The Trials of a (Michaels) Senior Certified Picture Framer
Pros
Regarding the Framing Department Only: Materials used were of appropriately high quality. All of the staff I worked with tried their best to do the tasks asked of them and, in the main, were as professional as possible toward the general public... (continued in "Cons")
Cons
...given the absolute lack of necessary training required to complete those tasks properly. Regarding the Framing Department Only: While I had many years of previous experience in the field, this was not the case with most of the associates I worked with. As you might imagine, when dealing with delicate items of monetary or emotional value, this is a serious issue. In fact, all store associates were subsequently required to be "framers" regardless of their position (FT/PT or job description). My repeated attempts to have this matter addressed were completely ignored by store management though, in their defense, it was probably out of their control. "Channels": Associate -> Department Head -> Assistant Store Manager -> Store Manager -> District Manager -> and on... none of whom wanted to deal with (or even pass on) even the most appropriate questions, recommendations, suggestions, inevitable conflicts and concerns. The "Suggestion box": It was responded to anually; and only once that I was aware of. With all the issues that could be resolved, word came down that, "We take your suggestions seriously. You spoke and we heard you! We are happy to inform our associates that, as long as a name-tag or "Michaels Shirt" is worn, that you can now wear jeans." This was deemed the most pressing matter to be addressed; once; in five years? Department Management: In the five years I was employed with Michaels Stores, I worked under six different department managers. None of them had any framing experience prior to their employment. The first had only been there for two years and departed soon after I started. Two had no experience at all. One had spent several years in another store but was only there briefly, and two were promoted from our department. Time: 1 - None allotted for proper training; only a Q&A computer program utilized. 2 - Not enough scheduled for minimum department coverage. 3 - Too much spent on unnecessary internal "Audit Issues." 4 - An abundance applied to ridiculous ideas not applicable in real-world shop scenarios. In other words, a standard "Big Box Retail Management Model" was/is being applied to an industry that demands time, skill, and attention to detail, risking disastrous results. The Shop: 1 - Old equipment. 2 - Unqualified support, rarely supplied. 3 - We were the last line of quality control for many materials cut off-site (North Carolina) 4 - Regardless of needing to present the quality demanded in a timely fashion, reorders were rampant, results were slow, and customers suffered the consequences. 5 - This also applied when mistakes were made due to haste and/or inexperience. Because of the above reasons, I highly recommend customers avoid Michaels Stores for custom framing, but rather seek an independent shop where all associates are dedicated to the craft and potential risks not so high. For anyone interested in applying to Michaels Stores: Hours: 1 - A full time position could present a 32 hour average. 2 - The one-week schedule would posted two days prior to it taking effect. 3 - There were no set schedules; days and shifts are subject to change weekly. 4 - Any restriction to your availability would demote you to part-time. 5 - As a P/T associate, you could be scheduled as little as 3 hours in one week. Salary: 1 - Caps on positions... 2 - ... which were lowered 20% during my employment. 3 - Pay well below (and helping to lower) the <industry> standard. 4 - Raises (if you were lucky) abysmal. A tiny fraction of the increased cost of living. 5 - Lowest received: 13 cents, with an 98% positive annual review. Summary: No ability to supplement a terrible FT income, with an additional PT job, due to "total availability" requirement. No regard for home/work balance. I would like to reiterate that most of these issues rest squarely on the shoulders of Corporate Mismanagement and should not reflect on the individual store(s). How store management handles the resulting chaos is another story and this is as far as I am prepared to go in my review.
