As the company continues to grow, it becomes more corporate and less humane. i was very disappointed in the lack of communication and poor abilities of observation of many in upper mgt. There is a store mgr (captain), ass't mgrs (mates), and ass't mgrs with slightly less responsibility (merchants), then a big downward jump in responsibility to crew (entry level--cashier, stocker). Essentially, some people have stayed merchants (and have not wanted to become mates), because of the store mgrs failings and companies new direction. The step upward from crew member to either merchant or mate is now huge, because the company wiped out the supervisory positions which used to be extremely helpful to slowly and steadily go up the ladder. Now it will take years, and endless politics to advance. I found the merchants (lower ass't mgrs) to be much more confident, friendly, and open minded than mates (higher level ass't mgrs) or the store mgr (captain). This is not a good thing. Also, they want to you ask for feedback and when you do, all managers say 'speak to the store mgr', and that is infuriating. then, on top of that, the store mgr is very difficult to get to spend time with, let alone a direct answer from. Despite the diversity of people that work there, it is a place you have to fit into or they kick you out, and sometimes there is a lack of honesty and ethics in the way they communicate (getting support of honest feedback), or operate (lack of safety gear).
