sales associate

store manager

assistant manager

seasonal associate

assistant store manager

Eddie Bauer

As a Co-Manager at Eddie Bauer, a typical day of work was eight hours with a one hour lunch break. The store was open 10am-8pm Monday through Friday and 12pm-5:30pm on Sundays. I worked 5 days a week either 9am-6pm or 11:30am-8:30pm and one Sunday a month. (sometimes more if needed) My morning routine was to count the safe, print of paperwork and analyze and review the results from the prior day, fill out our sales and payroll book, and come up with individual sales goals for each manager and associate that was scheduled to work that day based on the stores sales goal as a whole. Next, I would check our company's intranet for updates and complete that if necessary. Finally, I would complete ship outs or transfers as needed and receive shipment when it arrived.
I was the brand manager and once or twice a month I planned and executed a floor set. This involved working overnight. The visuals and product had to be in place before opening the next morning.
In the 7 plus years I worked at Eddie Bauer, I learned what legendary service really is. I also learned how to work well with a group of people and that teamwork is the most important thing. I learned how to be more assertive and how to respond to change in a very positive way. I went from being a sales associate and learning how to use the register to being a manager and learning everything that goes on behind the scenes. For example, I learned how to analyze product performance, store performance, and replenishment reports. I also learned how to plan and manage my time. I worked under a total of six different store managers while I was at Eddie Bauer and two different District Directors. The most recent management team I was privileged to work with was great! It was a very fun and energetic company to work for. My co-workers and myself were very passionate about the products we sold. Product knowledge is one of the most important things, so I did daily training and role plays with each associate to keep us up to date on the changes. The hardest part of the job was having to work 50 and 60 hours some weeks. This was usually during the holidays or when seasons were changing and we had to completely change the style of the store. However, my job was brand presentation and visuals so I enjoyed it! The most enjoyable part of my job was the customers. I loved helping them find exactly what they were shopping for. If we didn't have it in the store, I would find it by calling other stores and having it shipped to the customer, calling our catalog, or ordering it online. I would do whatever needed to be done to make the customer happy. In return, I had and still have close relationships with many customers that shopped at my Eddie Bauer store.

Work shifts are generally short.  4 hours, however with 8 hour days depending on availability and scheduling needs.  On call shifts are minimal, and only used if completely necessary.  Management has a great handle on balancing labor.  It is a retail job, and with that comes its own downfalls.  But as retail goes this company is a great one to work for.  Healthcare and most benefits are only available to full time employees which are usually only managers in the retail industry.  Eddie Bauer does offer associates who average 20 hours per week paid time off.  This is a new benefit, so I am not completely aware of how much is accrued.  There is an opportunity for a sales bonus if the store makes plan and you make your monthly plan.  The only flaws I have found in this system is that both are an expectation to bonus vs bonusing individual based on sales goals and it is a set bonus rate vs a percentage of sales bonus like other companies I have worked for.  The company is still learning and growing as this is also a new idea for them.  I expect them to have some more changes to this plan in coming years as they learn and grow.  Technology is a little far behind, but making a comeback as they continue to expand and grow stores.  The people you work with vary in age.  Many have been with the company for many years.  I personally have not seen a lot of turnover, with many seasonal associates returning year after year.  The hardest part of the job is gaining product knowledge.  We have an associate Facebook page that is used often to gain knowledge from associates all over the country, as well as share of we live our adventure.  Eddie Bauer is an active company, and encourages associates to live their adventures.  Top sales associates in the company recieve the opportunity to have a week long outing.  They are flown into Seattle to meet other top sales associates for a week of hiking, dinners, and other activities.  The discount is fantastic, and well worth is for the quality of clothing.

Unfortunately the company has lost control of what made Eddie Bauer a super powerhouse brand for the outdoorsman.  Of those being heritage, culture, product, employee relations, and the simple understanding of a humans well-being.  I have never worked for an organization that did not embrace constructive feedback, creativity, leadership, and evolution.  If you can relate to any of the words just mentioned, this is not a place you will come to embrace as they will certainly not embrace you.  Coming from a very competent and intensive training background I have never experienced an on-boarding/training process so unorganized, sporadic, poor, disengaging, and utterly pathetic than with Eddie Bauer.  The company embraces a herd mentality and exhibits brutal and unrealistic expectations from their employees which is apparent with such abnormal turnover rates. They only wish to employ those who they know they can easily control and manipulate through feared leadership.  They are still trying to compete and quite frankly mimic with brands outside of their root system such as Under Armour, Lululemon, Nike, and other major athletic brands. Eddie Bauer is attempting to grasp a more youthful demographic and it is destroying its core customer who has remained loyal to them for many generations who is is beginning to turn away.  The young consumer will never associate Eddie Bauer into their wardrobe because it's always been known to be worn by their fathers and grandfathers.  Don't change what works...   Very disappointing to see this company struggle to figure itself out at this point.  It will very likely be sold once again in the near future as the company is funding the wrong elements in order for sustained growth.

