retail sales associate

retail assistant manager

sales associate

customer service representative

assistant store manager

Clothes Mentor

I worked for this company for a fair amount of years in multiple positions and for multiple managers.  I enjoyed the work itself but had to move on due to pay reasons.
  
A typical day:
Some days are faster than others.  Nobody has a specific job so sometimes it gets overwhelming by feeling like you have to do everything at once.   If you like an extremely fast paced work environment, this would be a good option. 

What you believed you learned:
I defiantly learned how to talk to people and good customer service.  I also learned some ins and outs of the retail business that involve numbers and stock.  Learning about fashion trends was pretty fun as well!

Management:
The GM of my location has been amazing and I know many other GMs in the region are as well.  Upper management however is a different story.  There seems to be poor communication between the GMs and among themselves.  This made carrying out orders difficult.  They only see the business as money and numbers.  Don't expect understanding or care as an individual employee.  There is also evidence that there is some favoritism going on when it comes to promotions and bonuses.   If you're not buddy-buddy with upper management don't expect to be taken seriously.  This is not a Unionized company and it shows.

Workplace culture:
On another note, workplace culture is great! I have made some really great friends while working there.  Everyone is a team player and looks out for one another.  Although workload vs pay feels extremely unbalanced.  There were days where I felt very underpaid for the amount of work and pressure I was under.  There is no way to live off their pay alone as it is pretty low for today's economy.

The hardest part of the job
The hardest part is working with the public.  As a company that pays money right then and there for items, you can expect some interesting clientele.  I have been yelled and cursed at over not giving a customer the amount of money they want.  There have been times where I have felt genuinely unsafe due to some scary  individuals coming into the store in search of money.  Nothing ever happened during my time there but just be aware that this business does attract these kind of people.

The most enjoyable part of the job
I loved working with my friends as we all got along and had a great time every shift.  Seeing items come in and getting a discount was pretty awesome too.  This job is perfect for a high-school/college student.     

Overall I think this is a great place to work for a student or someone who just wants a part time job.  As a full time career though?  Probably not, as there is no way someone could live off this pay alone.  Especially starting out.  If you want to grow in the company, or get in with management, it's going to be an uphill battle.  

When at work attending to customers is top priority. Without consumers a business cannot thrive, so making sure all questions are answered to the best of my knowledge, transactions are swift and without error, and the store cleanliness is to customer liking is an every day must.
Working at Clothes Mentor I have learned how to respond to different types of situations and tones in a calm and rational voice. I have learned that there is no such thing as a hard to deal with customer as long as you settle their unhappiness in the best way you know how and in a way that can benefit their needs. 
Management at Clothes Mentor works just as hard as the employees and sets a good example of how the store should be run. High standards and expectations of employees is a good trait my manager has because it allows the store to be seen at its prime at all times. Hours and shifts are planned accordingly to the needs of the staff which creates a stable work environment. 
The people whom I work with are all about getting the job ahead of us done. We all work together to complete tasks that need to be done whether it be taking in buys, tagging clothing, ringing out customers or answering the phones. By having great communication within the staff itself it allows everything that needs to be done to be completed before the day ends and everyone to know what tasks they are supposed to perform.
The rush of the store would be the hardest part of my job because there is no time to take a break. There is a lot to get done every day as well as customers to attend to. If you are no good at multitasking and delivering a well rounded attitude while doing such then this job would not be for you. 
Meeting new people from all over the state and from different backgrounds is the most enjoyable part of my job. You gain social skills and learn new things about different people every day. Getting compliments on the store or how great you are at helping customers is nice as well. Hard work pays off even if it's just in the kind words of those who step into the store that day.

