retail assistant manager

retail store manager

retail team leader

retail manager

retail assistant store manager

Charlotte Russe, Inc

What is the best part of working at the company?
I worked there from 2007-2015, and again from 2018-2019. It was hard work, and I learned everything I know about retail from them. I made some really good friends  there and we worked well together. 

It was the typical retail experience in my opinion. The company cared about us, giving us incentives like drawing names for "most" or "best" fill in the blank, and that person would get a free pair of jeans or their choice of schedule on a particular week, things like that. 

This was a while ago,  and we were run by a different company, so I don't know how different it is there  now. Things always change. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Back when I worked there it was shoes and fitting rooms, because you were doing it as 1 person, unless we were SUPER busy! Then they had 1 person for each. The customers were understanding, but it could  get overwhelming. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It was a good mix of different kinds of people in the end, men and mostly women. I don't know that many men wanted to work there back then. I'd say in the entire time I worked with maybe 5 men, in the retail part. Again, I don't know how much of that has changed. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Clocking in on time was 10 minutes early(or 5, cant remember). I'd usually get there and shop a lil, just to get a feel for what merchandise we had now, also usually a purchase(which u had to keep ur receipt for after ur shift).

I went in back, put my stuff in my locker with the lock provided by from the company(never taken home), grabbed my name tag(again never taken home)and walkie(if there was 1 available, not always), went to the register to clock in early. Then put on my name tag and possibly walkie. Got chatted in for the deals and anything else special that was needed for the day. Was told where I would be, and if it was up front very likely got a job to start on, or just start customer service.  If in back with shoes and fitting rooms, I'd first assist any customers, if no one needed anything, start cleaning up. No matter where you were on the floor,  there were go backs.  

Break(i was usually only there 4 hrs), then back to work. When they let me know I when i could go, sometimes u have to remind  them), went in the back to take my tag off, put my walkie on the charger (unless i handed it to someone else already)unlock my things. Put my tag and lock in their pocket there. Got my stuff ready to be checked by management(this is when I need my receipt), things are padded down, everything gets looked into(part of loss prevention in-store), then clock out. And you're good to go.

 If it was a certain day, you had to make sure to check your schedule, back then, we had a binder with the schedule and everyone's contact information.

 I'm almost positive you were allowed to have your phone on you, but you couldn't be on it socially. I always had a bottle of water in the shoe room when I was in the back of the store.

Again, this was a while ago.

A typical workday includes preparing the store for opening and closing (shoe checklist, go-backs, taking out the trash, sweeping and mopping... sometimes), customer servicing and outfitting guests. Usually, the same employees are stuck in the same zones during their shifts. Zone 1- front of store: greeting and go-backs, Zone 2: shoes and fitting rooms, and finally, registers: returns, exchanges, sales and maintaining the cashwrap and answering the phone. If you are new, chances are that it'll be at least a month before you are properly trained on registers as a result of laziness.

I learned SO much when I began working for the company. Since then, there have been many management changes in a short period of time. When I first began, I was trained thoroughly about the company's products: denim, shoes, accessories and fragrances. I learned how to suggestively sell items, create outfits for customers, merchandise the store according to the company's visual standards and how to prevent theft. Training was more focused on relaying product fit and style to customers.

Current management is ALWAYS late. Every time I work with management, I can expect them to be anywhere between 5 minutes to 2 hours late. Managers keep a record of employees who are tardy and give those employees points, however, there are no repercussions for the managers who are often more late than the associates. There is definitely a lack of employee and management training. Managers openly talk about making their bonuses in front of employees, which is unprofessional considering that associates do not make commission or bonuses. Instead of working hard to make sales, managers are usually huddled near the fitting rooms or by the cashwrap. Managers also spend a lot of time (not on break) in the food court. Managers here are irresponsible.

Current coworkers are typically tardy as well and do not know much about the product. However, they are very outgoing and talkative with customers. 

The hardest part of the job is watching managers get away with so much unacceptable behavior. At times, rude customers can be difficult, but being patient and figuring out what the customer is shopping for solves this problem nine times out of ten.

The pay is awful (minimum wage), even having more than 2 years of previous customer service experience. I have yet to receive a review or get a raise. 

I enjoy seeing the new items the company will be selling. I enjoy knowing that I am helping customers and giving them a positive shopping experience.

A dime a dozen for this position.

A typical workday includes preparing the store for opening and closing, customer servicing and outfitting guests. Usually, the same employees are stuck in the same zones during their shifts. Zone 1- front of store: greeting and go-backs, Zone 2: shoes and fitting rooms, and finally, registers: returns, exchanges, sales and maintaining the cashwrap and answering the phone. If you are new, chances are that it'll be at least a month before you are properly trained on registers as a result of laziness.

