associate

sales lead

retail assistant manager

sales associate

assistant manager

Lane-Bryant

The entire company dynamic shifted a couple of months ago. Policies are not consistent. One day a customer can do one thing and the next day they can’t and you have no reason to give them except “that’s the policy.” If you do follow policy and it upsets a customer, you will be reprimanded even though you’re not the one who can’t make consistent policies. Coupon usage varies every single day. Customers won’t know up front what they can’t use a coupon on so you get to tell them when they get ready to check out and then you get to clean it up when they leave a stack of items on the counter. Then you will be told you should have made an exception. However, when you do make exceptions and don’t follow policy exactly, you will be reprimanded for that as well. You will be blamed for mistakes that you watch other people make. You will be reprimanded for not properly reporting those mistakes. If you do report the mistakes you will be called a liar, even if they are based on multiple complaints from multiple associates and things you saw for yourself. The person you complain about will be informed that you complained, even though your reports are supposed to be anonymous so you WILL face retaliation even if what you say is the truth. 

If you are not the store informant, you may as well not get comfortable in your position because you WILL be thrown under the bus any time your district manager visits. If you stand up for yourself, you will also notice that your district manager no longer visits your store when you are on the schedule, nor will she answer your phone calls or emails. You can call back to back repeatedly, but apparently if you don’t leave a voicemail fully explaining the issue you don’t warrant a call back because obviously repeatedly calling back to back and sending an email does not signal that there is a problem that needs handling. The first time I had a big issue and tried to call the DM back to back to back, it was three days before I got a response telling me that if I wanted a call back I should have left a voicemail. The next two times I tried to contact for an issue, I never received a response. 

You will watch your hardest working coworkers be held back from advancement opportunities rather than being given proper training and the ability to move higher. You will watch the laziest people who refuse to do any work take credit for the work that the hardest working employees do. You will watch your store manager be blamed for turmoil caused by someone who doesn’t even work in the store but visits infrequently. You will see people who do zero work be praised for what they do for the store even though they stand in the same spot for almost five hours at a time. If you are a hard worker, you will be completely taken advantage of.

I loved (most of) my coworkers, and I hated to see how they were treated because they were all (but maybe two) really hard workers. This was a fantastic place to work until about two months ago and while the friction was blamed on the store manager I can 100% confirm that it came from above her. Employees who speak out or stand up for themselves to make positive changes are punished for making those above the store level look bad. I know I am only one person and maybe this won’t make a difference, but employees at the store level are treated with such indifference until they make noise to try to make things better. Then, they are treated with absolute contempt. If you value yourself as a human being, do not work here.

A typical day at work:
    If opening the store call so a manager can let you in first. walk to the back punch in and start open duties: swifter floors make sure all fitting rooms are clean out make sure the sales floor looks neat and ready to shop. then open doors and put out signs. First you great all employee as you make your way to the locker area.Then punch in, speak to the rose leader for the pep talk. great customers recover the floor and clean fitting rooms. make the final sale and when its time to punch out you punch out. Go throw leaving periodicals and leave. If closing you do all closing duties: trash, hangers, censers, count the money, close cash registers, lock the store doors then leave.

What you learned:
    I learn how to be more confident in my self. how to make fashion a part of my life how to help other women look there best. Also how to help there spouse find what is good for them, and give them confidants in shopping for there spouses. 

Management:
   I have no problems with the management at this job. They are people that listen to you and show concern about you as a person and friend. Its like we became family. They also talk, teach, and show you how things are done they really took there time. There was never any yelling or screaming no one needed to ever raise there voices the only thing I didn't like was that I didn't get more hours. so I felt sometimes I wasn't working to the fullness of my abilities.

Your co-workers:
   I love them all. We have became like family. As I stated previously, There is never a time where you felt like you didn't belong. If you need help or have any question no mater how big or small they are always willing to help, teach, and learn. Everyday was a day of working and smiling.

The hardest part of the job:
   I find that sailing credit was the hardest. Trying to convince someone that they need a credit card in today's economy when tax in on every thing and is super high is no easy task. Also dealing with some of the customers attitudes is also deficit at times too. 

