Dillard's Reviews

Pros

The people, specially the store manager is amazing , she will take the time to get to know people as individuals, and help to solve any problems, and she knows that happy employees work better!!
They help out with time off when needed
they encourage people to be better, and they give employees a very good discount
and your birthday is a pay holliday and you get the day off it was great to work with them

Cons

sometimes department managers let their favorites get away with a lot!!

Pros

Great starting pay. Can be fun fast paced retail environment, plus opportunities every year to receive a raise depending on sales performance.

Cons

Dillards only focuses on those that sell, including those that just stand at the register and take all the sales, while other associates suffer for putting out stock, merchandising, markdowns, etc. The nature of the business understood just dont focus on strictly sales. Pay should be based on merit and ability to handle all talks.

Advice to Senior Management

Ditch the politics and quit playing favorites. Company is too resistant to change their family run old ways in focusing on their "sph" system. Focus more on the merit of employee and ability to perform and handle all tasks, including merchandising and markdowns, rather than rewarding people who stand at the register and sell.

Pros

Pay was good. I had a few different ASMs, (area service managers) and each one was encouraging, understanding, and really wanted me to succeed. Employee discount is generous.

Cons

Sales quotas are individual instead of by department...so some of my co-workers did not help with other duties...they were only interested in selling. I also had an ongoing problem with another associate which eventually led to me leaving the company. My ASM was supportive, but upper management basically swept it under the rug. Constant stress of keeping up sales numbers was both physically and mentally exhausting.

Advice to Senior Management

I'm no expert, but it seems that a department sales goal would better encourage a teamwork atmosphere. Please be aware that some employees are abusing their discounts privileges on non- qualifying family and friends.

Pros

Employee discount is 25%, better than most
1 hour lunch break
nothing else I can think of
this place sucks

Cons

Sales Quota
Uneducated Management
Employee turnover
Playing favorites
Uneducated Employees
They treat you like a prisoner in a concentration camp.

Advice to Senior Management

Take back the SPH, make sure you are treating your employees with the respect they need or they wont respect you, improve your relationships with your employees, look your employees in the eye when talking to them, talk to them not down to them, Management is not superior to their employees!!! Management is not god!!!

Pros

Higher than Average starting salary No crazy Holiday Hours...Good Discount

Cons

Impossible Goals to Meet. Cut throat Sales associates Favoritism among management. Your salary WILL be cut after 3 months....most people quit or are let go within 12 months. Don't let the higher per hour wage fool you...it only last 3 months. Stay Away from Dillards....A Horrible Place To Work.

Advice to Senior Management

Learn how to treat your Sales Assoc the right way....Stop pitting them against each other every day.

Pros

The people I worked with at one location were fantastic and knew what they were doing. They allowed me to create mannequins and floor sets that I thought would work and gave constructive criticism, not just 'ew, that's ugly!'

Cons

Often times the management is unqualified for the job, and seem to have been hired for looks rather than ability. Most of the management were very gossipy and didn't much care for their employees. Heaven help you if you need an extra day off, it will not be granted for any reason.

Advice to Senior Management

I would have to say: listen to what we are telling you. The employees know the merchandise. We know what sells and what is liked better than you do, because we're around it all day.

Pros

Fun environment. Great discounts. Good way to build a business wardrobe for your next job. Performance based pay raises based on sales per hour.

Cons

Little room for advancement. Most promotions seemed to be dependent on "who you know" in your particular store. As a result, some departments are poorly run by underqualified individuals.

Advice to Senior Management

Promoting from within is fine. Solely promoting from within is dangerous. Recruit some college grads with new fresh ideas. Your claim to fame is being fashion forward. What does a "good 'ol boy" know about fashion?

Pros

-you get three weeks vacation after ten years
-there are some great people there
-starting pay is typically good

Cons

-The executive mangement is completely inept. They make the secretary do much of their work for them. They avoid dealing with the most simple of problems. They yell and cuss at associates in front of customers. If you need something from them you have to tell them over and over again as you would a child who just isn't paying attention. They just absolutely do not care.

-Most of the managers and associates are too busy playing with their iPhones to do any work.

-The handful of associates who do all the work typically get paycuts for their trouble, thanks to the idiotic quota system.

-The whole place is pretty much a circus of ineptitude, pettiness, and selfishness.

-Those who are willing to work and care about their job performance are just dumped on. There is absolutely no real compensation for hard work.

Advice to Senior Management

The next time you visit a store and do a walkthrough, check out the dock, the trailers, and the stockrooms. You won't like what you see. We get things in order and in stardard for your visit and as soon as you leave we change it all back again. Your general managers have no regard for your standards or your vision. They do things their own way, regardless of what you think.

You promote managers who know little more than how to lie to you convincingly.
The people who smile at you the brightest are not your friends.

It's silly how much perfectly good merchandise we throw away. I assume we write it off somehow. I didn't even know if you were aware of it.

Intimidation gets results. You know that well. It also destroys the culture of your store. Everyone is scared. Scared of not making quota, scared of not getting the credit app, scared their area doesn't look good enough... The anxiety shows, and the cusomers can feel it. It probably won't make them stop spending their money at Dillard's, but it sure kills the prestige that used to come with the name.

You should know this by now, but in case you don't: If you ask your average shopper in this area what she likes about Dillard's, she's here for the sales. She's not here for the overbearing hand-holding customer care. She's here to get good stuff cheap. There still those that buy full price, but there are lot fewer of them than there used to be.

You must know this by now, so why don't you curtail the ridiculous overbuying? I don't have to explain supply and demand to you. I don't have to tell you that it is impossible to correctly merchandise an overloaded fixture. You already know that. What I don't get is why you continue to sabotage your own stores by overloading them. At least diversify. You know as well as I that if a customer sees a shirt he likes and there are seven of them on the table in his size and color he is not going to buy it, even though he wants it. He will wait for the price to go down. This is common sense. Even a skilled associate will have trouble making a sale under those circumstances.

Treat your associates with respect. End this quota nonsense. Your sales will not plummet. I promise. Stop obsessing with credit apps. Stop worrying everyone to death about whether or not they are going to make their day. Stop all this needless anxiety, and let's get back to the fundamental basic: to genuinely enjoy helping the customer, who in turn genuinely appreciates being helped. It is this fundamentally good experience that makes a great company, and this experience comes best when it is not forced.

Pros

If you need a new wardrobe then work there. They pay the most starting out.

Cons

They cut your pay when you don't make sales
The managers will take the sales even though they don't need them
Managers treat you like they are better than you.

Advice to Senior Management

Take the time to learn about the lives of your associates and take a interest.

Pros

Co-workers dress code pay customers management

Cons

Not enough hours, discount could be better