Stores are now running off 4 key holders vs upwards of 7-9 in the past. Department managers have been eliminated so now the workload of 3 merchandising managers is put on the AGM. What’s old navy’s solution to this? Have sales associate own your departments, merching, product ops, etc. seems like a pretty decent idea right? Wrong. Try finding someone who wants to take on that workload for minimum wage, no benefits and no incentives. The logic is completely gone as stores are not receiving new product normally. We are constantly having to do mini floor sets when we set shipment because surprise surprise, that dress assortment you never got 3 floor sets ago? Well it’s here now and doesn’t match anything in your current trend so you’re gonna get called out because that’s your fault. Stores either need their full time additional merchant managers back or the workload and expectations need to be lowered.
Nearly every GM and AGMM in the Colorado north market is looking for a new job to get out of this environment. People who have 10+ years with the brand have finally hit their breaking point with the lack of respect when it comes to work life balance.
The district manager over the Colorado north market is nice enough but she has completely disconnected from what it’s like to actually run a store for 40+ hours a week. Her expectations do not align with company payroll funding. She also needs to do more unannounced visits so you can catch your GM’s in the office while their sales floor is suffering.
And don’t even get me started on the dog and pony shows that are corporate visits. Rather than show up realistically for your executives to see the REAL old navy that our customers see, they spend hundreds of hours of payroll making a store look new store opening ready for a 30 minute walk of the sales floor with an exec who has no idea what running an old navy is actually like.
Old Navy’s appearance of being a people first, employee centered company is a complete sham.