The most enjoyable part of the job:
    I must say the regular customers that are always coming in they have fun stories to tell  on how a item made them look there best at a dinner or on vacation. Some of them come back with a friend or family and ask for me by name, to help them find there perfect bra size. This always put a smile on my face. The contests was fun too. playing bingo, store tag with all other stores, to boost our numbers gave me something to look foreword to on some slow days. but most of all i enjoyed the learn to earns where we have to learn the product take a quiz try it on and we would ether get the item free or a persistent off. This helped me sale the item with great ease and aloud me to be truthful witch help me create a closer bond with the customer.

The work is by no means strenuous as long as you're not doing window displays. During the holiday season, hanging up light fixtures and new posters was intimidating because it required climbing a very tall ladder to attach wires to the ceiling. Other than that, all other manual labor was easy - unpackaging new products, hanging clothes, folding clothes, cleaning, etc. The best part of the job will always be the regular clientele you build up and the situations where you get to help people find a specific look! Seeing kind, friendly faces always made the job feel worth it and like you were making someone's day. Making someone feel confident was the best feeling.

My major criticism comes from the management which ultimately boils down to how each district is run. We had issues with a racist leader who was eventually removed but it took far longer than it should have and a store manager who took no accountability whatsoever. The store manager will always schedule themselves to their comfort, even if it means the store falling short in other areas. Prime sale hours are usually on Saturdays after noon and, depending on the volume, required at least 2 associates. When the new store manager started, she worked maybe one Saturday night every 6 weeks and scheduled the most junior team lead for the night with only one other associate. But on the shifts she would work, she would make sure she had at least 2 or 3 associates with her.

The store can get out of control quickly without proper staffing. Cleaning afterwards can take hours and management who only cares about results will ream you if you choose to stay late to clean and blow past payroll or leave early and the store is a mess the next morning.

Pay was okay, above minimum wage, but hours were iffy. I never had a review / merit raise, it was always pushed back for one reason or another. I only got a raise because I changed positions. Lane Bryant very rarely hires anyone for full time. Part timers will be given hours that float just below full time so the company can avoid providing benefits. As an associate, some shifts are only 3 hours long. On seasons where the sales volume is low, you can expect that you might only get 12 hours a week. Just a forewarning if you choose to use the experience as primary income.

Also, be prepared to dress "on trend." In order to up sell customers, they will require you to purchase pieces from the store or wear something similar to what they currently have to show off why they should buy them. You might end up with clothes in your wardrobe that you don't necessarily care about just so you can fit the company's expectations.

A typical day at work: Depends what shift you have. Sales associates generally were scheduled for 4 or 8 hour shifts. Openers generally walked the store, straightened clothes, ensured signage for sales were correct, probably some other stuff I can't remember atm. After opening it's all about sales. There's a heavy emphasis on client connection and boosting sales. Walkies are worn every shift and depending how much traffic is in store, you could be assigned an area, and then "pass off" clients to whoever is assigned to fitting rooms. Bra fittings are done a lot so you can't be scared to get close to people. Product knowledge is also expected so when a new product launches, you're expected to read the info that is sent and become familiar with features so you can determine what type of client would like or benefit from said product. Closers often did more work during closing routines. vacuuming, swifering, wiping mirrors, straightening clothes, collecting trash,  changing signage if there was a sale change, counting tills, and signing paperwork. Trust you will almost never leave on time as a closer. 

What you learned: It's not exactly a career job, so there's not much in the way of essential skills to learn. You'll learn to collaborate and work as a team which is a helpful skill to have. 

Management: There is one store manager and when I left there was no Assistant Manager. That being said, it was stressful for her to lead the store alone and I think that trickled down to other employees. There was sometimes tension, but she did her best to accommodate time off requests and was genuinely passionate about maintaining the high standard of a top performing store.

Workplace culture: Coworkers were great to work with and easy to get along with. People were generally supportive of one another.

The hardest part of the job: I'm anti capitalist but it's hard to be one in a capitalist society. I hated that as an employee, my worth was measured by KPI's, how big my sales were, how many items per transaction I had, and how many people I could sign up for store credit cards.

The most enjoyable part of the job: Truthfully I liked my coworkers and the days/ times when the store was slow. You generally worked with one to four people at the most (on the busiest days with our biggest sales) and often there were lulls during the day when you could just zone out as focus on small tasks like dusting, refolding clothes, waxing bars, etc.

