company CULTure is very insular, undermines individuality and has no regard for diversity, no values. Primarily hire pretty and popular kids based on looks and what they refer to as "branding"....i see these guys going down the same route as abercrombie & fitch or american apparel with their hiring practices. get the lawsuits ready! its creepy when you meet women who are well into middle age acting and dressing like teenagers to uphold this image.
everything is inconsistent. directives, marketing, floor updates are all unclear and confusing when they shouldn't be. all you are doing is looking at a picture and setting what is on it. you rarely ever get to use your merchandising skills and are reprimanded when you make a decision that impacts your business because its not the tilly's way. you are actually told NOT TO BE CREATIVE. There are zero display standards so you will have to put ugly, wrinkled clothes on mannequins according to poorly photoshopped directives that aren't even reflective of your store.
very little room for growth. unless you want to be a store manager. you only get a raise once a year while associates are eligible for it twice. visual merchandisers and visual managers are not eligible for commission or bonuses either even if you make sales.
inefficient and demanding. there are too many "hands in the pot" so to speak, often there are at least 4-5 people who want the same thing executed in different ways so you are constantly doing and redoing, doing and redoing when you don't have the payroll or hours. visual department has no idea what stores even look like or what product you have in it. all the daily routines are so inefficient....they have a bunch of useless checklists and vague guidelines that everyone interprets differently. again, inconsistent and micromanaging. they will literally change things at the last minute to comp or appease stockholders. you are also responsible for everything back of house so half of your time is spent managing freight teams or operations (hire a stock or logistic manager for this!)
my district manager was super stuck up, judgmental and catty. i can't even.
constant teenage drama. most associates are high school or college age with zero experience or responsibility.
and the computer systems? don't get me started. everything is painfully slow and never works. they will run a promotion and can't even get it to ring up on the registers....then your assistant managers will get all pissy that they have to do price overrides or when customers start complaining! huh, that's your job as a manager dude!
if you have any visual or management experience, pass on this. you won't learn anything here and you will just end up frustrated.
