store manager

assistant manager

sales associate

associate manager

assistant store manager

Boxlunch

A typical day at work involves greeting customers, helping customers find what they're looking for and answering their questions, cashing customers out...and folding. Always folding. 

Management was very friendly and understanding. Everyone respected things like preferred pronouns/gender identity. My managers were also very accepting of personal circumstances, and tried to accommodate employee schedules as well as they could. This made me feel safe and valued.

The atmosphere was very laid back and friendly. It was a cool place to work, with new merchandise coming in every weekday. And there's so much stuff, that you're bound to notice something new every day even as an employee. It was fun to hear people's excitement when they came into the store, and if you're into many fandoms like I was, it's awesome getting to speak to different people about all the titles we sold merchandise for, and then some. 

We got a lot of people coming in looking for gifts or for things to take with them on trips, and it was fulfilling to help them find something. Often, people came in "just looking" for nothing specific, and found more than they bargained for. It was great. And it made us all feel good to know that it was going toward a great cause.

The hardest part of the job was the monotony. When not helping a customer, most energy was directed toward store recovery. And seeing as the store sells a LOT of shirts, that mostly meant refolding all day. Sometimes you end up refolding the same shirt ten times in a shift. Also, it takes a lot of mental energy to keep the smile on and be moving around talking to people for hours. Probably not where you'd want to be if you're not very social by nature, or if it's an off-day. Luckily, the shifts for part-time are very short, and you only get a few shifts a week which makes the burn out not so bad. But if the store isn't that busy, then those few hours could drag on almost painfully.

Plus, part-time on minimum wage in New York is definitely not a sustainable income. As fun as working there was, most people had to have a second job just to supplement their pay, especially since your performance in the store could affect how many hours you got any given week (think like a commission based pay -- if a customer dropped your name at checkout, that meant you were effective, and the automated system for scheduling prioritized the most effective people). 

I learned that while I never considered myself a sales person -- I wasn't one of the people who openly pushed very hard for a sale  -- I was able to apply my positive attitude and knowledge of nerd culture toward engaging with the customers. I was therefore still effective in my duty by encouraging from behind.

So if you like nerd culture (TV, movies, cartoons, anime, etc), and you like talking to people about it, and you don't mind folding laundry, then I would definitely recommend working here. But maybe consider having another job lined up on the side, because charity just doesn't pay the bills.

Summary: Pay was not good enough for what they were asking. They want your 200% while only giving you 5%. It was good at first but the ever changing standards that were implemented randomly and you weren't supposed to question.
Left due to pay and personal issues.

When I first started it was great. I was able to open up around my co-workers and get along with them fairly decently. And for a short time the work was also rewarding. 
Although that changed when summer came around, it was a very slow period and I was guaranteed a minimum of 15 hours a week but was only getting 8-10, which low hours was a reason I left my previous job. I considered leaving but stayed because I enjoyed it. 
Around August 2022 a bunch of different standards came out that we had to follow that were kind of suffocating, and even talking to some coworkers they said the same. We were asked to talk to customers constantly, to stay in our zones at all times(There were times where I was helping a customer in one part of the store get to something in a different part of the store and was asked why I wasn't in my zone), that we weren't supposed to fold or fix clothes but we were at the same time, and we weren't allowed to talk to co-workers on the floor, even if it was a question. 
While a couple of my mangers spoke to me like an adult, there were a few times where some talked to me as if I was a kid, which was really annoying.  We also weren't given straight answers about why such changes regarding standards. I asked about the kiosk a few times and why it was closed for purchases and all I got was , "Well it just is, nothing to worry about." 
When it came to kiosk it was something that wasn't very fun but something we had to do. Managers asked that we cheer up about it because its "Not that hard" and it "Gets you out of the store for a while." You could be at the kiosk for 15 minutes to 2 and a half to 3 hours, I was at it for four a couple of times. There is no chair and depending on the manager you could bring your phone to listen to music. When coupons were supposed to be handed out many of us waited for people to come to the kiosk rather than offer them because most people said no or just ignore you all together. 
As I mentioned above, you are supposed to give 200% and only receive 5% for your efforts. Some managers, more than others, enforce the "put on a happy face and always talk to customers" rule and if you didn't do that be prepared to be talked to. 
Its really off putting when you're constantly reminded about how you need to do better because they dont think youre doing enough. I had a few managers who I hardly ever worked with tell me this a number of times and it made me realize that they didnt really know my work ethic. Perhaps I was having an off day and they just decided it was my usual. 
The pay is not good unless you just need some chump change, while most retail places are giving $12 to $15 hourly wages, they only pay a base of $10. 


Since this store was freshly opened I had to help my team set it up and it was a tough job, but we got the store open after a week's work. So I have a lot of things to mention...

