brand representative

store manager

retail assistant manager

guest experience leader

stocking associate

Altard State

I worked at Vow’d Weddings as their Senior Stylist for a year, I helped open that store. Its looks all great and dandy from the outside but the company has some serious flaws that are a make or break to work here. The company wants to run a bridal shop as if it’s a retail store which is not at all how a bridal shop can be ran. We were always understaff but treated us as if we had the staff. We had 11 viewing spaces and brides can book appointments as late as 24 hours out. Making scheduling and staffing very difficult. On Saturdays we would have 8 people working and 11 appointments booked in one time slot meaning as a stylist you would be taking double sometimes triple appointments at one time which for a bridal stylist is pretty much impossible. Yet, the company wanted us to give the brides the 100% best experience possible, yet when I’m taking multiple appointments at a time I can NOT give the brides the best “Vow’d” experience. The company wouldn’t listen to our needs that we need to change things to make it easy for the stylists to be able to sell, but because we weren’t hitting sales they decided that they had to keep all viewing spaces open to get as much traffic as possible. There is no motivation to sell because we don’t make commission. They just expected us to have 50% of our brides buy from us. Most bridal shops expect their employees to have 28-30% of brides to buy. So it was a huge expectation that was not even reachable, and it was rare if our store ever hit that. 

On weekends I never was able to take lunches due to always being so busy in appointments. Which is very much against the law. Our district managers solution was to move brides to before hours “for an exclusive experience” just making our days even longer and still wouldn’t get breaks because we had to except every single walk in that would come in wanting to try on dresses. Being in the busiest mall in Colorado and having to take every walk in was absolutely impossible when I was already taking 2-3 brides at the same time. I would work open to close like 80% of Saturday and Sundays and never get a break because I was one of the only stylists that could handle taking multiple brides at one time because there was no training on how to take more then one bride at a time because as a stylist you shouldn’t have to ever do that. 

The work environment of the store was absolutely terrible. The AC and heater were constantly breaking making it 10x harder to do my job. During the winter when it was -7 degrees outside it was 50 degrees in the store! Freezing! They never ended up fixing the heater making it so uncomfortable for us to work in and for our brides experience. Same goes for the summer, the AC was broken so it would be 95 degrees outside and 86 degrees in the store making all employees and brides sweating like crazy. We had brides walk out on us because they were so extremely uncomfortable. We had employees over heating and getting sick because it was so hot. For all maintenance we had to email the higher ups to get someone to the store to fix it and when we asked for help and our president of the company said “have you checked the thermostat and tried changing it?” Like yes, and it’s broken that’s why I’m emailing you. And it was a constant issue the whole year I worked there and when I left it still wasn’t fixed. 

The company, for 3 months didn’t give me my raise they said they were going to give me back in October of 2023. They kept finding excuses on why I need to earn the raise. Such as showing leadership skills, getting my personal conversion up (when I was hitting the 50%) , getting a certain stylist’s conversion up. I was finally fed up that in January when I still wasn’t given the raise I put my 2 weeks in, and the second I put my 2 weeks in the district manager immediately approved my raise and gave me $2 more then expect because she “felt bad for making me wait”. I stayed because I needed the raise. Yet I wish I would have left then. 

In 1 year of working here we went through 3 store manager changes because the company is actually the worst. My team and co workers were the best people I ever worked with and made it so hard for me to leave but I had to leave because this was the most toxic company I’ve ever worked for. In the change of our second store leader to the third one I was running the store for a month, and it was the absolute worst experience ever. Our district manager came into town to “help” but she didn’t know how to do anything. She didn’t know how to check out brides, book appointments, honestly she wasn’t even good with bridal appointments. As the assistant manager I had to train my district manager on things that she was suppose to be holding us accountable for. It was absolutely ridiculous. 