the store I worked at was in a dying mall and we were lucky to see a customer a day. There were days we would end up at $0 or negative. But when that was discussed with higher ups it was our fault because we weren't bringing people in, we weren't calling people and scheduling "appointments," etc.   

There is room for advancement, but often we had very little hours for associates and most hours went to managers. I was able to go to school while being an assistant manager and pay was decent for the time. 

It really depends on the team you get. The team I had when I started was amazing, but then after awhile, once people started leaving it went down hill. People got lazy and it felt like one or two people would try and carry the entire store. Often management would have to always be by their phones in case something went on in the store so they could help whoever was there.

Some customers were amazing and some are just stuck up old people, and the return policy let people walk all over us. People knew they could return almost anything almost no matter what and we weren't allowed to say no. Also because we were a slow store, we often didn't get new items that were in catalogs and online, causing some trouble for us. 

Policies on how you talk to customers and how you sell is a bit much for me. It taught me a lot going to other retail places, but having to get to know 5 things about customers right away, constantly pushing other clothing items on customers while in the dressing rooms, excessive training on how to talk to people, etc, eventually got exhausting. 

All in all, its a nice place to get a start in retail but not a place I would want to spend the rest of my life. I enjoyed my time there but definitely  wouldn't go back.

This job entails the same things most retail clothing boutiques do.  I assist customers with finding clothes that look and feel good on their bodies; I keep the store neat and presentable; I help customers with the checkout process; and I make sure that the dressing rooms are clean and not full of clothing.  It's taught me to be kind to everyone I meet, because you never know what might be going on in their lives.

The management here is, for the most part, excellent.  They listen to the problems I and the other associates have, and try to fix them.  They help with selling when I am having a hard time, they aren't afraid to jump in and help keep the store neat if it's overwhelming, and they're mostly fun people.  One of the managers is pretty sub-par, but I've learned to avoid situations that frustrate me.

My co-workers are, for the most part, retired from full-time work, or they are working part-time until they can find a good full-time job to pay the bills, like me.  I get along well with them.

The hardest part of the job is the fact that I often sell orders that come to more than I make in two weeks.  I sold around $850-worth of clothes to a young woman the other day; it should have made me happy (both that it was a huge sale and that we found her beautiful things that made her look and feel great about her new figure), but it just made me sad, because I wish I had that kind of income.

The best part of the job, though, truly is helping people find clothes that fit and look good.  I genuinely love when someone tries on a pair of the new ladies' jeans, or one of the Travex dresses, and they come out of the dressing room looking fabulous.  It makes the fact that I can't pay my bills hurt a little less, because I'm making someone else very happy.

•Ultimate accountability to drive store sales results and operating profit.
•Develop a high performing team that loves to sell and is committed to engaging with customers, delivering excellent customer service and quality brand presentation.
•Meet or exceed expectations for individual sales results and key business drivers as well as achieve desired team sales results.
•Role model and coach selling, sales leadership and clienteling in all interactions with your team and customers.
•Consistently source top talent for your store at the management and associate level.
•Drive store business through successful event planning and community outreach.
•Train, develop, coach, mentor and retain a customer focused selling team.
•Analyze your business regularly and make appropriate decisions as a shopkeeper and owner of your business.
•Provide recognition to your team that reinforces positive behaviors and results.
•Constantly assess your individual performance to maximize results for yourself and your store.
•Plan and control store payroll and operating expense budgets.
•Represent the vision of the company’s active outdoor lifestyle brand.
•Utilize company tools and resources to perform your job at a high level and to train others.
•Set clear performance expectations, provide direct feedback, and hold team accountable for individual results and behaviors.
•Model our Values and Maxims and align behaviors with our Creed and Guarantee.