I was at CM for about 2 years. The typical work day would consist of sorting out clothing items, buying the items into inventory, and then processing/running clothes to the floor. My favorite part was being able to first dibs on all the new clothing coming in! Plus I made some great friends from coworkers. There were lots of options for advancement. However, the management is probably some of the worst management I have ever seen. There is a lack of communication, lack moral, lack of sense of place, lack of work/life balance, lack of training, and lack of caring for their employees. The manager would often times just leave middle of the shift just simply due to the fact "I have personal errands to run" or "I have don’t feel well so I must leave early." It didn’t matter if the store was super busy the manager always felt superior and would just leave. This often lead to other employees finishing the managers job. Most of the time I was there it felt that the team had to manage the manager. I felt that the management was extremely hypocritical and would often be talking about employees behind their backs in negative ways. Many employees in the past have felt bullied by the management and therefore left. This would constantly leave the team short staffed and extremely busy. The pay simply is not enough for the amount of work sales associates have to do. Many times there would be little training given to new employees. If someone made 1 mistake it was treated as the end of the world. Over all if you really, really need a job and have retail experience Clothes Mentor is good choice as a transition job. You can work your way up to get more money, however once promoted that’s when things typically took turns for the worse. If applying, apply with caution!! 

When I first started it was amazing the gm and assistant gm cared about the store and employees. The store owners were rarely there and were always at their other stores. When the store lost the gm and assistant gm it went down hill. The store owners came by and changed everything. But they didn't tell everybody all the different rule changes and when we made an error we were pulled to the back and written up over something small or was felt like they would be fired over a little mistake. The girls I worked with were amazing and made me stay. All the girls were all high school or college females. The male store owner was is so aggressive and mean towards these girls the woman store owner just followed his steps. The disitrict manager is the worst out of all three. She was biased as liked some girls more than others. She didnt communicate well and would blame people lower than her. I worked there for a year and a few months I was a keyholder and a buyer and was only payed 8.75 when associates starting who didn't but made $8. I felt unappreciated and told the store owners how I felt to see if we could get a resolution and I was threatened to be taken off the schedule  (fired).  I am in college and I have had the same availability since I started working there and my last few months they want e to talk my avaibility away and make me work full time which I didn't agree to. I was told that they dont care about me just that I work. Overall we are overworked and underpayed. I wish the best for the company but the owners need to revisit their management style.

I had a great time working here. Although I wasn't there too long, it was a fun experience. Things were a little messy but for the most part, it was enjoyable. It is what you expect for a retail job, honestly. I was part time but it did feel like full time some weeks. Even though management and employees have changed since I left, I was pretty happy with the employees and managers and my boss. There are some slow days but for the most part it can get fast paced in no time. You'll get a lot of regulars who for the most part are really sweet and love striking up a conversation (one customer even gave us a Christmas card :) ).

A typical day is going through customer's clothing, entering them into a computer system, then telling the customer the quote being offered. You're also encouraged (and expected) to keep the store straightened, assist customers, as well as put out new clothes that you've processed.If you work about 5 hours, you get a 15 minute break (that you have to clock out for) and if you work longer you get a 30 minute break. Sometimes customers can be sensitive when it comes to their personal items, as one would expect, so they can be rude. The other employees are always willing to help and you learn alot about different brands. You also get a discount off of clothing.

I did feel like I should've been paid a little more but you also get bonuses whenever you reach the sales quota (every employee gets a percentage) so those were great times.

All in all it was a wonderful experience to continue my retail experience, I would recommend to anyone if looking for a job.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Customer’s are great. Chance to merchandise women’s clothing in an organized way, display new fashion trends. Learn about jewelry, brand names, designer items including luxury items. Working with a highly talented staff.





What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Taking in the amount of buys and getting them processed in a realistic time frame.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
A  balance of experienced staff willing to train to newly hired high schoolers willing to learn also having great customer skills, greeting customers, answering phone calls promptly and having a strong sense of urgency. Job requires 
quite a bit of physical activity. 



What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Since I’ve worked there 11 plus years, I’m a key holder which means I’m able to open and or close the store. I open registers and morning chores can be vacuuming , wet mopping floors and dusting. Closing chores include taking trash out, cleaning bathrooms and wiping mirrors. Next I would start addressing the customer buys in the queue and start going through the crates of women’s clothing and accessories deciding whether to buy or pass on the items by insuring the items have the right style, free of flaws and clean. This process will continue on until my shift is over. Lots of customer engagement when they are picking up and cashing out.

