How is management perceived at Orchard Supply Hardware?

Pros

Very flexible during college and had weekend hours

Cons

not alot of long term growth prospects unless you get onto the management track

Pros

I enjoy helping people, sharing my knowledge and being around tools. I also enjoy having a legit reason to talk to people - it brings me out of my shell... (what do strangers talk about anyway? I loathe pointless, hollow conversation and feigned interest) Because of my skill set, and aided by the lack thereof of many of the other employees, I soared like an Eagle at Orchard. I know my way around the products we sold, I know what a hard day's work looks like, and I grew up in the neighborhood so I knew how to talk to all the customers. It wasn't that the job was so great, but rather that I enjoy that type of work where I'm always busy doing something new and unexpected, playing with forklifts, baling machines and power tools all the while pasting a satisfied smile on the face of every customer.

Cons

The company ran itself out of business and its no wonder... Upper Management was TERRIBLE. There were a few good department managers at first, but they bounced to ACE Hardware after only a few months because their Manager was such a useless, cowardly, insecure moron. I opened the San Ramon, CA location. There was an initial Powerpoint orientation when I was hired and that was it - NO TRAINING WHATSOEVER. Orchard was SUPER CORPORATE. Orchard would do everything not because it was prudent, logical or fiscally prudent but because it came from CORPORATE. i.e. It was policy created by out of touch idiots with too much money, too much power, too little common sense, and too few brains, I proposed a logistical, organizational system to create order from the chaos that was Receiving/Stock. Back product was stored three rows high, 12 columns across, and stacked three deep. It was a terrible design on its own because nobody knew or could see what was behind the first piece of product. In order to know what was behind box #1 you had to get on the forklift, pull down box #1, climb out of the forklift, and inspect the now-uncovered mystery box.... TOTAL WASTE OF TIME AND MANPOWER. I proposed a simple dry-erase board that was columnized, rowed, and stacked to mirror the layout of the backroom and product in stock. I offered to go through the entire stock room and note on the erase-board what we had in stock and exactly where it could be found. I was shot down because, "Corporate wouldn't go for it". OF COURSE THEY WOULDNT that's why Orchard Supply and Hardware is out of business!

Advice to Management

They didn't and wouldn't listen anyway... Why bother? They're probably busy mismanaging another business into the red

Pros

Everybody was friendly and worked together as a family.

Cons

Two much changes in management team

Pros

Good people and management, no complaints here!

Cons

Well they no longer exist so that’s a con

Pros

Really easy job, simple and can be fun

Cons

Management isn’t the best and most the time, things are really slow

Pros

Paid training, vacation and holidays!

Cons

Late shifts, poor management and theft.

Advice to Management

Company is no longer in business

Pros

Fun who doesn’t love working with pets. You can grow employees very quickly to management. Pay and benefits are amazing

Cons

Typical retail. Political. Very high turnover.

Advice to Management

Consistency is what is needed

Pros

Most of the customers were nice.

Cons

Management pushed us to sell memberships which was extremely difficult because the community of customers were longtime and they already had club memberships.

Pros

Employees were nice and location was organized

Cons

Management needed a better sense of direction

Pros

Pay Rate,, Not much traveling,, Employee discount

Cons

Districr Managers are not consistent. Lots of favortism.

Advice to Management

Don't have a double standard for yourself, be fair across the board.