I wouldn’t never recommend this company for anyone to ever work for if even spend your money at! Be a bridal stylist anywhere else. You will thank me later. Unless this company makes some serious changes then maybe but I have never been so unsatisfied and unhappy at a job ever. And it wasn’t because of the brides, it wasn’t because of the team and staff it was 100% the company. The way they treat their employees is garbage, and they can’t stand getting any constructive feedback. Even if it really would help sales, and making the company better. 


I started work at Altar'd State in July 2023, and I planned on working for Stand out for Good all the way through college, as I was a freshman when I started. This experience taught me incredible skills, business acumen and great communication! After a year with the company I was internally promoted to Guest Engagement Lead, and learned a lot in this role. Altar'd State gave me the opportunity to work with local charities for Mission Monday, and had me plan many fun events for our store. At its core, the Mission of Altar'd State is good and the intent to serve their communities is at the forefront of the business. In addition, I walked away with some incredible friends, as nearly all of my coworkers were absolutely incredible. I know I have made lifelong friends and for that I am so grateful.

In the New Mexico location specifically, the experience I had with management was absolutely terrible, after our store leader was replaced in August. After this change, our store became completely unrecognizable. I dealt with many situations in which I begged for communication and explanations for visual and personal decisions, only to be told that I was at fault for asking. My store leader refused to share any company details with myself and the team, often leaving us in the dark on projects or special events we were supposed to plan. In many instances, other members of our team would express extreme frustration to me and when I attempted to solve the issue at hand I was called prejudiced and a liar, issues being swept under the rug to save an ego. When I attempted to take matters outside my store and reach out to the Human Resources department for help, a target was placed on my back and things only became worse. Aside from specific issues with management, many issues came from the upper company management as well, having extremely unrealistic expectations for their workers. Projects would be assigned with mere hours to complete, and once it was not fulfilled to their vision we would face extreme pushback. This happened countless times during my duration with the company. We were expected to drop everything to go into work, and leave whatever personal commitments we may have. The work/life balance was nonexistent for management in my store as we all worked 45 hours minimum, despite my role being a part time position. During the 2024 holiday season, we totaled at 850 orders to fulfill, and worked long overnight shifts in order to make it happen, being expected to fill 300+ orders per day.

In conclusion, I believe Altar'd State may be a good company to work for, if your specific management team is aligned with company values. They try to internally promote, pay competitively, and try to uphold a good culture within their stores. However this company has taken on too much without being prepared at all, leaving management stranded with long hours and toxic expectations. This then bleeds down to the specific stores, creating hostile managers who are simply trying to make themselves look good in the eyes of their peers. Until something changes at both my specific store, and within the upper management, I would not recommend working for Altar'D State.

When I first interviewed at Altar'd State, I was excited to start working. The store always seemed warm and inviting, and the staff appeared happy. However, that excitement soon turned into frustration. I worked in a busy outdoor shopping area with high customer traffic, which I enjoyed at first. But the high turnover rate was noticeable—no one had been there longer than five months, which raised some concerns about the work environment.

Management placed heavy emphasis on customer service, which I understood because it's part of the job. However, the expectations were sometimes unrealistic. We were expected to provide a highly personalized experience to each customer, which was often hard to manage, especially during busy periods. Additionally, secret shoppers would evaluate our store several times a month, and falling short of a 90% score often led to consequences. This was challenging when you had multiple customers to attend to and not enough staff on hand.

In team meetings, it felt like the focus was always on what we could do better, without much acknowledgment of what we were doing right. This made it difficult to stay motivated. Our behavior was constantly scrutinized, and we were told we weren't "doing enough." It became draining for the team over time.

The dress code was another challenge. We were required to wear white woven shirts, which was difficult, especially during colder months when the store was kept cold to save on heating costs. A little flexibility with the dress code, especially for comfort in colder weather, would have made a big difference.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the job was the lack of raises and promotions. As a part-time college student, I was told that raises were tied to full-time availability or managerial roles. This left me stuck at my starting pay rate, which was disappointing considering how hard I worked.

