10+ hour days standard, 6 day work weeks, anytime there is a sale (monthly) and between November and January, don't think about spending ANYTIME with family during the holidays. If you are salaried, then you are a slave. They will require you to do 10-13 hour days because you are exempt from overtime, and 6+ days. No external email access so no contact with vendors or buyers. NO internet access, extremely outdated systems and computers (windows 95 I believe) Complete and total inefficiencies throughout the company, loud annoying intercom paging system. Most stores are not making a profit, so eliminating roles, cutting programs, lowering commission amounts. Stores go into complete panic when told they will have a "Dillard Visit", meaning everyone panics, moves fixtures, changes floor sets, etc. Beauty Institute for cosmetics is generic. Nothing new or mindblowing, and seems very thrown together at the last minute. Collateral for cosmetics is a joke, and has to be changed weekly, which would be fine, but the company sends many different implements, from many different locations, on many different shipments, so nothing arrives when it should, and then is pandemonium when you need to change a floor set.
The only thing I will take away from here is how NOT to treat my associates, how to prepare for high profile visits without sending everyone into a panic (Hint; it's to always be prepared) and my flashy job title which insists that I manage multiple areas, not just areas in the store. I'm happy to be done. Oh btw, the health benefits are pricey and poor, and you cannot do anything online. Few options and not much is covered...