I have outlasted many employees because turnover rates are so high, and some of the people I met and friendships I made here last a lifetime, this was the best part of the job. The management is poor and the expectations given to key holders and buyers is not fair for the pay received. Key holders are required to buy, open and close the store, train new employees which is actually the responsibility of management, and more. Regular customers come in and you get to know them well, which makes you not want to leave a place that’s so familiar. Management is consistently missing days that were requested off and okay’ed months prior, and then you will be forced to fix it otherwise you have to accommodate your life around their mistake. Phones are not allowed, which is reasonable to an extent, but if management watches tapes at night and see you not doing something they have no problem writing you up or firing you. Management consistently wonders why people are always quitting, and never recognize their problems. Many times, I feel as if I could manage this small store myself better than the managers. Managers are lazy and make many of their employees do work while they just stand on their phone, owners are never present. Overall it’s not a bad place to get some experience in retail but long-term employment makes for stressful days, nights, weeks, months, and even more stressful years.

They expect a lot out of you, photographing about 20 products an hour with five flawless photos for each product. Getting this many products done without flaw within the allotted time is almost impossible unless you come in used to doing so. I had no prior experience so this was really hard for me to learn. They put me in a back room used for meetings to do my work. There were constantly dead bugs piling up in the corner and it would be either extremely hot or cold depending on the weather. It would get to the point where I would have to ask for a heater or fan to make working in the tiny room tolerable. It was low pay but I assumed I had good job security since management was always friendly and complimented me on my work. One day they stopped scheduling me and basically told me the amount of work I was doing was not worth paying me my hourly wage for ( $10 an hour). They gave me an ultimatum that I could either start taking the clothing back with me home and they would pay me around 50 cents per clothing item I got done, meaning I would have to do extra work to get paid the amount I was previously, or stop working there. I chose to leave after that and they told me they could outsource the work anyways. Overall just a grunt job with low pay that was not worth the time I gave them.

This place is decent at best. The work here can get stressful most days. You get paid very little for more work than a normal retailer. They don't train properly and on so many occasions wanted us to do stuff related to work while on our own time. They change rules so quickly and don't tell you ahead of time. Lack of communication between the owner, management and the employees. The owner is sometimes nice in a personal setting but in the workplace she is the worst to work with. She micro manages through the cameras there and takes forever to fix and update the things that are very old and broken.Trying to get good shifts or specific days off is so difficult to get. The only good thing is the regular customers and the coworkers. The manager for Once Upon A Child is amazing and the Assistant Manager for Clothes Memtor is awesome too. All the coworkers that come in feels like family after a but of time. But the pay is minimum wage for sales associates and for Key Holders/Shift Leader gets paid $9. You get no other benefits besides a Beasley 30% discount but it's only on items under $18 and it has to be in the store for at least 7 days. And any items above $18 you get 15% off and for any designer items you get only 10% off of them. Overall I would not waste your time, energy and sanity applying and working for this store.

The place was a mess and not organized at all. They told me they had multiple locations shutting down and wouldn't give me a name tag because so many people quit after the first day. It was my first job and they scheduled me an 8-hour shift for my first day with little training. The back of the store was super unorganized and when I told them I had to go on a short trip with my family (I'm a minor who didn't have a choice to stay home just for work)  and couldn't work the schedule they gave me (the same day I started the job)  the manager got mad even though I told them as soon as I got the shifts. They advertised it as a great first job which isn't true whatsoever. I quit after the first day and it made me scared that was how all jobs would be which isn't the case. The entire shift I had to spend organizing the rack of clothes that people put back after trying them on which was overflowing and a complete mess.  I had to close that day and most of the "tasks" they gave me were things nobody wanted to do/ things they hadn't done in a while like dusting all the display cases and shelves which were covered in a thick layer of dust and clearly hadn't been even touched in a while. It could be an okay job if you have previous retail experience but definitely not a beginner job. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Retail sales associate 15 salaries reported	$12.67 per hour
Retail assistant manager 6 salaries reported	$16.13 per hour
Sales associate 7 salaries reported	$14.11 per hour
Customer service representative 9 salaries reported	$11.67 per hour
Assistant store manager 1 salary reported	$17.00 per hour

Working at Clothes Mentor: Company Overview and Reviews

Clothes Mentor

Clothes Mentor Ratings

Popular jobs at Clothes Mentor

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected