Good brand and coworkers, but corporate policies are out of touch with real workload - Retail Sales Associate Nordstrom Employee Review

3.0
Nov 25, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* Nordstrom has a strong customer-first culture and a beautiful store environment. * Many coworkers are genuinely supportive, kind, and fun to work with. * You gain great experience with styling, customer service, and fast-paced retail skills. * Employee discount is generous. * Customers can be wonderful and appreciative.

Cons

* Corporate expectations are increasingly disconnected from the physical and mental realities of the job. * The role is far more physically demanding than advertised: long hours on your feet, constant restocking, heavy lifting, and nonstop movement with very little downtime. * Staffing levels often don’t match customer volume, which increases pressure and burnout. * Returns can wipe out your sales for the day, which is discouraging and creates unnecessary stress. * Training for new hires can feel inconsistent or rushed depending on the department. * Some managers are overwhelmed and unavailable, which leaves associates without clear guidance or support. * Turnover is high, especially among new employees who struggle with the workload and lack of hands-on training.

Explore other reviews about Nordstrom

5.0
May 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

flexible hours and dress code

Cons

the customers can be stuck up

2.0
Jul 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good commission (for my department it was 10%), great coworkers—made amazing friends from my time here!! Opportunity for lots of commission $ during busy times.

Cons

Management is awful.. Plays favorites to an INSANE degree. For whatever reason I got onto the bad side of my department manager. Literally would call me into the office (taking away time on the floor to sell) to YELL at me until I cried for things that my coworkers got away with and didn’t even get so much as a talking to. Btw, what got me this treatment? Would be something pretty awful right? Coming in 5 min late. Big whoop. Also, management would promote people who quite literally had to take leaves of absence after having sexual harassment claims made against them… but then not only were they allowed to come back BUT also become floor managers. And what happened when he made it to that position? Literally got a sexual harassment claim again. I wonder how that could have been mitigated? The favoritism is so severe and unprofessional that when I was asking to get my job back for the holiday season I was told that there was nothing in the schedule available for me when in fact they were short staffed. And my coworker? The manager literally responded with “yes PLEASE 😍” yes. With the emoji. Grown man btw! Also, during that period the store was very shortstaffed with people quitting left and right. So, a lie.

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