Retail Assistant - Retail Sales Associate PURESEOUL Employee Review

amazing coworkers, working for something i have a real interest in (korean skincare + makeup), customers can be really fun to talk to and it’s very fulfilling when you feel like you’ve actually helped them.

supervisors + head office are on a power trip 24/7, constant negativity from them, hypocrisy (phones not being allowed but supervisors constantly on their phones, prohibited from talking amongst ourselves on the shop floor even during quiet times but supervisors chat constantly]. head office do not see us retail sales assistants as human beings. always getting stricter + enforcing more ridiculous rules. they speak [through email] incredibly rudely / with entitlement over the simplest of inquiries. staff are expected to handle shipments ourselves when a lot of them are petite and young + supervisors don’t handle much of the workload - this is passed onto assistant supervisors and mostly retail sales assistants. complaints towards management are dismissed / not taken seriously but sales assistants will receive warnings for the smallest things. we have no security and will be blamed for thefts that may happen in our sections [how can we control everything?]. long hours on feet constantly = back, leg, feet and shoulder pain. can’t participate in promos as staff for a period of time / sometimes can’t use our discounts for promos [what is the point of the discount then]. not informed of promos in advance. lack of information + just expected to have all the knowledge in the world.

20% staff discount (though this could be improved considering product prices) Supportive and friendly coworkers who make the day-to-day experience more manageable Opportunities to progress are well-supported, especially if you show a willingness to learn and display the correct skillset

Pay does not meet the London Living Wage, which feels unreasonable given the company’s strong profits and the cost of living Management often takes a belittling approach rather than providing constructive feedback, creating a tense and discouraging environment Staff are frequently told off for simply speaking with colleagues, even during quiet periods, which adds unnecessary pressure and impacts morale Very limited training provided on both product knowledge and essential topics like HR procedures or health and safety Employees aren’t given the opportunity to try new product launches or samples, making it difficult to deliver the level of product expertise and service that the company expects Overall, the workplace culture feels toxic. Most staff are on edge, there’s minimal trust, and morale has dropped significantly