Not what I had hoped for - Anonymous employee Kohl's Employee Review

Although the pros are wonderful, they are not what's important when you are trying to fulfill a dream and do what you're passionate about. When I interviewed I was told of all of the wonderful opportunities for advancement. This simply is not true. Kohl's loves their Big 10 college grads and if you intern there, you're golden. Not so true if you come to Kohl's later in your career. If you start at the bottom of the ladder, it's a hard climb. As people come and go, you are often training those in positions above you with zero incentive or reward. There are many managers that simply do not belong in management positions. Kohl's is often aware of this but nothing is done. They also say you are in control of your career but this is not true. You don't go anywhere without your managers blessing so you'd better hope they like you. It is not uncommon for people to leave Kohl's because they are not getting promoted, work elsewhere and then come back to Kohl's at the next level. It seems Kohl's would rather their employees leave than appreciate them so they don't leave in the first place. There is very much a social hierarchy and a lot of favoritism. If you're not "in the club", you're probably not getting in. I do not believe this is true for every department but this is definitely true in product development and the merchant side.