retail assistant manager

sales associate

supervisor

assistant store manager

store manager

ITSUGAR

Customers are rude most of the time. They treat employees like they are stupid because they work in a candy store (they may be on to something..). It’s an affluent neighborhood where the moms rule the roost with snobbery. It’s like every customer is the Karen meme. 
Kids are cute. Their parents, however, never get off their phones long enough to parent their kids and be prepared to be verbally abused if you so much as try to tell a kid to not stick their hangs into candy bins. 
My store was either dead quiet or so overly busy that the store becomes a physical disaster almost instantly. There is no amount of cleaning that will ever be enough. Cleaning budget is too low for the store to operate - mop is broken, we run out of floor cleaner, employees buy windex and hand soaps. Always running out of one cleaner or another and “making do”. 
Stores have a small staff for the numbers of hours open. Single employee coverage is the norm. Getting sick is pretty much out of the question. 
Shipment is frequent, almost daily and usually way too much to store properly. Boxes are way too heavy. Ladders suck. Changing the floor set is a huge pain. Shelves are damaged and stuck in the walls. You go home covered in scratches and bruises on the daily. 
Former manager was a pathological liar - even about things that really didn’t matter and were not work related- the manager before her was fired because the place was almost shut down for the place being so filthy. The new manager is not physically capable of doing the job and doesn’t appear to know how to speak or use a computer. The DM is a lazy, condescending  tool. I’ve heard the former owner sold to a holding company because he sucks with money, 
Bulk Candy is way way way overpriced. Customers either don’t care or complain loudly about it depending on the day. Prepackaged candy is misleading and a huge rip off. Novelty items are tacky and anger moms and trump supporters. Company policy is to have one door open year round. Board of health says no. Company doesn’t care about their employees in any way - and while I do realize that companies without profits shut down, there has to be more to a business than the bottom line. Even their charity lollipops (which we have to add to a minimum of 30 percent of our total transactions if we don’t want to hear about it for hours on end) are viewed as a scam because only 20% of the purchase price actually goes to charity. Customers have definitely shamed me for it and I don’t blame them.

When I first got hired with IT'SUGAR, it seemed like a great job. Got paid a bit above minimum wage, the managers were great, everything was okay. I'll admit, even at the beginning, the hours weren't great. They're very strict about staying open as late as possible just to make numbers. If you make $50 dollars in the last 30 minutes to 1 hour, you had to stay open, especially if you didn't make your daily quota. 
Things got worse when I got injured. My first manager at the time quit due to the Direct Manager not being great, but I had injured myself TWICE outside of work, and brought a Doctors Note that stated I was CAPABLE OF WORKING but had to have a chair. The Direct Manager didn't accept it and I was eventually let go because of how long my legs were taking to heal. Because of this I lost my apartment and had to move in with friends.
I eventually got asked to work there again once a new Manager and Direct Manager were appointed the store, I only agreed if I got full time but was told I couldn't have that because I didn't have an HSE, which was fair. But I figured I was in the process of doing so, so I said I'd come back Part Time and we agreed once I got my HSE I'd re-visit being Full Time.
Second Manager got fired. Things started going WAY down hill.
The Direct Manager doesn't know what they're doing; I was training new Associates, new Supervisor, AND even helping said Manager here and there.
The Direct Manager is nice to your face, but talks about you behind your back. What caused me to leave was finding out from MULTIPLE people that they were saying they never wanted to hire me to begin with, that I lacked initiative despite everything I did for that store. Constant clopens(closing at almost 1:30am, not getting home until 2am, and not getting to bed after eating and showering until 3am, and then opening at 10am the next morning), coming in on my only days off, training and trying to keep the store afloat. They didn't want to give me Full Time because they did not like me, this was told me FOUR times by multiple people who worked for them. They gave the Full Time position I had been begging for and working towards to the Supervisor I trained!!
This job is NOT worth it. It was good at first, but the longer you work here the more you see the company doesn't care about its employees and if you aren't like, you'll know it.

Manager is great and overworked.  The suits at corporate have no idea how draining interacting with everyone all day in a retail setting is. 

They put all the pressure on the overworked manager to appease employees because the wages set by corporate are so low, in SoFlo, they are unlivable considering what they want us to do.  The turnover rate is very high because of this, and not an eye from corporate has been batted.