Even prior to the store opening things were heading in a downward spiral with lack of communication from management for questions or concerns we had. They'd never answer our questions or when they do it's as it pains them to talk to their employees.

Training was only one day but you learn as you go. Fortunately, it's a pretty self explanatory system nothing difficult especially for a first-timer.

After the store opened it was very fast paced since it's a high traffic area. When there are dead days you're usually walking around the store, cleaning and nitpicking to make sure items are presentable. 

There was still a lack of communication, especially with scheduling. Schedules are not set and they usually don't have enough people to cover. Lots of people call out which they are accommodating to, if you do so two weeks prior but that just means those working have to pick up the pace. 

Loyalty program is practically forced so unless you don't want to force customers to sign up without an option to decline, do not apply. I, myself are autistic so it's hard for me to force customers to do something such as the loyalty program. While I understand it IS a part of the job this company and the managers are too intense/strict with that.. 

With management they're usually just checking the stats/emails the entire shift while employees are ringing and helping out customers on the floor. Not much team work except for when they're telling you how you're doing something wrong. Some (one) have a very seniority attitude, which is understandable at times, but it just makes you feel uncomfortable to even be in their sight. The rest of the managers are patient and helpful, but overall they still feel unapproachable. If they genuinely do not want to be a decent person with their employees and respect them as humans then maybe they shouldn't be in retail or in a leadership position.

Overall, this was an "okay" temporary job I learned a lot about retail and found a new appreciation for everyone who's doing it and done it. Even though I wrote mostly things that need work, I am still appreciative of the opportunity to work. Great co-workers, and getting to nerd out with customers is fun, but a time comes where it's time to move on it's still retail after all. Just beware and have thick skin here. 

I enjoyed working at BoxLunch, I made like all my friends there, it's a very LGBT/neurodivergent environment, so very friendly to people with "alternative lifestyles" you could say. Like any retail place though, the company is only so accomodating to disabilities, especially invisible. If you are able to mask your struggles pretty well, you'll be seen as competent, but if you struggle pretty visibly and frequently they might be more hesitant to have tou climb up the ladder. But that's just business I guess. I don't blame companies for prioritizing the people who can obviously handle the work, but basically if you have a disability you struggle with a lot or are easily overwhelmed, you might want to work somewhere calmer.

Lots of turnaround pretty much solely due to the extremely low pay and very little hours. As ASM I did 32 hours at peak season, and down to even 22 hours during slow season. Associates will be lucky to get 10 in a week. I got paid *okay* due to the district manager I was hired under, but the current DM of the south hills location has tightened pay and now if you're being promoted from associate to ASM you'll be lucky to get a dollar more despite all the additional responsibility.

I think it's a really good job for young people looking for few hours just to get job experience and spending money in a place where they can feel accepted and have their individual representation be respected by staff without question. But it does not pay the bills, and eventually the amount of work over the amount you are getting paid will feel a little ridiculous. 

Loved all of my sales associates at work, but for the amount of work managers are expected to do the pay is extremely underwhelming. Advancement opportunities are rare, management was extremely temperamental and not understanding of family situations or mental health situations with managers or associates. Corners were cut to make sure the district manager didn’t hear about certain things going on with management. The work is very easy, just the drama and customers and the amount of work you have to do is not worth the pay. They expect you to treat the job as your career, but don’t pay well, don’t give benefits, and there isn’t much room to be promoted unless someone quits and they need a quick solution. Sales associates don’t stay long due to minimum wage and high expectations. Moral was always extremely low and everyone was constantly walking on egg shells. The company expects employees to dress and act like they’re working at a professional clothing store and differentiate itself from hot topic, yet it’s owned by hot topic. Dyed hair is not allowed, Tattoos were looked down on, people were not hired if they looked too “hot topic”. Overall the job itself was not bad but management made it unbearable to the point two managers left with no notice due to stress, and multiple associates at the same time due to ill management. Also the employee discount is 30% at Boxlunch and 40% at hot topic, which if we are trying to differentiate ourselves why do we get more off there. Also the customers can use their Boxlunch money to get 50% off and most of the online sales were 30%. I do not understand what the point of the employee discount is when customers are getting the same or better deals. 

I left the company around 2018. I loved the culture, I loved our customer base, and I loved most of my team. This job really helped me improve my interpersonal and management skills, and it really opened me up as a person. However, there were moments where I felt I was doing a lot more than those above me, and I felt that my work often went underappreciated. 

The pay. That was a massive issue. As a keyholder, I got paid little to nothing. I worked 40 hours a week (and more!) to make sure the store was above standards, and often times, I was working ALONE. I often made goal every single day, going above and beyond with the sales metrics and KPIs, and I received little to nothing. Do you want to know the holiday bonus keyholders get if we make above quota? $25-50. That's it. 

