retail merchandiser

ambassador

brand ambassador

merchandiser

territory manager

Chuck-Latham-Associates

This company used to care about its reps but no longer. There is no longer any communication and the entire format of the company is changing for the worse. Management never praises for going above and beyond they just expect it. There are no raises and what ever you hire in at that's what you'll be paid years down the road. Absolutely no way to ever advance with this company, they'd rather hire outside the company. The mileage reimbursement doesn't even come close to paying for wear and tear on the car. I used to love the flexibility of this job and working with people who love animals. It no longer has any flexibility and is not worth what they're paying me. They are now demanding that employees must purchase an expensive tablet at our own expense with very minimal reimbursement in order to continue working with the company. It's now very difficult to balance work and home life with the new demands.

Company announced changes of their business model. Forcing their field workforce into weekend only work and requiring them to purchase a $400 piece of tech equipment to do it. Tablets will be required sometime this year. Management has finally lost complete touch with their employees in the field. Hourly rate is and has always been a little more than most companies of this kind pay. Recently gave the service reps a different lower rate that they are compensating driving between stores and will soon be eliminating the need to pay mileage all together. Little or no assistance from district manager while have a problem in the field and lack of communication is alltime worse.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The flexibility of the job and ability to do your duties on your own. But knowing that if you need assistance or help completing assignments it is usually a phone call away. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
If you end up getting close to the deadline at the end of the month for assignments & you still have a lot of visits to complete. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
You don’t physically work at the company, you work at the stores that you visit. The company does provide all the training you need & monthly phone meetings to keep connected. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
On the days I choose to work, I travel to my selected store(s), I meet with associates, I complete assignments per an online survey. I follow up with a manager before leaving. When completed, I submit the survey(s) and other requested  information before the end of the day.

Been with them since Sept 2013. The work is fun and rewarding. There have been some cuts, from some manufacturers, causing the domino effect to the CLA reps. But the management, does not let this get them down, they are working hard to replace lost work, and I appreciate them and my job. This company is a joy to work for, especially if you are a go getter, enthusiastic about pets, and enjoy people and pets. I have been a multi million dollar producer in Real Estate, but find this work so much more rewarding where it counts. YOU really need to be happy about what you do, and I truly am, while working for CLA as a Pet nutritionist. It is honestly the best most enjoyable work of my career, and I am blessed to be associated with this great company.

The work is fun and customers and employees in the Pet stores are friendly. Hourly pay is good, but mileage does not cover the gas and wear and tear the job puts on your car. There is a rumor that associates will be required to purchase an ipad by June but the office newsletter said associates are being encouraged to purchase a tablet. Communication like this is common and confusing to me. I really like the job as it is and has been, but looks like the weekday only work-week will soon be changing to weekends. The most enjoyable part of this job is the real work in the stores.The company website is not user friendly and when that is the only "help" option available at the moment to a person working from home it is VERY frustrating. Once again, the actual work is the best part of the job.

If you don't enjoy being micromanaged then do not even look at this company let alone apply here. Long story short this was not the merchandising experience I thought that it would be. Typical low hours, no to little compensation for miles driven between stores and then you'd have to argue with them to get them to pay you for time and miles driven etc. Management loves to micromanage everything even questions your work etc. Don't bother. Read the reviews on how things are at their corporate offices and how they really treat their employees and you'll head the other way. If only the major name brands they work with would cut ties and move on especially Hills Science Diet. This merchandising firm makes the major name brands and stores they work in look bad honestly. 

I have been working at CLA for about 2 years now, and I can say that I enjoy the job. Management is very respectful, responsive, and keeps good communication. The pay is well within line of the work at hand. There is some heavy lifting, and for me, lots of travel. But travel time, mileage reimbursement, and solid pay help workout most of the cons in my mind. This is a second job for me, that helps pay for extras that I would like to have, so the benefits are not something I completely look at. This is not a job for someone that doesn't want to travel. My area is very large, but I like it, since it puts more money in my pocket. Very few cons overall that I have found, and those are only when someone is out on vacation, and you need a question answered. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Flexibility and company communication.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The company works hard to have regular communication with field reps via supervisor emails, monthly mailed packets, and monthly calls with your supervisor and other field reps in your region. This greatly reduces any potential stress.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The company is very proactive about acknowledging the value of their employees and rewarding them thru rewards and fun contests.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
My position is a fully-remote field rep so there is not really a 'typical' day. I get to set my own monthly schedule which is a tremendous benefit.

Once upon a time retail merchandising was a great industry to work in with flexible hours and competitive pay.  That hasn't been the case for maybe 15 years.  There's a perpetual price war between firms and wages have stagnated to the point where the job often pays less than retail jobs  where it should command a premium to compensate for unreliable hours.
CLA is one of the better companies where you are an employee instead of an IC.  However, there's no full time except for overworked middle managers, and as a result no benefits for most employees.  The wages haven't budged in years and compensation as well as hours worked has gone down.  In low-cost parts of the country it may be fine, but in high cost areas it's impossible to have this job and make ends meet.

I have worked for this company since September 2017, this position allowed me to attend school full time, as well as work without having to struggle with fighting a boss over my schedule. I am a single parent so finding a job that fit my needs to be able to go to school and still be a full time parent is exceptional in my opinion. This is definitely a part time job HOWEVER, my boss knew that this was my only scorce of income so when more work became available in my area, she always reached out to me. I have worked for many companies, This company is by far the best one I’ve worked for. They care about their employees, which is rare.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Retail merchandiser 37 salaries reported	$15.98 per hour
Ambassador 2 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour
Brand ambassador 18 salaries reported	$13.00 per hour
Merchandiser 10 salaries reported	$13.40 per hour
Territory manager 3 salaries reported	$53,333 per year

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