Office Depot Reviews in Houston, TX Area

Pros

Good Team to work with, Management is good, Hours are reasonable, Easy to learn, Does not get boring, Job Rotation

Cons

Training the employees is not a high priority with management, but most of the tasks are rather easy to pick up.

Advice to Senior Management

I would take a higher priority on training employees to improve how you can handle customers rather it be checking a customer out, knowing the merchandise in the store, and how to handle certain situations.

Pros

- Decent Pay (for management)
- Good Locations (easily accessible)
- Benefits packages are reasonably priced
- Office Depot helps pay for continuing education after one year of employment

Cons

- Poor management (Store managers don't take enough responsibility for actual operations. They spend a lot of their time greeting customers at the front doors... something a low paid employee can do just as well)
- Quantity over Quality when it comes to employees (several managers live by the philosophy that a low-paid employee who doesn't perform or provide quality work is better than hiring a better qualified individual and paying that individual
- Low flexibility for managers scheduling

Advice to Senior Management

Upper management needs to take the time to know all operations in and out, and to hire quality workers. Warm bodies won't cut it!

Pros

Fair commission payout, flexible work schedules (for part-time employees), good place to work while in school.

Cons

Low pay compared to other companies in the industry, no real room for advancement, marginal bonuses per year, promotion next to impossible from within the company, horrible support from district management

Advice to Senior Management

Treat your employees, and more importantly your customers, with more respect and take the time to listen to the people on the sales floor and not just look at numbers and balance sheets. Be more willing to compensate your employees and reward those deserving with promotions.

Pros

If you work part time as long as you are clear on your schedule and don't back down, you can have your desired work hours.
There is a 10% discount, um most of the stuff they sell is expensive anyway but if you know how to do it you can get things for free almost.
Coupons that are designated for customers probably could end up in your pocket.
Most people you work with are cool and around your age.

Cons

Oh my goodness, where to start.
Usually retail stores such as this are way under staffed, that means that on Sundays there is one cashier, and three or four other people in the store. Do you need someone to check to see if there's an available chair? You're going to have to wait while the line builds up, you are also responsible for the re-stocks which other workers leave conveniently for the Sunday person or the last person on the shift to do. Have a customer that wants to use the coupon even if it doesn't apply and you have already told him or her, don't bother calling the manager to back you up, just do it, that will save you the stress of having to fight with some incompetent moron that can't read and from looking like an idiot in front of the customer because the manager won't back you up in company policy and will happily apologize for the problem. As a cashier you are pretty much the first point of contact with the people, that means that you must refer the customers to technology workers, or stockers to find things, while answering phones, doing your cashier job, and looking up things that the customer needs. In all, I don't think the stress is worth the headache.

Advice to Senior Management

I know this is up to the District Manager but I have no idea why people feel the need to understaff a store on the weekends!?
Maybe get out of the office more and stop kissing people's ass, back your cashier's up.

Pros

The Reps and Management in Houston are the Best.
A big family, competitive and like to Win.
Sales Animals!

Cons

Missing 401K, would like to see this come back.

Advice to Senior Management

Thank you for believing in us! Keep things Changing!!!

Pros

Work is fairly easy most days, with plenty of time for slacking, if you just walk around the store and look busy management usually wont care. On days when there is work, it's just putting stuff on the shelves and helping customers find items. 10% employee discount, which helped me out a bit when I bought a laptop there. Chronic tardiness is more or less accepted. They will work around college hours.

Cons

Pay is barely above minimum wage for entry level positions ($7.50/hr, I got an 8 cents/hour raise after working there for a year), raises and opportunities for promotion are non-existent. Payroll budgets in stores have been cut significantly, forcing one person to do the job two formerly did, and the pressure on employees to sell attachments, like Performance Protection Plans (extended warranties) and Tech Depot Services ("Geek Squad" type services) is immense. My own hours got cut several times for not signing enough people up for the Worklife Rewards program. Store is chronically understaffed, and always a mess because of it.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus less on extraneous things like extended warranties and focus more on the core business of office supplies and customer service. Drop the Worklife Rewards program, it's more trouble than it's worth. Selling a million extended warranties won't do any good if customers go to Staples because Depot won't schedule more than four people at a time to run the store.

Pros

They have room to move up/change positions in the company. This is a great company to work for. I prefer the Business Dev Mgr position over the Account Manager. Work from home. Only go to office on Monday mornings.

Cons

They have alot to sell- promotional products, IT, furniture, and more. This is a pro and a con.

Advice to Senior Management

I actually have nothing bad to say to upper management. AS long as you meet you numbers, they leave you alone.

Pros

Positive work environment
Flexiable hours for part-time employees

Cons

The Company invests money in programs no customer in their right mind is going to spend money on in this economy!
Poor salary, poor raises
Poor communication from corporate on how to execute simple tasks
Poor equipment - is anyone really surprised the 8yr old copier has a out of order sign on it, except the neglected customer?
Not enough payroll - leads to bad customer service
Poor systems for things as simple as payroll to placing a order for a customer or the systems are so complicated you wonder what kind of moron came up with that.
Poor stock replenishment program
Store management is overworked and one is expected to do the job of 3.
Wheres my lunch break?????
Overall mismanagement

Advice to Senior Management

Put money back into the necessities, or start closing stores.

Pros

Easy work and quite a lot of freedom, most people are nice and helpful. It is easy to get on at Depot and will continue to be as turnover is an issue.

Cons

The compensation plan for sales reps is very poor. I was not informed well during my interview and was given the understanding I would be making much more by now. No one on my team has made a bonus all year and that is why turnover with increase between now and 2010. Also, they took away the 401k match, education reimbursement and the car allowance was cut nearly in half.

Advice to Senior Management

Come up with a comp plan that will keep reps motivated every month. I realize the 401k match and education reimbursement will come back as revenues increase, but drive the behaviors you want with the COMP PLAN. Dangle some carrots out there. Show the sales force if they exceed some stretch goals what they can make and make it BIG!

Pros

flexibility of working from home- Legacy company- calling on larger businesses and executives-blackberry laptop car allowance- participate in great team events

Cons

Upper management has no consideration for what is happening in the field. BDM II position made 130K plus per year with performance bonus now all reps are living on small base salaries due to new compensation plan. Huge disparity in salary ranges- one BDM will make 40K while another will make 60K, extreme favoritism, managers will get away with things that in a normal company they would be fired. HR department is almost non existent here

Advice to Senior Management

Nothing happens until a sale is made- take care of your top performers or you will lose the ones who haven't already left.