Godiva Chocolatier Reviews

Pros

Working at Godiva is some of the easiest work ever. The customers are almost always happy because they're excited to get chocolate, and the training videos tell you exactly what to say to sell. Just do exactly as you're supposed to, because the mystery shopper can come in and screw you over.

Cons

The pay isn't amazing, but whatever.

Advice to Senior Management

They could give me more feedback once in a while, I guess.

Pros

The job is pretty chill. There's a lot of pressure to sell chocolate, but no repercussions if you don't. Management is a little goofy.

Cons

The job does get old pretty fast. You stop eating chocolate. Other than that it's really just like any other retail job.

Advice to Senior Management

The job gets old really fast. The company is probably decently run. They are always coming up with goofy new product ideas that seem really desperate and behind the times.

Pros

Employees receive great staff discounts, get to sample the chocolate for free, and get good benefits for full time employees.

Cons

Unreasonable goals - who can make $$$$ on a Monday when it isn't even a holiday? We are required to do "grabbing" which basically means shout at people outside the shop about promotions even if the mall we are operating at can give us a fine if we do that. Payroll hours can only afford a skeleton crew while the goal for the day calls for a full ship, and if a mystery shopper comes in that day and you don't pay 100% attention to them when employee customer ratio is 2:5, you get a write up. Upper management doesn't really care on the method, as long as you're making your numbers and make sure it is more than 20% because it is the only acceptable percentage.

Advice to Senior Management

It's not all about the money. Employees who leave will tell others how horrible they were treated by upper management. Maybe upper management should have a requirement to run a store for a few months by themselves for a reality check.

Pros

Great work/life balance
Good discount
Fantastic brand

Cons

Lack of professional development
Out of touch Senior Management

Advice to Senior Management

Focus more on your core customer rather than market to yourself.
Reward people that work hard and want to be there
Promote workers at every level, not just Managers

Pros

%50 discounts
Friendly coworkers
Sample everything for free, in order to know how to describe it to customers
Nice enviroonment
Company tries to bring new products every now and then

Cons

Low wage in return for the work you put in
MOST not all managers and people in higher positions have little respect for you and all they care about is covering their asses
No recognition
Only way to move up in the company is to be a cutthroat jerk
Your sales in dollar value mean nothing
You would think that you would be paid much more than minimum wage or at least a bit of commission due to the fact boxes of chocolate typically cost from 32-150 dollars per box
Company expects each of its employees to make huge sales and in return hard working employees gain nothing back for it

Advice to Senior Management

Teach all leadership-holding staff to show some respect to everyone
Increase your less-than-minimum wages
Frequently reward and recognize hardworking employees - not just the managers of the stores
Understand that not all stores have the same clientele. One setup of the floor may work great for one store but not for every store.
If you come to visit, show proper leadership by leading not directing
Give raises to people whose numbers obviously show they deserve it - if you want them to keep it up or aim to exceed
Make it mandatory for everyone in the company to anonymously rate each others performances (work/attitude/treatment) at least twice a year if not at the end of every month and take action upon the results you get back

Pros

Great atmosphere and you really get to build on your sales as well as your marketing skills. It is retail so you obviously work in teams, but you reach for sales goals together.

Cons

Overall it is a great place to start. Especially if you are a high school student. The downside is that the pay is not so great, but it is a high school job.

Advice to Senior Management

Management was great. I would advise them to continue and help out their employees by giving them more responsibility and helping them improve their sales skills.

Pros

The discount is 50 % off, the customers who love the product are fun to take care of, variety of the product is constantly changing

Cons

Unrealistic expectations from DM and Regional. These people do not have a clue how to run a successful district. Grabbing = carny tricks = tourist tricks = no luxury experience here.

Advice to Senior Management

Start over and ask your employees and store management what works.

Pros

Discount and I loved Customer Service

Cons

I did not like the shady actions of the new District Manager and Store Manager that was hired over me. To many chiefs not enough indians.. nobody takes the employees side..Payroll expectations are unrealistic
I could right a book about this company...

Advice to Senior Management

Please listen to your STORE MANAGERS NOT YOU DM OR RM they do not give you all the details and HR needs to get EVERYONES STORY PERSONALLY NOT GO BY HE SAY SHE SAY!!! If it does not change soon you can gaurantee a law suit will follow....

Pros

Benefits including discount are good. Chocolate is good. Generally the store I work in is a fun place to be.

Cons

GRABBING! Foolishly have to stand there and convince people walking by why they NEED to come into our store and buy something. As if we work as a Carny not a "Luxury Sales Associate". We offer them a sample and we have to HARD sell them to buy from us. If this is not done upper management will come down hard on us. Accusing us of standing around all day trying to not make money.
Upper management is not in touch with stores. I think they know this, but they have to answer to the owners and show what they are doing to make money. They come in yelling and think this approach is okay. Newest excuse for poor performance is your secret shop scores. Yes that is it! Lets threaten to write up or put managers on a plan to fire them to get the scores they need to show our owners. This came on quickly since at the start of the year this was not the focus. When stores were scoring well now maybe 20 stores a month show a score of 100. A year ago that was not happening it was a lot of stores scoring well. What happened Godiva? Why was the last company giving good reviews and this new one picked by a higher up now scoring us so poorly?

Advice to Senior Management

Get in touch with your stores. Owners it is time to face the truth people running Godiva are not getting the job done.

Pros

50% discount (good for last minute birthday presents), working with food, enjoyable to work with the public to make special occasions even better, convenient to be in a mall if you need to shop after/before work

Cons

Ridiculous management, poor training, constant waste of food, unrealistic expectations in a down economy, and the 'grabbing'. Don't even get me started on the 'grabbing'.

In the two years i've worked for godiva, there have been three different district managers. That certainly doesn't seem like the best idea to me. Our district will likely not be getting a new DM until AFTER 'holiday' (roughly late october to mid february) due to the higher ups not wanting to/not having time to find someone and get them trained before the christmas crunch. The strain this will put on the people having to take that DM's load is likely to lead to even more turnover.

I was put on an 'action plan' for not 'moving the needle' (read, not being able to salvage a dismally lazy store singlehandedly). Every store is always expected to be 10-20%, some times up to 30% up on "plan" even with the hottest summer i can remember. People weren't even dreaming of buying chocolate on 110 degree plus days.

I have also gotten disgusted with the constant pushes for more and more dipped fruit production, even though on our best day we sell nowhere near even half of the 60+ strawberries they want us to make. The amount of fruit wasted is positively sickening, and management cares little to none, because it doesn't cost the company much money compared to the 7-10 dollars they charge for various chocolate fruits. By the way, more often than not, people turn tail and leave the store when they hear us ask 7$ for ONE strawberry. I had a customer in such disbelief that they asked me 10 times at the very least if that was actually the price.

The brand is also taking a huge hit from being in drugstores and grocery stores. How much 'luxury' do you think you can actually put out when you're along the aisles in walgreens and forcing employees in chef jackets and cheesy paper chef hats to go out and yell at people walking by to 'grab' them?

Advice to Senior Management

Pay attention to what is actually occurring in the economy and what is realistic to expect of your stores. Cut down the frankly immoral waste. Take a serious look at your pricing scheme, especially for fresh fruit. Pay attention to how your employees are being treated. If you're running through DMs like paper towels, something is wrong here.

Godiva is still somewhat respected as a brand, but goodwill doesn't last forever. Employees that leave with a sour taste in their mouth tell many times more people about their bad experiences than happy employees.