Pros
- Fun working environment when on shift with the right people. - Great goal-tracking structure that makes everyone want to be in the green, not red and uses multiple metrics to evaluate the stores performance and individual performance. Gives you a well-rounded view and shows you your strengths and opportunities. HOWEVER, the computer basically does everything for you. You do very little math or critical thinking. I guess that’s a pro, if you wanna be a robot or just aren’t good at/comfortable with math. As a result, I don’t think many managers really even understand this data or how to apply what it’s telling you in a practical way.
Cons
Let’s start with my title. The problem here is that there is way too much focus and push for managers to be the top seller in the stores. I agree, managers should set an example and should always meet or exceed their SOPs/KPIs, but a manager should not be the top seller. You’ve created a culture where managers step all over everyone else to beat their goals and get as much commission as possible, which then in turn causes managers to put even more pressure on themselves because a good portion of your paycheck comes from your sales. You make a very small base pay every week and the rest is commission. On top of that you’re required to work 45hrs a week, for no good reason, other than the fact that they know you’ll make the most money because they know they’ve created a structure where you need to make the most money to pay your bills and keep your job. When managers are so focused on their own goals and commission, when do they have time to truly train and develop their team? If the SM or ASM are the only ones making their goals 140% at that, and the rest of the team is not making it, you DO NOT applaud the managers. This is a huge problem. Especially if they have a high turnover rate. It means the managers are not taking the time to train staff and are in turn blaming them for not making their goals instead of helping them reach their goals. Another problem - since they expect their managers to be the top sellers, most don’t really take breaks and hardly ever leave the floor, even to do any administrative/paperwork. So guess where that happens? At the register; papers, pens and notebooks all over the place with no where for customers to place their things. Also, when the manager is in the middle of something and a customer walks in, you have to drop everything, which you should, but now your register is a mess and you’re struggling to get your thoughts together and focus on the customer rather than the task you so desperately wanted to finish. Wouldn’t it be better to just schedule yourself (managers) an hour or 2 a day off the sales floor to focus on your other tasks?? If you can’t trust your team without you for a couple hours, then let me reiterate, you are not a good manager or leader. I could go on, but hopefully you get the point. I’ve been with Journeys for only a month now and I’ve already got another job. Having other SM experience behind me, it only took me 2 weeks to see the problem and I immediately knew it wasn’t a good fit for me. Oh, I almost forgot! 90% of my training, if you can even call it that, was done by watching videos on the computer (at the register) and then filling in a booklet/training manual as I went. Only about 10% of my “training” was done by the SM. I am a human being, I need hands on, I need to talk to someone and ask questions. Even the parts we were supposed to do together were pushed back or glazed over. I hesitate to say it but for jobseekers, I think this is an OK place to start your management career, but do not get stuck here. Learn what you can and move on. Soak up all the tools they use for goal tracking, because that will definitely come in handy, especially if you end up somewhere where you have to do the math and make up sales goals and KPI goals yourself. If you have management experience, I wouldn’t recommend it.