I learned SO much when I began working for the company. Since then, there have been many management changes in a short period of time. When I first began, I was trained thoroughly about the company's products: denim, shoes, accessories and fragrances. I learned how to suggestively sell items, create outfits for customers, merchandise the store according to the company's visual standards and how to prevent theft. Training was more focused on relaying product fit and style to customers.

Current management is ALWAYS late. Every time I work with management, I can expect them to be anywhere between 5 minutes to 2 hours late. Managers keep a record of employees who are tardy and give those employees points, however, there are no repercussions for the managers who are often more late than the associates. There is definitely a lack of employee and management training. Managers openly talk about making their bonuses in front of employees, which is unprofessional considering that associates do not make commission or bonuses. Instead of working hard to make sales, managers are usually huddled near the fitting rooms or by the cashwrap. Managers also spend a lot of time (not on break) in the food court. Managers here are irresponsible.

Current coworkers are typically tardy as well and do not know much about the product. However, they are very outgoing and talkative with customers. 

The hardest part of the job is watching managers get away with so much unacceptable behavior. At times, rude customers can be difficult, but being patient and figuring out what the customer is shopping for solves this problem nine times out of ten.

The pay is awful (minimum wage), even having more than 2 years of previous customer service experience. I have yet to receive a review or get a raise. 

I enjoy seeing the new items the company will be selling. I enjoy knowing that I am helping customers and giving them a positive shopping experience.

I worked as an associate for a year then moved to management after that year. I have seen about four different management teams since I have been employed there and I have seen the store change in many ways. The original group of management that was there when i was an associate was amazing. They were inspiring and helpful, but of course there is that manager that is unprofessional and not like able. Then later on when the managers began to leave the following ones were just as bad. When the opportunity came to me that I could be apart of management I jumped at it . I wanted to become management to continue the great and effective practices that I had learned from previous management in hopes to make the store a better more professional place. 

The hardest part of the job was transitioning from associate to manager and gaining the respect of my coworkers. Along with that problem I also had the problem of motivating employees. Not because I wasn't motivating but because the other manager allowed them to run amok and not tend to daily tasks ad duties that are required to be done for the store to function properly. I found myself getting frustrated with my team because of this, but I handled it the best way I could by remaining positive and making sure my associates knew I meant business. 

I learned that customer service is an absolute must to maintaining a great business. Servicing the customer will allow the associate to get more comfortable with the job and gain interest in the work place.  Also that anyone can be a thief. It takes a trained eye and repetitive practices to effectively catch one. 

The most enjoyable part was 100% the discount and the fact that you really do help people.  I have helped many women pick outfits for many occasions and as I learn about them i discover things about my style and i develop a well rounded attitude on fashion and life!

I've worked at Charlotte Russe for almost two years this upcoming October. My work days were either slow paced and easy going, or insanely busy and chaotic. Customers are rude and nasty to you. Even when most things that they get upset over are out of the associates control. It's a very easy job to work at and easy to understand; although the Freehold location is a higher volume store. It is one of the largest in it's district. Even though we are a top tier store, they still understaff 90% of the time because the company takes away hours whenever they want too. We are always shorthanded and can do nothing about it. Management is as good as it is anywhere else, although the district manager doesn't care about his/her workers. Is rude and deamening, will lose his/her head over the smallest inconvienece. It's very stressful knowing that an associate could breath wrong and the management would be all over them. The amount of work an associate is demanded to complete during their shift is ridiculous; considering the pay is only minimum wage. Which at the Freehold location is only $8.60. Associates are put in stressful shifts and are expected to be the perfect workers at all times when we don't even get paid enough to live and breath. I enjoyed working here and have made some amazing friends and have always loved the staff; but working under specific higher up people in the company who do not care the stress and pain they put on their associates is something I cannot stand for any longer. Raise the pay, change the district manager and this would be the perfect job for all those who need one. The only thing I will miss after leaving this job is the 40% off discount; other than that this company is terrible.

You can expect a typical day of work to be moving constantly. Customers are in the doors as soon as the store opens and almost upset about leaving at the end of the day. Expect early week to be full of store updates, as fashion changes every week, mid-week to be your calm time to rework everything that has been messed up since last Thursday, and your weekends to be busiest because it's time to go out and it's always someones birthday.
In my time here I have learned a lot about merchandising, multiple different sales tactics due to the variety of patrons that visit Charlotte Russe, payroll procedures, hiring procedures, interview procedures, safe procedures, how to turn every return into a sale with upsales and promotional sales, and many more things that would honestly turn this review into a book.
The hardest part of the job is balancing everything once you start. the store is always changing as nothing about fashion seems to stay the same for more than a week. Balancing it all together is rough, but after a year or so of doing it over and over things get easier.
The easiest part of the job is the paperwork. It's mostly automated, so you will catch yourself printing, highlighting and hole-punching more than writing things out.
I honestly hope this store is not an example of how all locations are in this company. I've been in retail for many years and I have never come across a team that can be so abrasive and uncommunicative at times. 
The overall atmosphere of the store without the a couple of the members of the team can be great at times. Most people understand the tasks at hand, as we don't miss a step in training /most/ of the staff. But the rules are slack for some people and a lot more harsh for others.

