Pros

Generous discount on the clothing, cheap gym, good benefits, casual work environment, excellent cafeteria, columbus, oh has cheap cost of living, competitive salary

Cons

- Work/life balance is non-existent. I worked upwards of 70 hours some weeks and it was expected, not appreciated. Associates feel guilty for working less than a 12 hour day. The company expects associates to put the company first, their own well-being last.

- Poor senior level management. Those who are up top don't know how to make decisions and their inability to either make a decision within a deadline, or their inability to stand behind their decisions are ultimately costing the company dearly. There is a reason why the company is experiencing, to quote a yahoo finance article "eroding profit margins" and it is because numerous changes to financial strategy and to the product assortment and an unfocused and shaky big picture strategy for the future of the company. This all stems from the inexperienced and immature senior management in the company.

- Corporate culture. The company prides itself on hiring "nice, young, funny, smart" people. They expect the campus to be a "diva-free zone," Mike Jeffries should read the company creed again. He is neither nice, young, funny, or smart and he is the epitome of a diva. The corporate culture is one of extreme elitism, based upon the notion that A&F is a "cool and sexy" brand and therefore, the associates who work there are also "cool and sexy." This creates a corporate culture no better than the cattiest high-school. Fraternization with co-workers is encouraged, meetings are often conducted like a fraternity or a sorority meeting including inappropriate side discussions and humor.

Advice to Senior Management

There is a reason why the company is suffering financial right now, it is because the associates are deeply unhappy and frustrated with the way the company is run. Senior management needs to trust, appreciate, and nurture their teams so that they are able to contribute and be heard in meetings. Product development should NOT be a merchant role, EVERY OTHER COMPANY has a production team so the merchandising team can focus on building a strong product assortment. The split focus of merchandising an product development is just a cheap way for the company to combine 2 jobs into 1 to save money. Trust the merchants, trust the designers, and hire people OTHER than college grads, maybe someone with a background in fashion and not just another pretty frat boy? And to Mike and Chad, every change you make to the line has a financial repercussion and every change you make means dollars in the toilet and your associates have to stay that much later.