Despite the high sales numbers we regularly achieved, it often felt like we were constantly being asked to cut hours or improve our performance due to supposed financial concerns. The focus on maintaining a pristine store was another source of stress. We spent a lot of time ensuring that even the smallest details were perfect, which sometimes felt excessive given how busy the store could get.

Overall, while Altar'd State promotes a positive and uplifting brand image, I found the working environment to be quite challenging. The expectations placed on employees, especially in terms of customer interaction and maintaining the store, were high, but the pay and recognition didn’t seem to match that level of effort. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and makes improvements that will benefit their employees, as they are the heart of the company.

For whomever is applying at Altar’d State in Woodifeld Mall— don’t. The management is extremely unprofessional. They act like children in middle school waiting to start the slightest drama. Store Manager is very conceded and you definitely see it. She enjoys insulting fellow coworkers behind their back and in their faces. 
I’ve had girls work for two weeks and quit because they felt harassed by her. 
Hours are like hours would be in any retail job— if we have the money you get the hours, so make money to make money. Pretty much sell as much as you can but make no commission. 
The girls that work there (guest leads, store associates) also love starting drama. One of the guest leads is very buddy buddy with the store manager, so she will always try to tell her bad things about anyone just to look better. I wouldn’t trust anyone. 
The assistant manager also acts like a teenager. Both managers are in their 40s! Her main focus is adding all the girls on Facebook and sharing her skin care line that she sells on the side. If you don’t like her status? She will block you on Facebook and in real life. 

These things make working there very hard. I’ve had girls that worked and quit it got fired contact HR for help with these managers. They did nothing. I called. Nothing. It’s not even worth your time. Coming into work is always a drag because you never know if the store manager will make the job unbearable  or just fine because of her childish attitude. She will always find something condescending to say about someone and feel better about herself. She’s insecure lol. And the other manager will pretend to be the better one— your friend, and you WILL fall for it. In the end, she’s the same as the store manager. So be careful. These managers take smoke breaks every 10 minutes. Coffee breaks. What’s working to them? Come in and take breaks and get paid. And when they do work they have no idea what they are doing, honestly it’s funny to watch not gonna lie! Managers are also openly racist and discriminating to anyone that isn't a white fully abled  person!! Store manager made fun of customer who openly said she started new anti depressants and she may react to it— manager said she was a psycho on drugs.
And one of the guest leads is the sweetest girl ever I have no idea why she’s still there. The other one is legit a terrible person lol. She will pretend to be this newly redound Christian girl that had a terrible terrible past just to get your sympathy. That’s how she reels you in. And then she gains your trust so that when something is going on at work she can leak it from you and tell the store manager and get people fired. Just so she looks like she’s the only one who really cares about the job and loves Jesus. 

So when you decide on this job, don’t?

- The typical day starts at either 8 am and ends around 7 pm, or 12 pm and ends around 12 am. Once I am clocked in, I review the sales numbers from the day prior. I work up a game plan to improve the day's outcome, focusing on the team's strengths and weaknesses. I also focus on the year-to-date sales, month-to-date sales, as well as the week-to-date sales. Other methods of measuring success are units per transaction, dollars per transaction, as well as our conversion rates. Once a report is generated for the team, I meet briefly with management to relay the game plan in depth with associates on the floor. The doors open and the full focus is to cater to the clients' needs. This includes serving as a personal stylist, solving any customer service issues, and finding out community organizations that the company can financially assist. Constant communication with home office, as well as daily trouble shooting are a part of the average day. 
- I learned the importance of a team mindset from a management perspective. The work place is a living organism, and it is imperative that whoever is leading the team treat it with utmost respect. It is important to appreciate the voices of the team, take them into consideration, and use the constructive advice towards perfecting the system. 
- For many associates, this is their first job. It is important to encourage and enforce a good work ethic. This will set the pace for the younger generation to start off confident in their abilities, understanding that their contribution is not only appreciated, but necessary to achieve the end goal. For management, co-workers are typically driven, but they are in situations where this is not their full-time job. This allows for strengths and weaknesses to affect their schedules, roles, and responsibilities of the job.
- The hardest part of a store manager is finding a healthy balance between your work and home life. As a store manager, you become well invested in the company. You feel the weight of your position, and tie in the success of the company with personal success. For overall health, it is important to be able to separate your work from your personal life.
- The most enjoyable aspect of the job is seeing progress when you've changed up protocol, store layout, merchandising and, most importantly, customer interaction. When intuition for business decisions pays off, and you get to encourage your team for their great work, that is the greatest part of management.