I busted my butt off for this company, and ultimately I was burned out. Despite the pay, the workload, and the drama (the drama is a different story...) I'd say it was a pretty decent company. I loved the nerdy merchandise, I loved our nerdy customers, and my selling technique was basically to CONNECT with the customers and have fun with it. That, honestly, was my favorite part of the job. Like I said before, it helped me grow into the person I am today, and whatever I learned from Boxlunch stuck with me to my current job. But sometimes I wish maybe I would have gotten paid a bit more for all the work I did, and sometimes I wish I was appreciated a lot more. Maybe I would have stayed.

When I first started as a regular sales floor associate, I had a lot of fun. BoxLunch was my fun part-time job for extra income. I had co-workers who loved talking about fandoms and pop-culture news and I can buy products with nice discounts attached since well... this store has a lot of pricy products. As soon as I became an assistant manager and part of management overall, things went out of hand and I found it to be very chaotic with little help of how to manage things. I would get so many daily tasks and reports to fulfill but be expected to greet every customer on the sales floor at the same time. Hours are cut constantly so you have to either cut your own shift times or other associates' shifts which is really disheartening. Management team to work with can either be great or really bad. It's a toss up depending what their personalities are like. The biggest problem with it is that the higher-ups don't care about these issues and just look at the numbers. They will hound at the management team for anything that is below what we should be making in terms of sales. So do yourself a favor and just make this a small part-time job; look elsewhere for anything other than sales associate, it's not worth the stress for what's supposed to be one of the more "fun" retail jobs.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people you meet is great, since boxlunch & hottopic are fandom based stores if you are part of such fandoms then you'll fit right in, meeting people with the same vibe and energy as you. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Cleaning up was the most stressful part due to how perfect everything had to be  but i understand why management had to be so stern every boxlunch store is competing with another box lunch store. Getting the most sales, being the best. Standing around as a retail job is to be expected, all i did was talk to co-workers and fold. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It was the best part. Again you really feel a part of a friend group due to how close knit everyone's interests are! 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You clock in digitally, get assigned a spot either front middle or back. With my manager at the time only let non associate peoples work the register, which i think was unfair but whatever.. you walk around and tidy things up for 5 hours straight occasionally talking to customers. Then when 8 hits we close the store, count the money, unpack any merch, tidy up and broom. We throw out the garage (the amount of plastic waste was insane) The best part were the people i met, they were so caring and sweet and passionate about their job there.

• Management sucks like most retail BUT this has been the worst management experience I've ever dealt with! 
• They schedule you all over the place! 
• Managers are REQUIRED to work 2 closing and 2 opening shifts a week (this causes a lot of clopenings and poor hours) 
• store level management was absolutely horrendous. The manager I had didn't know how to be a manager at all. They couldn't delegate took extended breaks, did next to nothing on their shift and spent a bunch of time making up lists for the assistant managers to delegate/ just do themselves
• the benefits are okay but they're not worth the pain this job is! 

The worst part is I did enjoy the actual work but the manager made it unbearable and the manager I had made it very clear that they didn't want to help the store improve . In my time working there , there were many write ups that made no sense 
One person was wrote up for their car breaking down. I was written up for Not greeting every customer who came in the store (I was never shown ways to improve just told I needed to and I do struggle with getting hyper focused because the manager forced a ton of tasks that we had to have completed or we would also get in trouble) and my second write up was for a policy that I was unaware of. I made this clear to the manager and they stated I still had to be written up anyway .

1.) In a typical day at work, I would be there making sure that the entire staff was motivated and productive in their sales. During the slower hours, I would coach my team and put out product from the shipment we would receive. we would receive almost thirty boxes a day. we would have to make sure that the storage room was organized and in order.

2.)I have learned a variety of skills at this job:
    a.) how to track and process shipment
    b.) how to multitask to make sure all goals were met
    c.) how to balance the emotions of staff and keep them motivated

3.) My management team was willing to coach and train me whenever possible. they were also fair eager to drive sales for the day.

4.) My co-worker and Employees worked very hard. Since i kept an open line of communication between them and myself, they were always on task and did very well.
 
5.) The Hardest part of the job was processing a large shipment while the store was completely pact. 

6.) I enjoyed working with my team and learning about their strengths and weaknesses and how to turn their weaknesses into strengths.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Store manager 5 salaries reported	$23.59 per hour
Assistant manager 7 salaries reported	$15.66 per hour
Sales associate 1 salary reported	$10.50 per hour
Associate manager 6 salaries reported	$19.38 per hour
Assistant store manager 2 salaries reported	$17.75 per hour

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