Working at It'Sugar, you might as well just do the bare minimum, IE: manning the register and making sure the store is clean, like every other retail position. 


They will tell you this isn't your normal retail job (because you are getting grossly underpaid.)  

End of day goals drastically changed after I was onboarded due to our store meeting them.  Now they have practically doubled(?) 

We wanted to change the music that played in the store due to atmosphere being an important part of our store's experience.  Corporate said to make a playlist (Like I wouldn't...) and proceeded to paywall the ability to change the music by rewarding the top 2 stores in the district with the ability to EITHER add or remove a single song from the 400 song playlist of man music from the early 2000s. 

Countless nonsense decisions emerge every day working there: realized this when they had the store open normally on the 4th of July, when all stores in the mall would be closed at 3 or 6; our store would be open until 9, so for 3 hours we'd be the only store open, on a holiday. 


Absolutely no one at corporate should wonder why the turnover is so high, but I wouldn't be surprised given the horrible communication issues they present.

TL;DR: IT'SUGAR as a corporation does their best to make awful decisions and make sure their employees on location know they do not care about them. This is done by setting the hours improperly and locking the hourly at ridiculously low rates.  

I had only worked briefly for the company, but as someone who has worked in retail for many years, this company is a complete joke.  When interviewed I was promised a fun environment and a less than stressful workload.  On my second day of training, I was asked to go close a store without even being trained on the process.  I refused as I was not comfortable.  I was required to work open to close shifts on a weekly basis, worked mostly nights, worked closing into opening shifts (which is usually a no-no in retail); all things that were not communicated to me in my interview.  The pay is atrocious, at least for the position I was in and for the experience I have.  There is no communication and support from a corporate level and the customer base is despicable.  People constantly sample candy without asking (that's called shoplifting in a normal place of business), and even in a global pandemic they just stick their bare hands in bowls of candy, which in turn needs to be damaged.  I have never in my career seen adults act so childish.  And, at least in my location, a majority of the customer base was rude and when asked to use gloves and scoops and tongs to get their candy, they would snap back with attitude.  Lots of loitering, entitled children and teenagers with no parental supervision is also an issue in these stores, so in essence you have to play babysitter. Based on extreme mismanagement, I would not recommend working here unless you do your research.

Fun workplace to bad Corporate is involved.  They don't really understand the jobs for different areas.  My Supervisor said we have to start staying till 1:00 am but no one even comes into the store it's a waste of money but it is a new company I understand they really don't know what they are doing.  I'm currently looking for a new job it's not safe getting off that late.  Key West has way to many opportunities for work to stay here at this place.  The pay is terrible 10.00$ an hour in Key West what a joke you can make more at McDonalds.  Sell Sell Sell.  Very greedy people also has something stupid to ad on they call an SOW that no one want's, employees just buy it themselves because they get mad if you don't hit there goal.  Very stressful atmosphere and the store is gross. Mold all over the air conditioning inside.  The General Manager is nice and smart but they don't let him do his job. He's very stressed you can tell and they fire people left and right for no good reason they say cause sales are down well it's Key West not a good spot for a candy store. While the bars are making $20,000+ a night the candy store can barley average at $3,000 a day and there open the same amount of time and in that spot, rent is not cheap. Everyone that works here is part time cause you can't get benefits they can't afford it  They also have a bad reputation with the locals in Key West everyone knows each other down here....  Not a very busy store i'm surprised they are still in business down here.

I like the job and the store itself. I loved how colorful we were and all the older candies we had. The job itself wasn’t terribly difficult, keep stores, clean, talk to customers refill bins, the basics you would assume for a candy store. Everyone employee wise was nice. But we seem to have a very large turnover rate. Our store started with a full staff when I was hired but the day I started it was me and 2 other people everyone else had left, then they hired a new persons and we lost the other two including our manager. They left us without much guidance. We did start seeing our district manager on a regular basis, but then our shifts became all day by yourself, open the close. It wasn’t a terrible shift i just hate doing open to close your whole day seems gone. And for months during the holiday season, our store began to get empty, all while management claimed  that the inventory was coming and deliveries were coming but they never did. We’re not stupid, so when we questioned, is the store closing? We were given the run around and the question was avoided. It wasn’t until like a week before the store was closing that we were told anything. It was so disappointing. I like the job so much it was so fun. Just watching kids get excited about candy was enough to balance out any crabby adult upset we didn’t have their favorite shoe string licorice. 

