J. Crew reviews

Where to start. For this particular location, I've worked here for almost 4 years and my previous store director was always present and lead by example and it was great. You could go to her for anything and she would always be there to give you a valid answer or help when you asked for it. But the current store director is barely ever present and when he is its just passing by, usually out of dress code that they like to over stress so much, doesn't seem to have any clue as to what is truly going on in the store and will leave you wondering how he even got the job in the first place. The management is unsupportive and its either you stick to the corporate rules or you can leave. There is no room to hear someone out and what they may have to offer as a solution. Going above and beyond will go unnoticed unless you shout it over the walkies, and if not they'll ask you why your not doing anything. The amount of tasks given to the support team with the expectation to instantly have it done is insane. Managers are ALWAYS just standing around talking amongst themselves, especially during events, and chime in to constantly ask you why you haven't opened up 20 Jcrew credit cards for the day, even putting up a zero list of employees in the break room who haven't opened any credit cards. They used to be really flexible with hours and expect you to hand your life over then not even schedule you at all. They love to make up new rules all the time that have descended from "corporate" and tell you that all stores now are doing it without thinking we'll actually ask other store employees about it to find they've made it up.

After one year of working with the company as a part time associate these are the negatives I've discovered working at a large metropolitan store: You will be overtasked by management. There have been days where I'm doing 10 different tasks meanwhile a manager will tell me I also need to pick up the phone by the third ring and still get everything done. Advancement is a carrot on a string. Managers will not inform you, even if you ask, what positions are available within the company. And no matter how hard you work and how much you accomplish when it comes time you'll be told there's no openings. Pay raises aren't negotiable. Asked for a pay raise based on my performance. I was a part time sales support who was managing and doing merchandising roles at my store. After 2 months of checking back in with my director to hear back they told me they couldn't give me a raise. Days later a friend put in her two weeks notice and a manager pulled her aside and told her that they would do anything to keep her, money wasn't an issue. Time Off As a part time associate if you ask 2 weeks or more in advance you should be able, with ease to get unpaid time off, or change your availability. I've done both and my changed availability was rejected outright. My manager told me we'd chat about it, and I've had to cancel trips and plans I'd had for months because my manager decided to deny my unpaid time off. Scheduling. Every week someone is scheduled to work on the days they've specified they can't because of second jobs, family, health, etc. They will schedule you to be 39 hours so as to not make you full time and not give you benefits. Fulltimers as well as part-timers will experience hour cuts, one manager once cut all of our schedules by 30 minutes each 8 hour shift, and cut part time employees' shifts nearly in half. (This sort of thing tends to happen a lot) Hours are linked to store success. Often times, especially in small stores, if monetary goals are not achieved by a certain hour in the day it is policy to start sending home people. Those who stay, in my experience, tend to be those management likes. Stress Due to over tasking you will go home with a mental list of all the tasks you will have to get done the next day. The stress never diminishes, and the only way people learn to cope with it is to either just accept it as part of the job and be stressed out everyday, or to just stop caring and give up trying to have good work ethic.