Ann Taylor Reviews

Pros

The benefis are great. Your PTO, sick, and V.K are better then most companies. Leaders in company have a great out look on the future. The client service is wonderful and the client first makes your job nice.

Cons

HR has to be a part of every move. Store managers can not hold there team accountable. Employee's are allowed to behave like brats when things do not go there way. Store manager has to Cater to there personal request when there own personal work life balance is in jeopardy. On boarding was awful! Had to teach myself everything. From reports, payroll, procedures, register, and company core values :)

Pros

Great work environment
Great relationship between managers and sale associates
Fun to help style customers and try on clothes on the job!

Cons

The long hours on the weekends can be grueling. The pay is not the best. There aren't many payroll hours so the part time employees get maybe about 15 hours a week.

Advice to Senior Management

Help part time employees by giving them feed back about how well they are doing and give advice about who the genuine woman is.

Pros

Work life balance is encouraged, the clients are wonderful to work with, the associates love what they do, making my job easier. There is room for career advancement within the 3 divisions. Scheduling is very flexible.

Cons

Training for new management is in great need for improvement, you need to be a self starter or you could very quickly become overwhelmed.
You need to be comfortable cold calling business to drive events in you store, several a month.

Advice to Senior Management

Changing priorities (sometimes within the couse of the day) creates to much unnecessary noise for management team. The on line store is creating to much competition with street stores, (better promotions) affecting our net sales & bonuses/raises

Pros

Wonderful people but zero chance to advance

Cons

low pay, high expectations with no reward

Pros

-50% discount on full price
-20% discount on non-full price
-Fair hourly wage
-Cute clothes

Cons

-Communication problems
-Very pushy to make credit sales

Advice to Senior Management

Better communication about job performance.

Pros

Employee Discounts are 50%
Good relationship with loyal customers.
Fun environment to work in with other Sales Associate.
Store Manager is will work with you if you give them substantial notice for time off.

Cons

Managers are disorganize when it comes to working with other managers.
It's not always about Credit cards, people came to buy clothes.
Managers gives more hours to certain associates (Favoritism).
This is retail, so expect your weekends to have open availability.
No matter if you give 110% or 10% you get compensated the same.

Advice to Senior Management

If you start listening to your associates more then you'll notice that people actually like working at the store, if you neglect their needs, you will have disgruntled employees that will make your job a little harder. There is no justification for favoritism, if you want to compensate people with more hours (because there's no commission for selling clothing) then see who's doing there job, in building client relations, selling merchandise, opening new ATCC accounts. It's not just about the credit cards, it's about selling clothes and building a client base, while up-selling. Also, it would be a good idea to teach yourself and certain associates how to interact with angry clients, you don't fight fire with fire, you'll get a blaze!

Pros

The loyal clients. Some really nice, appreciating managers and employees.

Cons

Never enough hours - always 2 people on at all times, and are only 4 hours per shift
No one cares about the environment - so why should I?
The pay is okay - nothing, honestly, to brag about
The managers are constantly fighting on the floor - in front of clients and employees
Always put me on the schedule - I had another job and school, my schedule was given to them at least 5 or 6 times before they got it right
I can only work Saturday and Sunday - management always put me on from 5-10, and on Sundays from 3-7, I had to clean up the mess and store, while the managers got to grab their things and leave
Damaged clothing is cut up and thrown in the trash - manager was trying to persuade me to cut up the clothes, but I refused

Advice to Senior Management

I would advice not working at Ann Taylor LOFT. The company is so wrapped up in making money that they do not care about their employees. Credit cards, Loft Cares cards, saving cards, etc. are always thrown at the employees, while there are only 2 people on the floor (a manager and a sales assoc.), to clean up, fold, help clients, clean out fitting rooms - and depending on the manager, you are all alone in this....no one will do it besides YOU! You are forced to run around and take control, I would be a better manager than the ones now. I went to the interview and another person in my store got the position of Sales Lead - the company told me they didn't want to promote employees within stores....I have had enough with my job atmosphere and un-trained managers, and other employees that I am on the verge of quitting. Unfortunately, the store only has 11 people to work with at far as a "team" goes. If you get sick, you're beat because no one can cover you. Damaged clothing is cut up and thrown away, meanwhile half of the clothes are not even "damaged", they are still wearable. It is so sad to see such a company as LOFT to be so potential, but when it comes down to it, they cannot manage a business professionally and/or in an organized fashion. Promotions change daily sometimes, women just come back and return and re-buy! Ann Taylor LOFT needs to open their eyes.

Pros

The associates were cool, most of the clients were great, and the hours weren't long for the most part.

Cons

Hard to find promotional opportunities, it was difficult to be heard and for changes to be implemented, absolutely no work life balance due to short staff and low revenue. My superiors assumed instead of asking many things.

Advice to Senior Management

The store manager needs to go to bat more frequently for keyholders and associates. I've witnessed many people throw one another under the bus and that seems to be the general culture of most managers. Me first, you second.

Pros

Competitive Salary for SMs.
Team within Districts build strong relationships.
Mid to Lower volume stores there is a good deal of down time and managers can really spend time developing their teams.

Cons

Really focused on associate projection. It gets really expensive and cuts into earnings of all associates.
Wanting to just "see" a candidate before signing off on him/her is not the way to ensure competency and drive in management candidates.
Store visits from upper management should be a learning experience for all; not a shopping trip for visiting manager.

Advice to Senior Management

Seems to be a lot of turnover at the District level yet no one promoted from within in quite awhile.
Have seen many great SMs leave to get to next level with other retailers.

Pros

Great Discount, Some Great People

Cons

No men, inept management, political, bitter women.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop being catty