put away and clean for the day to come. I will do any transfer that have to be done in the morning and then when customers come into the store I greet them and help them accordingly. At the end of the day i will do all the closing duties, which includes washout, closing the doors, filing in the paper work for that day and re checking emails and putting in sales performances for the day. The hardest part of my job would have to be doing the visual for the clothing and making sure everything looks how it should be an up to date. The most enjoyable part of my job would have to be meeting new people everyday and since the store is family oriented i get to see a lot of kids which is always fun. Another part is my management and sales get along very well and it is a good environment to be in.

Working at West in the beginning was great, until the District manager decides he does not want you or feels the need to keep you anymore. He will make it known. The vibe and coworkers are immaculate. I’ve made some of the closest friends there and customers are amazing. Only problem I’ve ever had directly was management. Unfairly judges you and makes you feel like you’re part of a family, until you start having your own life problems and side issues, then the DM will gladly in the process make it known he does not want you around anymore by pushing write ups for even the smallest things instead of directly talking to you like a grown adult. I’d say the best position to stay at here would be a sales associate/key-holder because you go any further within this workplace and all of a sudden you’re targeted and stress pushed to a point of instead actually learning new things you’re scared to even try. 

A typical day at work is: show up on time, punch in via computer with employee access number, put on West 49 lanyard to show people your on staff, sell as much as you can without being a pushy sales associate, follow through closing procedures, punch out via computer with employee access number, grab you belongings from back room. lock up the store (M.O.D does this), M.O.D checks your bag to make sure nothing was stolen, and you're done. 

I learned how to communicate with people better, and have become more outgoing. 

The management were very nice, made sure rules were followed but were not overly strict.

My co-workers were among some of the nicest, helpful and interesting people I have ever met.

The cleaning at the end of the day is probably the "hardest" thing per say but really isn't hard.

The most enjoyable part of the job is "MDH" (Making Dreams Happen): talking to customers and connecting with them and helping them find what they need and just being around people.

I was hired for the store opening, lots of folding and lifting. I was one of the lucky few who lasted longer than most after they opened up. I would organize the store, fix other people's mess, promote sales, fold clothes, deal with loss prevention, all the fun stuff. I pretty much have no idea what I'm doing so I was let go. Hey it's my first retail job. I learned a lot about retail and is grateful to have that highly valued customer service experience. The management are good people, but they do hire a lot of kids. HS kids, college kids, you name it. Maybe I'm also too old for the job? Their products are catered to the younger age group tho, so it was a struggle learning. They really need to diversify their products, get some more brands, and not sell the same thing. It was a bit difficult selling stuff to the older gents who are looking for dressier clothes.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Retail assistant manager 4 salaries reported	$18.00 per hour
Team leader 1 salary reported	$15.10 per hour
Sales associate 1 salary reported	$15.00 per hour
Retail team leader 1 salary reported	$16.00 per hour
Retail store supervisor 1 salary reported	$22.00 per hour

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