I worked as an unpaid (tsk tsk) intern at the corporate office. While I learned so much about the visual merchandising side of the fashion industry and had a lot of responsibility and voice for an intern, something was always just a little off. 

First of all, there were people getting paid $10/hour to do the same job I was doing unpaid. This was probably what eventually made me leave even though I loved the visual side of the work. I didn't like the culture enough to try to transition into paid work, so I'm not sure if that would have been an option. Oh, and the visuals at that time were all done in the home office instead of at each store meaning that there was a lot of weird crafting going on from employees of all departments, not just visual, after hours. 

Second of all, it seemed like there was very much a look/feel that they were going for as far as hires go. When I was working there, they used employees from the stores or even young employees from corporate as models instead of actually hiring professionals. I feel like this sets up an unfair way for feelings to get hurt quickly if one girl is asked to model and another isn't. 

The marketing department lacks a vision. There was no official copywriter (often the e-commerce descriptions were lifted straight from wholesale). There was no official stylist for any shoots or web content, despite it being a fashion company. They have a formula for the same clothes over and over, but it seems to be working since they opened at least six or seven stores in the few months I was there. 

I do like the giving back aspect of the company. The community is really fun and relaxed (so many dogs at the home office). The people are easy to get along with and always game to help you learn. There is a more diverse group of people in the home office than I would have expected.

But there are so many corners cut that it prevents the brand from being more than a pretty window in a mall full of better thought out and more current merchandise and styling.

I came back to write this review after a lot of thought and because the jobs keep popping up in my searches.

I would like to share my candid perspective on the workplace environment for those considering employment at Altard State. While every experience is subjective, I believe it is crucial to provide an honest account.

At Altard State I have observed certain challenges that have impacted my overall job satisfaction. It appears that there may be room for improvement in terms of diversity and inclusion. Opportunities for career advancement seem to be influenced by factors beyond professional merit, which may inadvertently contribute to a lack of diversity in higher positions.

I have encountered difficulties in communication with HR, particularly with the head of HR. It is my personal experience that seeking their assistance did not yield the expected support. It is advisable to approach HR matters with caution and perhaps seek alternative avenues for addressing workplace concerns.

Additionally, I have noticed a potential discrepancy in the company's messaging about embracing diversity and the actual composition of its workforce. While Altard State to stand out for good, there may be room for improvement in fostering a more inclusive environment.

I would encourage prospective employees to thoroughly consider their values and priorities when evaluating potential employers. While my experience may not align with everyone else's, it is essential to be aware of potential challenges in the workplace.

For those seeking an inclusive work environment, I would suggest exploring opportunities at companies known for their commitment to diversity, such as Apple and Nike. As individuals, we all deserve workplaces that align with our values and provide an environment where everyone feels valued and included.

This feedback is shared with the intention of promoting constructive dialogue and positive change within the workplace. I hope that future employees will find an environment that aligns with their expectations and values.

