No room for advancement. - Store Manager Vans Employee Review

2.0
Oct 18, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Store atmosphere is up beat and fun. Benefits for full time management are top quality with good choices between companies and plans. Company history is awesome.

Cons

You will work harder here than at other comparable retailers. Upper management is disconnected from the store level and reality of task work. There is no career path in place for store managers. You will not be promoted past store manager because management knows this problem exists where they are not creating in house district managers. New programs are rolled out poorly with weak training and little support from the corporate and district manager level. Your effort and time are not appreciated. You can never do enough to succeed. The company is going away from it's founders ideals.

Explore other reviews about Vans

5.0
Jul 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great job to work at

Cons

Other than talking to people, there are no cons

4.0
Jul 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Depending on District/Store great culture. Awesome discounts and bonus incentives for full time management. Relatively lenient on being able to use your discretion with difficult customers, "What Would Van Doren Do?" - basically make the customer happy reasonably. Great position to learn retail and people management in - applied itself to any career field later on.

Cons

Job Security (retail and working in malls in today's landscape can be tough depending on location). Corporate can be corporate sometimes, DMs or RMs pushing unreasonable and ridiculous selling behaviors sometimes.

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