Fun place to dress to express your individuality, but of course fashionable. I enjoy helping customer find the right attire for the evening, work or casual. Many times, I managed to go above my sale goals. Its also a fast pace environment. We have items from the fitting that customer tried on, that must go-back to the sales from. The items must be checked for anything suspicious before going onto the sales floor. Make sure the sales, fitting, cashier floor are tidy and presentable. I was the shoe specialist at Westminster Charlotte Russe. The tasks was to make sure the staff are able to find the shoe quickly. I would arrange and organize, and the process of finding the show that was on display be found quick. In West Covina Charlotte Russe, I was the denim specialist, which I managed the denim wall. The denim must be folded to the required floor set plan. We get new shipment of jeans every once a week or sometimes every two weeks. So the denim wall must be updated, every time. We also have to watch for shoplifters. Almost every other Wednesday, we have floor set plan, that we come either early in the morning or after hours. Set up dolls, arrange the window display to its required advertisement. Prices are always checked for markdowns. Promotion or sales must be updated to the sales floor. I think the hardest part of the job was slow days when we don't have that much traffic in the store. The staff was always the best part working there. When you can get along with your staff, they are the one that makes your job enjoyable.

I put all my energy and effort into this job and was not paid properly for the amount I was doing. Corporate doesn’t care about the people working individually they just want things done there way no matter a stores special circumstances. I was working 10 hour shifts with no break and majority of the time by myself because of how understaffed the location was and the higher up managers never came to help us or change there expectations when the staff consisted of about two people. Honestly it’s not a bad job for a sales associate in high school but you can find higher paying jobs that respect you more very easily. Becoming management is a joke, they leave you to fend for self with no training or help when you need it. Pay is fine and there are decent benefits but I’m now being paid more at another job as a lead then I was here for being assistant manager soooo take what you want from that. They also lie when they say you’ll have a work life balance. If you’re a member of management you’re working 40+ hours a week on there terms and your days off will be what they think is best for either a manager or assistant manager to have off. This job can become very stressful and very low reward for the amount of work it actually is. I’m sure at a store with a full staff it wouldn’t be as bad but like I said you can find better pay somewhere else cause they really do under pay all the employees here. If you’re interested in this job just stand up for yourself and set boundaries that’s all I would recommend.

I have been with the company for three years, and have moved up from Sales Associate, to Supervisor, to my current role as Assistant Manager. The energy of the company is great, though they tend to repeat styles and run some trends into the ground long after they are no longer worn or relevant (like plaids and certain top styles). The company offers fair room for advancement. Charlotte Russe is a great place for fashion lovers who are really passionate about the fast-fashion run of things, and a love for the visual marketing of things as well, as you will more than likely be put to work visual-wise while working here since everyone is required to be trained in visuals (store layout, mannequin looks, window displays and marketing, etc.).

The only problem I have had with the company is that they seem to favor their high-volume (more $$) stores over the lower-volume stores. I work in a lower volume store and we constantly struggle with allocations and getting basic repair need for the store since the higher-volume stores take priority. But, this is expected in any large retailer, and if it's an emergency it gets taken care of quickly.

Other than that I have loved my three years here and have learned a lot about fashion retail, I love helping our regular and new customer look and feel great!

A typical day at work was an experience. Everyday you're learning something new. You aren't stationed in one area the whole shift, but working every part of the store. One hour you could be on cash wrap to recovering tables while also working the fitting rooms. Then the next hour You could be running the shoe area and fitting rooms. The thing I learned is that you must always be doing something. If there are no people in line you should be cleaning up the cash wrap and then go around and talk to the customers. You should never be just standing around. This was my first job and I definitely learned a lot. I remember the first day my boss threw me right on the cash register. i was not expecting it, but it helped me a lot. It helped me to grow because the cash register is what I was most afraid of, but then I got used to it and was no longer afraid. I learned that the customer is always right. You never want to tell the customer no without finding away to make their experience better. You never want the customer to leave the store unhappy. The hardest part of the job as the multitasking especially when it got hectic. We also had headsets where we had to communicate with each other. Communication is key because it lets your coworkers know what each girl is looking for, and  where everyone is at in the store. The enjoyable part was just bonding with my coworkers. At the end of the day we became a family.

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