shop associate

retail sales associate

technician

shop technician

sales associate

HobbyTown USA

What is the best part of working at the company?
Pros:

Super fun products

Great customer base

Making people happy 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Cons:

Incredibly unprofessional ownership at store level which trickles down a bit but middle management was still good for the most part. 

Availability/hours discussions/agreements that are had during the interview process are not honored once hired. Continued gaslighting regarding those agreements and no recourse because in most situations people will just submit to what the owner says.

Lack of efficient communication is a commonplace. One manager/coworker will tell you to do something different then how you are trained to do something, then another manager/coworker will berate you for following those directions. 

Lack of communication of any kind between store employees and any sort of HR or home office. 

Self absorbed ownership who consistently brags about their land/vehicle/how incredible they are at running a business while paying his employees almost minimum wage IN FRONT OF CUSTOMERS AND TO EMPLOYEES. 

Some Management/ownership consistently use condescending tone/vocabulary when addressing issues rather than using constructive criticism. 




What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The actual process of helping find products that will make them and/or a loved one happy is one of the best feelings on earth. 

The work environment however was incredibly unprofessional, exploitative, and devoid of positive reinforcement. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Basic retail duties. Stocking/customer service/facing etc

I have been working at Hobbytown USA for 7 years.  My current duties of Manager entail me working the front counter and helping customers with all aspects of their shopping experience.  From giving information on specific items in our specialized product inventory, to assisting in the repair and troubleshooting of purchased product.  In addition I manage a staff of 3-4 employees, ensuring that they do what their assigned task is for the day, and assure they are attentive to customer needs.   Finally I open and close the store, preparing all income and deposits for the next day.

I learned excellent customer service, excellent salesmanship and responsibility for managing both the store and its employees.

As a manager I am the lead of the store on any given day, even when the owners are present, I run the front of the store while they work undisturbed in the back.

My coworkers are mostly highschool students or college students on semester break.  It is exciting imparting professional demeanor and protocol in them.

The hardest part of the job is inventory management, and dealing with upset customers in a helpful and professional manner.

The most enjoyable part of the job is selling product which I am interested in as it allows me to be personally excited for the items that we sell, and extend that enthusiasm and passion to the customer.

I worked at HobbyTown USA in Boise, Idaho for eighteen years.  My co-workers became my extended family and I would not trade my experiences there for anything.  

I was responsible for the day to day administration of the business, assisting the CEO and CFO in all operations of the store and providing excellent customer service.  

I wouldn't say there was a particularly difficult aspect of the job, certainly individual instances would provide challenges which could be overcome with dedication and persistence.  I embrace those times and accept that only we have the ability to change our environment through determination.

The most enjoyable aspect of the job was definitely my co-workers.  I am not sure that I will ever find an environment that was quite so endearing as this one was.

A typical day is opening store (if your shift), prepping for customers. keep store clean and restock during day.  Assist customers with questions and of course finish the sale.  For me I was in charge of gaming and would organize events and manage sales/stock for gaming department.

Hardest part of the job was balancing "behind the scenes inventory management and organization" with "up front counter sales"

I loved handling the games department and organizing events.  Also talking with distributors and placing orders.

I did not like R/C department or anything to do with it (not my hobby).

While working at Hobbytown I learned many skills when dealing with customers, distributors, and basic management. Its not a very demanding job, just help customers, keep the store clean, etc. Very helpful when your trying to focus on finishing school. But I would not stay here if you are looking for a long-term career. It is a family owned business and the family takes priority over you, so its hard to feel like your important there. You start to feel like your easily replaceable. But if you do show that your interested in learning how they order things or how they decide on their choice on shelving items in the store they will let you know.

A typical day involved maintaining the cleanliness of the store and helping customers meet specific needs. I learned to be patient with customers because of the wide variety of inventory, I had to try and help the customers find items that they weren't sure how to describe. Hardest part of the job was trying to help customers meet specific needs when I didn't have all the knowledge of the particular hobby. I enjoy learning about new hobbies and getting to meet hobby enthusiasts. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Working for Hobbytown is very entertaining.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Customers are often demanding and disrespectful.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is relaxed and casual. Pay is often too low to afford to purchase the products they sell. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Answer phones. Answer questions. Repair broken vehicles. Sell products. Clean.

I set up the store in the racking and merchandised Various products throughout the store .My concentration what's focused one the model trains and accessories .
My typical day would consist of helping customers who came into the store .Accessing what they needed made recommendations ,Sowing the seeds for future Purchases . I also assisted with housekeeping such as vacuuming dusting washing the windows .
Put away New merchandise .Cashiering .And light security

It was a really fun job that taught me lots as far as hobbies go. You get to learn a lot if you want to. Good coworkers and owners. Great place to work especially if you are working another job or going to school because they really work to find a schedule that will allow you to work without being crunched for time. 
The usual day is pretty smooth: assisting customers, running the register, doing the inventory if necessary, stocking, etc. It is not difficult work, but it is taken seriously and should be done to the best of one's ability.

Hobbytown was a part time job I filled while attending school at moraine park. It was a small store with a tight-knit group of employees that largely worked there for fun. None of the work was particularly difficult although often my lack of expertise in the stocked products made customer interactions difficult on occasion. Ultimately the owner retired and the store had to close. I enjoyed the company of the people there and learned a great deal.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Shop associate 3 salaries reported	$11.50 per hour
Retail sales associate 1 salary reported	$14.50 per hour
Technician 2 salaries reported	$17.50 per hour
Shop technician 1 salary reported	$16.00 per hour
Sales associate 2 salaries reported	$10.50 per hour

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