Aaron's Reviews

Pros

You get Sunday and one other day off. Things are pretty consistent from day to day. You will feel better about yourself after you see some of the people they lease to, even more so if you go to their house. This job will suck but you will learn a lot about how to manage which should make your resume a lot better.

Cons

Long days. Pay is just too low for the work you do. Health Insurance is awful. Your deductible is so high it's not worth paying the 70 a week. (family coverage). As a sales manager, you have to handle everything in the store. (service, show room and sales) Not easy and will wear you out. This is not a long term career; their is no one in our district that has been here longer than five years.

Advice to Senior Management

I'm sure it would cost more but most of your stores need a part time employee to ease the burden on the rest of the staff. SEI must look at their benefits. You cannot expect good talent to kill themselves and then offer them low pay and garbage health insurance. Your computer system is so outdated it's hard to believe that your tech guys have not told you what a waste the current system is and how much cash it costs you.

Pros

Salary after you become GM.
Discount on furniture, specially mattresses.

Cons

Hours (they are not long but let say as a GM you open the store at 8 am and you close the store after last truck gets back at 9 pm)
Pressure from regional because he is getting rammed by VP.
Consistant changes in renewals procedure.
Inventory, audits preparation, deposits before 12 pm, etc etc
As a GM you have no control and everything is dictated by RM.
Loading, unloading and collection specially returns of furniture from upset customers is a huge issue.
No diversity.
Its always who you know compare to what you know.

Advice to Senior Management

No advice at all, I was with them for 7 years and worked on all positions, I miss the money but definitely love the family time I have now.

Pros

The benefits are truly incredible, all things considered. That's why I thought it was a legitimate place to work. I also appreciate being able to close the doors and walk away at night knowing I'll be able to pick up where I left off the next day. The uniforms are good quality, flattering, and easy to care for, but cost about $100 if you want a week's worth of shirts.

Cons

It's absolutely nightmarish. First of all, the titles given to staff are misnomers invented to make themselves sound distinguished. Second, you are basically on your own. My store is tiny. There are a total of six people working there, and that's all. If you need something, your only option is to get the GM--who seems much more concerned with calling "non-renewals" and taking inventory on a weekly basis than helping actual customers in the store. The whole business model is two-faced. Half of the store is trying to sell beat-up furniture to whoever makes the mistake of coming through the door, and the other half is trying to get it back when they stop paying for it.

Advice to Senior Management

Open your eyes and look around at the mismatched flea market you call a showroom. Open your ears and listen to your employee when she needs your help.

Pros

The pay is good, and the benefits are excellent. The online training is very helpful, as is a helpful manual. Most of the merchandise is of good quality, if not top of the line.

Cons

There is a lot of pressure to "make your numbers." The management style is to keep reminding employees that there are plenty of people out there who would like their jobs. The manager trainee not only is responsible for coaching people into better payment behavior and to collect money, but also to go on deliveries, returns, empty the trash, and clean the bathrooms. If you don't buy an Aaron's shirt, then you must do all of these dirty tasks in a shirt and tie. There is a lot of pressure to do online classes while simultaneously performing your job.

Advice to Senior Management

While pressuring regional and store managers to "get their numbers up," also teach them how to develop an environment in which employees can grow, and in turn, develop employee loyalty along the way. The current management style alienates people, and negative reinforcement only works until your back is turned. Using fear and threats of termination promulgates turnover.

Pros

- Great entry-level management trainee position
- Exposure to various business concepts to pad experience
- Laid back atmosphere in stores

Cons

- Need to be thick-skinned in dealings with management and customers
- Collections activities can put people in sketchy locations

Pros

You get paid a dollar per stop on top of your hourly wage, you also get a week vacation after 6 months of continuous employment. After a year of continuous employment you earn your 2 week vacation.

Cons

Being made to work over your scheduled time without your consent, and then being made to "cut out" your overtime later on through out the week. It is extremely hard to make any sort of plans outside of work on any given day since you really don't know when you will be able to leave.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat your PT's with more respect. We are the last employee the customer ever sees, and if you are treating your PT's unfairly or disrespecting them they might not give off the right image. Also, it's not a good idea to make your team "cut out" their over time. If you keep wondering why your turn over rate is abnormally high in certain stores, maybe take a look at that stores management team to see what's wrong?

Pros

Opportunity for advancement, good compensation, benefits

Cons

Long hours, not enough praise or recognition

Advice to Senior Management

Need to promote more of a work home balance

Pros

Pay is ok once you get to GM but starting off at manager trainie you might as well be a stocker for someone.

Cons

Long hours
make it very difficult to be reimbursed for expenses you have.
management by fear (to the extent of bullying in the work place)
you don't get to select your management team but your held accountable for them
will put hourly employees down in front of peers
upper management constantly will terminate your staff and then you have to start over training new people but you have to cover their loss which could take a month or more to find someone
as a GM you are not able to train and develop your team to be successful

Advice to Senior Management

You are not a Pro football team or the military so stop acting like it.
Use some common sense and listen to your people or get used to the lawsuits against you because its your own fault. As one of my employees used to say just think if they treat there employees this bad how do you think they treat there customers

Pros

Good Management
Good Overtime
My store, we get pizza on Saturdays but we pay

Cons

A Lot of Stress!!
All I do is move furniture all day! Very little commission.
The pay sucks!!

Advice to Senior Management

Stop being cheep! Hire more people! I work like a dog when I don't have to. Pay better too!

Pros

This company is a great inbetween job for anyone searching a career. Most stores associates become family after awhile. They offer a decent employee discount.

Cons

The company lives by a set of values that every associate must live by but is only followed by higher ups when convenient for them. Most posistions must work 50+ hours a week and travel above and beyond a respectable distance. A General Manager has very little power but forced to keep stellar results, higher management will operate your store and when business slows it is the general manager and their staff who is at fault. SEI has a very bad habit of just terminating associates who are assets to the organization.

Advice to Senior Management

Learn to follow the values put in place most important treating your associates and customers the way you want to be treated! Offer help to the assets of the organization rather just cut them loose after they have built a career with you.