Belk Reviews

Pros

As far as retail goes this job isn't too difficult, and if you're good at opening credits you can make a decent amount of pocket cash.

Cons

Corporate doesn't care to follow their own policies - you must do exactly what the customer wants. If they complain to corporate, you will be punished even if it is for following company policy. Don't meet your credit goal? Forget getting a raise. Your pay is based on sales per hour and if you don't get enough you will get your pay cut. Oh and that includes non-store hours, so you have to make up for those.

Pros

Family owned company so it is more flexible with associates

Cons

They do not give weekends off since you have sales goals to meet to stay employed.

Advice to Senior Management

They show favortism which pits people aganist them.

Pros

customers excellent customer service work with many valuable people

Cons

bitter management and pettiness of employees to eachother.they are put in that position and nothing resolved except threats from management not followed through.I take pride everywhere i work so i dont mind helping with cleaning but i dont like getting in trouble for not being able to be superhuman.and it would help if everyone would treat others with respect and pride with store.its very embarrassing when the store is so filthy...we can only do so much .

Advice to Senior Management

relax take a breath make it so you CAN talk to tim belk be adults treat associates as you would like to be treated ....karma

Pros

The best reason to manager a store at Belk is the autonomy. The fact that you make your own ideas and really run your building.

Cons

Old systems....old way of doing retail! Work/life balance.

Advice to Senior Management

You claim that you want to be an employer of choice but what about a better work/life balance for your management employees.

Pros

Fair pay, great product and excellent customer service policy

Cons

Payed by sales per hour, late hours during holidays

Pros

Always treated with respect by senior staff. I always feel supported and know my store manager will always have my back. It is a friendly, kind, fair, working environment. They treat their customers with respect and do a great job with marketing/promos- getting people into the store to shop.

Cons

It appears that the store operates with minimal staff. As a result, many things get overlooked and fall through the cracks. If done right, these "intangibles" would create a more pleasurable environment for the customer's shopping experience. The store is desperate need of updating. The floors are often dirty, merchandise on selling floors often messy and unorganized, stockrooms and storage areas so clutttered and disorganized that it hinders one's efficiency and ability to do his job. The brands we sell make us too one dimensional-- catering mostly to "mature" (retired) clientele, rather than the "professional" or the younger college student markets . You do not get non-productive time with this company... go to a meeting for a day, it counts against your sales per hour!!! Any time taken off the sales floor jeopardizes your SPH, and therefore your abilty to get a raise. This store is extremely LOW-tech-- terminals are ANCIENT---

Advice to Senior Management

Create a STANDARD of excellence at which the store and everything in it should be kept in order to create an aesthetically pleasing, shopping experience for our guests, which runs smoothly and efficiently. Such as: Clean tile and keep free of dust bunnies-- shampoo carpets regularly, Maintain cash wraps ensuring that they're not unsightly and cluttered with merchandise, but, clean, organized, and stocked with supplies. Visual props such as metal/lucite sign holders should be clean, shiny, unbroken, kept dusted and well maintained. Jewelry, frag and cosmetic counters, should always be polished, any chips or broken formica/laminate repaired immediately. Stockrooms and storage areas should be clean, organized and well maintained for safety, ease and efficiency. Update the stores aesthetics (carpets, paint, laminate counters, lighting, etc), Update brands to appeal to a broader range of clientele, as well as, price ranges for said clientele (need to add higher-end brands and product choices to all dept's which would appeal to the Professional and Student Markets.) Hire a PR person to get the store involved in the community-- manage social media opportunities, and be a liason between departments in the store and outside events. Grant a 4 hour a week non-productive time allowance to employees for off the floor tasks as well as, for any and all time spent at seminars, schools, meetings. Store's operating systems need serious updating to accomodate and maximize technological marketing and sales opportunites.

Pros

They have a very good insurance package. Vacation time is increased for years worked. HR works with you during leaves of absence. If you are young, (low twenties) you are offered to participate in their management trainee program.

Cons

Required to absorb work from dissolved departments before and during opening which directly affects sales. Sales goals are set arbitrarily and without consideration to this fact, nor your specific department. (i.e. if you work in "moderate sportswear", your sales goal is the same as someone who works in "better sportswear". No consideration is given to the footprint of your department nor the cost of the average item.) This results in pay cuts. Also, there is a failure to communicate regarding requesting time off. There are black out dates and if you wait too long, you forfeit your earned vacation time. Also, with regard to vacation time, you have to take it "in advance". No one explains this odd custom to you, it is usually learned the hard way. Once learned, you will find it hard to arrange vacation time as ones with seniority have vacation time in mass and come first. Also it is made clear your absence creates a hardship. Further, while you are "vacationing", you are having hourly sales cut from your overall average. What kind of a "vacation" is that?

Advice to Senior Management

Reward those working hard. High hourly sales means your employee is not performing any other duties other than ringing sales. Think about it. I have seen your best, most cooperative workers suffer pay cuts while ones who simply REFUSE to come in early, clean fitting rooms, put out stock, etc. prosper. Yes, you can replace employees, but I've seen some of the "specimens" you're hiring and it definitely has a negative impact on the general atmosphere of the store and overall experience for shoppers. Good employees who have had to move on ARE missed and asked about by your customers. Expectations are arbitrary and unreasonable, which creates anxiety in your employees. Customers DO notice cut throat behavior and disinterest in duties that go beyond ringing their sale.

Pros

I wish I could say more, but the only thing I can come up with is the employee discount. That comes in handy at the holidays when they throw the extra discounts.

Cons

It is run by the Belk family itself, that seems to be an issue with their huge ego and being the largest private retailer. The heads at top have no frickin' clue what they are doing! They want you to focus on the customers to service them, but at the same time they keep eliminating jobs creating more work for the sales associates. Belk sales associates are required to service customers needs and ring up sales, set all the sale events, process all the price changes, keep their departments clean and folded, and on top of all that they shove credit and a stupid customer satisfaction survey down our throats. I am not a sales associate luckily, but I still have to help with all that on top of my job duties of office manager and marking and receiving. I' ve been working there for 6 years, and have never gotten a decent raise without complaining to my store manager. Don't believe anybody else says about how the company really cares for the employees, they could care less!!! If they cared would they be trying to eliminate jobs and try to get every full-time position knocked down to a part-time so they don't have to pay benfits? Never work there!!!

Advice to Senior Management

Get over yourself and maybe pay a little attention to the employees who make Belk's money! You think you care, but you're not showing it very well.

Pros

Allowed time off
Respect of personal beliefs by management
Flexibility in schedule
Meeting new people

Cons

Constantly being pushed to open up a credit. It seem as though the customer is being viewed as a potential money maker instead of an individual who enjoys the Belk environment. When customers are being pushed for credit it makes them feel like the associates are not being sincere.

Being paid based on sales
Greedy sales associates who take each other sales

Advice to Senior Management

Take into consideration that the town in which the store is located may have residents who are Belk card holders and not everyone will need to open a "new" credit. It is impossible to meet the store's credit goal every week because most of Belk shoppers are Belk card users.

Pros

It is easy to request time off or change your schedule. The pay is decent. It enjoyed the store events tremendously.

Cons

You will not get promoted unless you are great at brown nosing. The management time constantly nag the associates about obtaining credit applications. Underperformers are treated badly and could possibly recieve a pay cut.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more people oriented.