A typical day at work involved welcoming customers into the store, showing them around, and getting to know them and what they're looking for so that we could make educated suggestions for them. After finding a few things for them to try, we'd also assist customers in the dressing room and be their cashier for them when they're ready to check out. Over the year that I was there, I also got to work as a stock specialist as well which meant that half of my time at work was also spent in the stock room where I would organize our shelving system, check in our shipments, and work on overnight floorsets to fill the floor and reorganize tables, wallbays, and shelves. I learned a lot about how to maintain my smile and strong customer service even on rough days, and also that I have a strong eye for organization and getting a job done at a fast pace. Our management team changed more often than any other job I have worked on, but they always brought in a fun crew that gave us great, new suggestions on how to build relationships with people every day. My co-workers at Eddie Bauer felt like family from my first few days there and even though we were competing for sales, we still looked out for each other at all times and worked well together. The hardest part of this job was keeping customer service at my top priority even if my customer was in a bad mood or I was in a bad mood. The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting new people every single day, getting to hear their stories and about the trips they're planning to go on, and helping them pick out what they're going to need to be prepared for their adventures!

First off Eddie Bauer could be a great company to work for. They pay well and have great benefits with lots of vacation time. But with all that it is not worth it. Not by a long shot. I was an Asst. Manager. The store has been open for a year and a half and I am the 6th manager to leave. What does that say? If you hate role playing then this is not for you. That's right! You role play everyday and more than once a day. Degrading. If you don't make customers sign up for a credit card well your job is in danger. Oh there is more. Managers have a thing called a client book. You as a manager have to add 3 new clients to your book every week. You have to call your clients and get them to come in and spend money. You better do this or your job is in danger. Floor sets happen almost every month. You have to be a pushy sales person and you better have a good conversion on the shifts when you are sales lead or guess what....that's right, your job is on the line. You have to be prepared to answer for any numbers that are below stores expectations. Training never ends and not everyone does anything the same way so your confused as to what is the correct way to do things. Store must look like a museum. Oh I almost forgot you have to schedule outside store events to bring in customers. The cliental at Eddie Bauer is mostly 50+ woman. So if you are a guy you feel like you work at a Dress Barn. The younger generations has no clue as to who Eddie Bauer is nor do the care. Company has already filed Chapter 11 once and I am sure they will again.

Sales associates typically work 8 hour shifts divided between processing orders and organizing store room, and on the floor selling. 
While on the floor, I was responsible for greeting customers, informing them of promotional offers, and providing product knowledge in a clear concise manner.

I learned how to deal with rejection, focus on the product and the manner in which I express it. This position helped me to develop communication skills with many different types of consumers. 

The management consisted of a sales manager and a store manager. Both were effective at their positions but I spent the majority of my time with the sales manager who took an active interest in my development and provided me with resources and guidance to help me be more effective. 

Most of my co workers were sales associates such as myself. We worked independently and together to achieve our respective goals. 

The hardest part of the job was managing your responsibilities when the sales floor was busy and orders were coming in (especially around the holiday season). It is a challenge to divide your time effectively so neither area get neglected. 

The most enjoyable part of the job is communicating with a customer who is genuinely interested in finding a product that best suits their needs. This allows for a natural conversation that utilizes the product knowledge in way that leads to a sale and a satisfied customer.

Over the +15 years I have been with the company, I have seen good times and bad. It depends largely on upper  leadership. Past leadership saw the value in each individual and rewarded accordingly, Associate incentive, Manager bonus. Managers were focused on developing their people to be productive sellers. For the majority of my time spent, it was very rewarding,  the most recent 5 years brought  the change . Retail in brick and mortar has become more and more challenging and as a Store Manager you are held accountable for the things you can control, this was to be expected but it was the things  outside of your control, i.e.decline in buying traffic due to incline in traffic driven by catalog returns, product allocation and payroll constraints, that interfered with doing your job efficiently and effectively. Upper leadership becoming desperate and shifted focus from store selling teams to individual management contribution, all the while  maintaining everyday operations. I feel that  upper leadership has lost touch with the everyday operations of stores and how the new direction has affected it. Need to re-evaluate how daily operations should run. There is a better way and change is needed. With a new direction, there is hope that customers could become the priority again and by focusing on building teams through rewards, could  potentially sustain retention.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sales associate 100 salaries reported	$15.32 per hour
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Seasonal associate 49 salaries reported	$14.57 per hour
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