CPI (Missouri) Reviews

Pros

Promotes from within. This is a very important concept to me. Rising from within the ranks gives the resulting senior and mid-level management a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the business they are trying to manage and improve. I believe it also promotes respect from the rank and file toward management and a stronger feeling of teamwork.

Cons

I have not been at this position long enough to be able to submit a valid opinion. The one thing I can say is that I have never worked in an environment so negative in it's attitude toward it's employees. So far I have met a good group of folks out here.. . there is no reason to treat everyone with such distrust and negative reinforcement techniques. There is no internal program to encourage or promote employee retention or satisfaction. I'm not surprised that the turnover rate is so high. I'm surprised it's not higher considering the range and quality of the abilities required.

Advice to Senior Management

I don't feel qualified at this point to advise management on how to proceed. I like to keep an open mind and I endeavor to see both sides of the equation. Not in a position to do that yet.

Pros

Great people to work with in the studio
Fun learning how to photograph children
Some opportunity for growth

Cons

No advance warning of hours per week
we have turned from being photographers to being marketers forced to call people over and over again to the point they hang the phone up when we call
More work + less hours to accomplish it make for a very stressful working enviroment

Advice to Senior Management

Get the upper management back that you have fired over the past 10 years. Another year and another decline in sales (and stock). Get management back that has a clue about what photography means.
You are trying to get a wealthier class of people to buy, but you give us worn out dated equipment.
There was a time I worked here that I didn't feel like I was working at McDonalds. The people in the office do not care about the people in the field. They need to get in together or find something else to do with Sears Portrait Studio.

Pros

Good sized IT department. Ok development process. Darn near impossible to get fired. Decent development computers. Interesting industry to work in. Free parking. A good place to work if you just want to push buttons and have no ambition.

Cons

Frequent IT department reorganizations with no notice or input from those being affected. No moral. Weak management (the last round of lay-offs was done over the phone because all of the IT management was on a golf trip together, they simply called a the office and told the victims over the phone). Outdated and dirty office furniture.

Advice to Senior Management

The top management needs to demote the middle management and replace them with outside talent who will bring in fresh and current ideas of how to run the business. Their old ways and out of date skill sets are holding CPI back.

Pros

They are doing all of the right things as a company to succeed in the economic time. They have many aquisition programs in place, bonus and commission programs to keep the field motovated by money, Their application process is one of the best I've worked with. They have a seamless process that works if initiated properly.

Cons

The workload outways the time given on all levels (PT Associates, Studio Manager, District Manager, Tech Support) I agree with all initiatives, however time and labor allocated makes it impossible to complete daily and weekly tasks on top of servicing the customers and giving them the one on one attention they need for every transaction. (this is not a "Just Browsing" industry) The benefits packages are priced to high and benefit coverage is not very good. Many Managers and District Managers compromise the programs to make themselves look good, while setting the bar for the rest of the field to reach.

Advice to Senior Management

My advice is to simplify all processes, evaluate the current labor guidelines and really do a deep dig on the everyday business & tasks of the PT Associate all the way up the ladder. Implement a recoginition program that is not reward or monetary driven. At all levels they need more "High Fives" and "Thank You's" This is not an easy industry to work, those that do well with it, need more recognition and personal "Way to Go's". Employees are happy when they can Celebrate even the most tiny feats! Conference calls need to be more "Team Focused" Not just one District Manager, Regional or Divisional talking, preaching. A collaborative enviorment where best practices are shared and you get more interaction from Managers or District Managers. All levels of Management needs to listen to the field more. They are working with our customers and know what they are looking for, they know the challenges of daily portrait studio life. When a challenge is discovered, help solve the problem. Not tell them to "figure it out" themselves, or I'm not sure, just do it.

Pros

flexible for time off, close to home, people were great to work with, decent restaurants were close to the office

Cons

top of management does not know how to manage people, continually changing mind about the objectives of the company, not much in the way of career development, no formal performance review process

Advice to Senior Management

employees were supposedly hired because they are experts at their positions, give them the authority to make decisions regarding their function without being micromanaged or second guessed

Pros

The downtown St. Louis location was great, with free employee parking. Additionally most of the corporate employees were a pleasure to work with.

Cons

Industry and executive management changes have impacted the company in a very negative way. Employees are not treated with respect. It has become a very difficult environment to work in.

Advice to Senior Management

My advice would be to listen to your tenured employee's opinions, and to respect the time they've invested in the company. Positive encouragement at CPI is almost non-existent at this time.

Pros

It's a job, a paycheck.

Cons

unfair, no raises, disrespectful of employees and lacking communication to employees

Advice to Senior Management

Get some management classes for management, they are lacking in the professional area.

Pros

Has a great downtown location. Pay is market competitive. HR is very accessible when you need them. Benefits are adequate.

Cons

Company has had several management changes. No clear business plan. Wasted most of the last decade trying to be a technology company instead of a retail company. Treats its home office employees well, but its field employees like crap

Advice to Senior Management

You're in a dying retail industry. If you want to attract people, you need a superior product and even more superior customer service, which you can't do on failing equipment and single coverage.

Pros

* Middle management is generally on the side of the employees who work under them.
* IT Department's work hours is generally flexitime. As long as you work the hours during a reasonable time of day (don't miss meetings), everybody's happy.
* Exposure to a number of different systems/technologies

Cons

* Projects generally have short timeframes and tight deadlines.
* Project requirements tend to change/shift as the project progress.
* You usually either have too much to do or too little to do.

Advice to Senior Management

The company needs to focus on their long term goals when it comes to the various initiatives that are implemented at the company. Rather than "shooting from the hip," make project plans that inform consumers/employees that you stand behind your long term goals and their viability.

Pros

-Some freedom to make management decisons.
-Kids can be fun to work with.
-At the end of the day it's just pictures!

Cons

-Vicious sales based job
-underpaid for being a general manager
-Constant threats to meet sales goals, no job security.
-unethical sales techniques encouraged on a district level/

Advice to Senior Management

Please invest more into employee happiness. This will decrease the shameful amount of turnover this company has. Customer service dep. should back the campanies policies instead of bending them in order to retain a manipulative customer. Please reward those districts that are being used as test markets, the "glitches" you are looking for cost us our bonuses and demoralize us.