Big Lots Reviews

Pros

Big lots is like a second family. It's a fun place to work and I enjoy working with everyone. There's always something to do to keep you busy. I love my job, the people I work with and the customers that visit our store.

Cons

The manager is suppose to work one closing shift each week, but never works a closing shift and never works on Sundays. There's never management meetings so there is extreme lack of communication.

Advice to Senior Management

Advice to Senior Management
Listen, be objective and talk with all management involved, get all sides and then follow thru with decision. Communication is key and without it some of us that are still learning the ins and out may get lost. It would be nice if you bring back retirement benefits to those who have stuck it out for the long haul.

Pros

scheduling is fair and consistent

Cons

coverage is not always there.

Advice to Senior Management

management to develop and train associates

Pros

Get to help customers
Work is kind of easy
Very Straightforward Job
The interviewing process was very, very, very easy.

Cons

Lack of communication between employees often had costumers furious because lines were backed up.
Too many chiefs, not enough Indians.

Advice to Senior Management

Start all over again with the way that your employees approach their work. Make a detailed planner that lets each person know what to do.

Pros

Availablity, employee discount is a great incentive, pleasant co-workers, longevity of employees.

Cons

You work every weekend very trying!

Advice to Senior Management

Managements weekend work every weekend is demanding on family functions.

Pros

Some of the people that work here are great! 2 of our assistant managers lead by example and are not afraid to get their hands dirty. They set the pace at which most of us work by. It's nice to see a manager get right in there and work hard with you.

Cons

Not enough hours available to even pay for gas to and from the store. CSS's are the most inept, incompetent individuals and can't multi-task however they have gotten raises since hire date Sept. 1 plus get a 40 hour work week! Night stock crew and furniture sales clerks still haven't received a raise and are making $7.25 hourly with less than 30 hours available to them. A lot of preferential treatment given to the female CSS's, time off whenever asked, not completing job tasks at the end of their shift, They leave a mess and the manager expects the night crew to clean up after them. Complaints have been made to the manager by customers about how poorly treated they were treated by certain CSS's however no counseling or reprimand have been given to these individuals. Moral is super low with the employees doing the hardest work, due to the lack of show of appreciation given to those who over night stock, recover the huge mess every night, lack of raises and grandiose expectations of the management on truck days. Management are living in a dream world instead of reality. If you have common sense, you DO NOT want to work here.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat your people fair, respectful and show them all their hard work is truly appreciated by giving them enough hours and pay. Tell them face to face and not just leave a small handwritten note on the bulletin board for a general pat on the back. Managers should be able to walk the walk not just talk the talk. LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

Pros

The people are great. There is plenty of opportunities to advance within the company. Great pay if you have the required work history.

Cons

There are no problems with working with Big Lots that I have seen yet. I would like to see people everywhere try to work with me as long as they have the work history.

Advice to Senior Management

You guys have been great to me leading me through the hiring process. Thank you all for being so kind.

Pros

you don't need to know much of anything to get a job here.

Cons

power trips by management and other CSS employees, that means you will be talked down to by people that have no education, real customer service skills, etc.

management expects you to do 100 million things at once.

Advice to Senior Management

Learn how to differentiate an employee with the potential to contribute to the company in a great way and those that will not.

Pros

co workers,discount is ok,pay is average

Cons

senior mgrs are out of touch and unrealistic.Payroll is below unrealistic.most expectations are barely achievable.

Advice to Senior Management

work in a store with the conditions you give us two weeks,Things would change

Pros

First seeing new products, co-workers usually good people, job security due to low compensation, customer service, employee discount.

Cons

Failure to comply with their own rules from handbook. (3rd shift stock has to clock out for lunch, but cannot leave the locked building??????HB states "Associates may leave the premises for meal periods.)
Current employees hired in make more than those been there between 2-10 years.
Poor payroll hours (then this year, cooperate "orders" managers to hire a certain number of people for xmas when current employees were only getting 6-15 hours a week, now they took our Christmas too, the only time we ever get decent pay)
No chance for advancement.
Management pick favs.
RM, DM and SMs never on the same page.
Poor communication from all levels of management.

Advice to Senior Management

Follow your own rules.
Look out for your employees like you do the customers, we are why they keep coming back!
Make sure that people dedicated to the company GET the hours, esp at Christmas!
Find a way to open the lines of communication with ALL management.

Pros

Great projects, well aligned with competition, comprehensive understanding of the market

Cons

Outdated computer systems, sometimes difficult to get feedback