Long hours, hard work, incompetent peers, but good place to gain experience - Assistant Store Manager Ross Stores Employee Review

2.0
Jun 16, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-20% discount -As assistant(operations) manager, you are responsible for every faucet of the business, so you gain a lot of knowledge quickly. I was able to leverage this experience into a career in HR after 1 1/2 years.

Cons

-Store managers are of little support. I was told on many occasions that the store manager "doesnt do anything", and that it was on me to execute every program in the building. At Ross, the store manager is just a figurehead. Expect to: -work every Sat. night, -1 weekend off a week, -Store operation hours change often -work overnight on short notice -push team to reach impossible company mandated goals. -be held accountable even when resources are not provided (i.e. payroll, staff) -minimum work/life balance. -individual career development is not a priority. -a lack of professionalism from staff and managers. -lack of competence, even at the senior level (hr in my experience). If you are looking for fast track, this is not the place. Promotions do not come regularly. I knew of a store manager who had excellent store performance for 4 yrs running. Each yr she was promised a promotion and it didnt come till yr 5. One ASM waited 7 yrs before being given a chance to run a store. The company is NOTORIOUS for hiring outsiders for senior management. In my district no one had ever seen a store manager promoted to DM. Ross has a policy of running super lean. They work their employees too hard. Breaks are shunned upon for ASM's. Team morale is of big concern, and is often hard to maintain as the company continues to make changes that significantly affect the work/life balance of the staff.

Explore other reviews about Ross Stores

5.0
Mar 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Outstanding team. Great environment for collaborative work.

Cons

No cons to mention now!

5.0
Jul 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

All of my coworkers were wonderful. No high school drama. Boss was flexible and understanding, although he always liked it if you said you could work more hours. The employee discount is pretty awesome. The work wasn't bad and rude customers were rare.

Cons

There was pressure to come in even when you were sick. Pay wasn't the greatest; it usually stayed ahead of minimum wage, but by no means kept up with inflation. Visits from corporate often meant a new change in procedures that had been working and demands that were somewhat unreasonable given the constraints of the layout or number of employees available.

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