I am going to be very honest. I am probably not the best person to give a review of this company because I am absolutely in love with it!  
 I came here for the spiritual comfort and security of knowing that I can say, "Let's pray about this right now!" to a customer without the feeling I am being judged by my employer. I fell in love on day one! I was visited by the owners on month two (and four) and I was promoted on month six! There is plenty of room to grow in a company that continues to grow itself and the growth does not stop with the store. This company has a ripple effect. Everything that we do here gives back to our local community, our country and others in need throughout the World! That is worth clocking in every day and more than I can say about anywhere else! You are not just a number here. You are needed and valued! You are supported and as a Store Manager, very pampered. They give you anything you need to run your store the way you would if it was your business!
  I applied for a store manager position and waited a year before my opportunity opened up and God knowingly put me in a very soft place to learn and grow once I was hired! I was acknowledged for all the work that I put in. I have never met anyone in a position above me that did not greet me with a hug and supportive words!..That's just it. These wonderful people see great things in us and reward us for those things! For me, working hard, being passionate about what you do and loving your company are ALL in a days work! I am here for as long as they will have me.
 If you have had a bad experience with Altar'd State, you did not see the same beautiful, courageous and kind leaders I have. I assure you, WE Stand Out. For Good...and always will!

The Altar'd State I worked at was a complete mess. The management there was horrible along with how the store was set up and how Management and Key holders treated you. For example, if for some reason you find out you are unable to work a shift that day it is up to You to find someone to cover and let management know. I've worked in a couple of retail places and even know some friends who work at other altar'd states they never heard of a policy like that. Also Management would schedule you not based on your availability but based on your sales performance so if you were in a situation to where you couldn't be on the floor to make sales or was in the fitting room or doing go backs like i have you didn't have a chance to sale and didn't have a chance engage with customers so you would not get any hours. The way hours were set up and how management handled the store was also a major play in this review. This store is mostly girl employed meaning there will be some type of problems within staff every now and then but when you have different people all coming back saying they are having a problem with key holders and management is not fixing it but only making it worse and gossiping about coworkers and staff like they are below them that is where you draw the line. It is perfectly fine in making friends with staff but for a manger to stoop low as to call a former employee a traitor for quitting due to family issues that is not alright rather its in a playful manor or not. A manger is always suppose to handle everything professional as soon as they step in there store, not treat each employee under them different based on how close she is to them. Overall my experience working in this place was horrible. Key holders wouldn't do there jobs management wouldn't control key holders.

Here is some good and bad. The sales pitch for this company is amazing. The follow through is not. First, every applicant needs to score high potential on a questionnaire.  It tests to see if your values and work ethic align with the company.  Our location received many applications, but most were low potential and we could not hire.  This made us under staffed constantly.  I was there almost one year and never once were we properly staffed. 
You will be over worked with little support from district leaders. I was called in on my days off often. I would work 6 days a week. I could go few months with no weekend off. I would close a lot 3 or 4 sometimes 5 days a week.  (During interviewing I was told I would have at least one weekend a month off and a mix of opening/closing shifts) They are extremely behind in operations, but very amazing visually.  But wasteful.  They send so many props for window displays and store displays, but you use like 25% of what is sent. The rest is put in the trash!  Maybe in a few years they will catch up to the rest of the retail/guest services world.  Their explanation for anything is that they are a new company still working things out. They are not new, been around 13 years and are opening stores constantly. They hire people that are over qualified for their position, but do not seem to use the years of experience to their benefit.  You can only put up with so much before you throw in the towel. 
But if you are willing to give it a try here are the good things:
50% off full price clothing,  bonus for everyone- if the company does well every one gets a bonus % (which is the best thing), pretty good medical/dental/vision benefits for full time employees, paid time off for full time, they send food for holidays ( which is nice but if you are vegan or vegetarian not so nice).  You really just need to think if the positive out weigh the negative. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Brand representative 53 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Store manager 4 salaries reported	$54,000 per year
Retail assistant manager 16 salaries reported	$18.50 per hour
Guest experience leader 11 salaries reported	$17.18 per hour
Stocking associate 2 salaries reported	$16.75 per hour

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