Don't Work Here - Sales Associate Dillard's Employee Review

1.0
Jul 27, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Every once in awhile you'll work with a customer who appreciates your hard work.

Cons

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN? I'll start with the ever-popular complaint, the unrealistic SPH (Sales Per Hour). Depending on your department, making your sales goals each hour can be a frustrating task. Not only is it hard to convince a customer to spend way more than they planned to (times are tough, economy sucks), but you also compete against your coworkers like animals. I'm a sharing kind of person, so when I see that a coworker is struggling to meet their SPH and mine has been reached, I'll share my sales with them to help them out. I don't expect that from anyone else, but I only do this out of kindness and care. No one else will do this. They will do whatever it takes to scoop up all the customers they can, even if that means they deliberately steal another employee's customer. It's blatantly obvious that employees at Dillard's despise their jobs, but the competitive pay keeps most people here until they find something better. Morning meetings to stir up some sort of excitement amongst employees are nothing more than a 15 minute money-talk and how we need to get more credit applications. Another thing that irks me is merchandising. On top of high expectations in meeting sales goals, all employees must stock and re-merchandise their area. This wouldn't be so bad if it meant that EVERYONE would contribute to this. But 9 times out of 10, half of the employees try to get all of that done while the other half rake in the sales. They should hire people who stock at night. Lots of companies do that. They get paid to keep the sales floor updated and sales associates get paid to sell. Upon being hired, you're given an orientation, which is a complete joke. You sit in a conference room and watch these outdated videos about legal garbage and how to handle unruly customers. Then you're given a lack-luster tour of your store. The next day, you are thrown onto the sales floor with little-to-know direction or instruction on how to perform any of your tasks. This forces new hires to bother other employees. The manager is virtually nonexistent during the "training" process. Favoritism, gossip, and hostility are huge amongst employees and managers. It's disgusting and I've never seen anything like it before. Getting time off is like pulling teeth. And if you like having a few days off for holidays during November and December, might at well cancel those plans. You're not allowed to take any time off for the holidays because that's when sales are at their peak. That should be illegal. People want to see their families and friends during the holidays. That's the whole POINT of the holidays. This job has literally made me break down and have an anxiety attack. You feel like you are never doing anything right. Seriously, you could be a superb salesperson with all the charm and fake laughter one would need to make a sale, but in the end, money is money and numbers are numbers. You're not an employee, you are a number. You're in charge of making all of that money for a company that could give a rat's behind about the well-being of their employees. I've worked retail before this job, and this job by far has been the worst one I've ever had. DO. NOT. WORK. HERE. Save yourself that misery and find something else! There are plenty of reasons why Dillard's is on the top 10 list of WORST PLACES TO WORK FOR.

Explore other reviews about Dillard's

5.0
Jun 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great payment benefits and flexible schedules

Cons

long-standing hours and sometimes overnight work or very early mornings for inventory

1.0
Jun 8, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Only pro is that you can expect there won't be any. So, transparency.

Cons

Annual raises for salaried employees are minimal, often only 100–500 dollars per year, regardless of performance or inflation. Salaried roles are consistently compensated below industry standards for comparable positions. Management routinely solicits employee input and feedback, then consistently ignores it, making requests for opinions feel performative rather than genuine. Excessive favoritism is openly displayed, accompanied by constant gossip, drama, and office politics that undermine professionalism and team cohesion. Leadership culture normalizes poor treatment by implying that if everyone is miserable together, the situation is acceptable. The company shows little concern for employee health and safety, pressuring staff to work in unsafe conditions because “it was done before.” Employees who raise workplace health concerns or request alternate work arrangements for health reasons are consistently penalized rather than supported, effectively forcing them to choose between their health and their job. The building was shot at, and management waited several hours to inform employees and refused to let anyone go home, demonstrating a disregard for basic safety and crisis response expectations. Any non-vacation time off, including sick time, medical appointments, and other approved leave, can be held against employees and negatively affect promotions, raises, and recognition. Promotions and raises are often denied based on incomplete or misleading assessments of performance, while significant individual contributions and permanent fixes to long-standing issues go unrecognized. External or third-party training and professional development are not supported and, in some cases, are actively discouraged. Execs are only concerned about profits and never employee well being, morale, or happiness.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All