Working at IT’SUGAR was a great opportunity to develop my retail, leadership, and inventory management skills. A typical day involved supervising daily store operations, opening and closing the store, assisting customers, managing the stockroom, receiving, labeling, organizing, and replenishing merchandise, and ensuring the sales floor remained clean and well-stocked. I also helped train and support team members while maintaining excellent customer service.

The management encouraged teamwork, accountability, and maintaining high operational standards. The workplace culture was energetic, fast-paced, and customer-focused.

The most challenging part of the job was balancing customer service with inventory and operational responsibilities during busy periods. The most enjoyable part was working with a great team, interacting with customers, and developing leadership, inventory control, shipping and receiving, merchandising, and problem-solving skills.

Work-life balance
The company feels you are replaceable no matter how long or how much experience you have.

Pay & benefits
There are no benefits, the store discount is all the benefit you get.

Job security and advancement
They would literally hire a child off of the street for management or someone who has a record for assault and battery, then promote from with in. If you do get promoted from with in and have management experience, you make less than others hired from outside. If you have experience DO NOT APPLY HERE, IT IS A HORRIBLE COMPANY TO WORK FOR!!!

Management
I have 22 years in retail management, this place is Horrid, unorganized, corrupt, unfair, sexist, over worked, underpaid and a complete nightmare to work!

Culture
They pretend to promote this colorful, exciting and fun atmosphere and you are treated poorly, underpaid, no creative freedom, and corporate bull company!!!

Overall
After 20+ years in retail and retail management this place ruined my Passion and Love for the Career!!! You are a tiny cog on a wheel and have no creative freedom. You are severely underpaid if you live on your own You CAN NOT SURVIVE!!!! Since Covid it's even gotten Much Worse that was my breaking point. At my location we lost 6 managers in under a year and 3 cashiers!!! And no one does a thing!!!  Worst place I have EVER worked!!!

A typical day at work would be filling candy Cleaning tables, swapping bins, filling walls, working on shipment and talking to customers, not sure if I learned anything there other than I don’t have a family life while working here, management is constantly changing in the upper levels, so you never know who you were going to have as management some were great and some horrible, The hardest part of the job was not being able to enjoy yourself while working there because you are constantly cleaning and swapping candy out filling candy bins not much time to have fun and music so Loud can’t hear yours think or understand the customers questions,
Most enjoyable part of the job was watching kids eyes light up when walking in the store and seeing all the candy tables being a kid in a candy store that was great, overall job is ok if you don’t have a family life this job is definitely for younger adults 
hard to balance work life with home and taking PTO is a joke lost over 90 hours in PTO time definitely impossible to take time off but upper management they always get there time off, sick days what sick days can’t take those either if you needed too like I said job is ok to many cons versus pros. 

Even though this place is bright and spunky, it is the absolute worst place to work. It was my first job, I was promoted within two weeks of working there, and I loved it for months and months; however, my manager there was the worst, lied plenty of times to my coworkers and I, and could never understand or listen to directions from our district manager. The company as well, is very selfish and takes all their workers for granted, all they care about is their $$ goals. Many coworkers there became my best friends and we created several memories there; the pay wasn't too horrible but for being a supervisor and the hours we supervisors put in on a weekly basis, we were really underpaid. The manager there rarely did anything so my co-supervisor and I basically did all the tasks that needed to be done including associate duties, supervisor duties, and manager duties. Sales associates there only work Friday-Sunday, occasionally on a Wednesday or Thursday depending on shipment. Supervisors open and close every day without any workers with them, so we never got a break in a long shift (usually could be 8-13 hr shifts). All in all, it was a great learning experience but a horrible place to work.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Retail assistant manager 143 salaries reported	$16.68 per hour
Sales associate 60 salaries reported	$15.71 per hour
Supervisor 40 salaries reported	$18.83 per hour
Assistant store manager 30 salaries reported	$21.38 per hour
Store manager 14 salaries reported	$60,250 per year

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