Typical Day: 
Opened the store by checking all tables to see if any clothing needed to be refolded, as well as cleaned up anything left out from the closing shift, and rearranged racks of clothing and other inventory to follow company policy. Always greeted clients at the door, made sure they were aware of all sales, and any changes that were made to the promotions that are run. Checked in shipment (clothes, jewelry, and accessories, etc) following inventory protocol, unboxed shipment, checked for damage, and marked any items if they needed to be sent back. Steamed clothing so that the items were wrinkle free before being put out on the floor. Checked in freight, which brought in new signs for the floor as sales and promos are always changing. Helped clients find the right bra, or clothing they wanted, as well as made sales helping clients find items to go with their wardrobe. Ordered items that could not be found in store for clients, and often called other stores to ask if they might check their inventory for clients in store as many travel very far. Made personal shopping appointments for clients through Concierge, as well as scheduled bra fittings. Called clients to push sales, remind them of coupons, share the store’s newsletter, and to confirm appointments. Checked in packages, and checked them out when clients came in, as well as verified the clients ID upon pickup. Always asking questions to be sure clients got exactly what they needed, and became very familiar with all items in the store, as well as products offered online. Closed the store by vacuuming the carpeting, fixing the racks, repricing items if needed, and taking out the trash so it would be ready for the next day.  
Learned: Professional skills, office skills, and hones skills and understanding of inventory/stocking. 
Management: Management was great when I first started working there, its not now. Scheduling R/O is not easy, nor is getting PTO. They claim to work with schedules, and then do not follow through. Would not work here if you are a student.
Hardest Part: Management. 
Workplace Culture: This I loved. The company was founded by a woman, made for women, and is *for* women. My coworkers were amazing, I just had issues with scheduling and management of policies. 

Open store, do a walk thru the store, read mail/email, open register, set hourly sales goals, give morning pep talk, whatever direction the email or calendar plan for us to execute give everyone a to do list and estimated time to complete. Store is clean, organize, and marketing correctly. Assist guest/customer. Follow up with everyone making sure we are meeting/exceeding hourly goals. Before everyone shift give them their pep talk so they know what we have in and how much we need to make and exceed our day goal, go over all promotions, and give them their task for their work shift. Go threw and complete LP checklist that also include whom ever I'm working with. Receive shipment and have my shipment person process and get it to the floor where we as a team will complete shipment. We all work together as a team. Email are check every other hour to keep up with store updates per company/regional/district manager direction. Before anyone leaves their shift they would go over their task, sales, and credits accomplishment. Checking payroll.

I loved my job. I love working with people, rather it's a guest that I've made smile or a employee that has learn something new and is so excited with the progress they have made and eagerness to learn more to hopefully a promotion within the company. A well train team that is learn and understand the importance of excellent customer service and how important that is to customer, our store, sales, LP, free advertisement, and our district/region/company.

I come across so many guest that has thank me and brought friends and family to meet me because of my customer service especially bra fitting that has change many of women life and health. They sometime be so happy they hug you. But my customer is the reason why I'm there and enjoy my job so well.

Retail is all about change and embrace change. Even though I've been in retail for 25 years, management 17+ years I learn something new everyday. When I learn something new I share it with my team. I don't run my store by myself, we as a team run my store I'm just their leader and proud of it. Throughout my years I have even work with some amazing District Manager and Regional Manager that taught me so much and I thank them all the time. They also help make me and more store successful. Many of my jobs came from previous District/Regional Manager.

Daily work consisted of stocking merchandise,straightening and cleaning in store,work on customer service skills,greet and help customers acheive the ultimate shopping experience,work on meeting daily sale goals,creating a store enviroment that made shopping easy and accessible,do bra fittings,being informative of merchandise store sold,make customer service calls,recovery of store,keep dressing rooms emptied,open lines of credit, set sale signs,move apparel if needed,size,sort and hang merchandise on shelves and racks,make transactions,close registers,balance drawers,make sure all media is accounted for,and make deposit at end of shift.
I learned alot about giving the customer a great shopping experience. Learned to set goals for myself and did my best to reach them. Also learned alot about myself during this period,that i am creative,can make a difference in lives of women daily,was a team member whose opinion was valued and have what it takes to make apparel stylish and fun, with encouragement,leadership, and support from my team members. It was great knowing customers kept coming back for my help because i treated them well, was informative and made their shopping experience fun.
Management consisted of a great team. We all got along well. The support and encouragement given to me during my training period made me want to come to work everyday and learn more. Once i went full time the benefits were good. I was pleased to be a part of their team. My co-workers were good people, seemed to work well with one another although the store had turn overs quite a bit in summer months, couldn't keep steady help i think because of late hours, holidays,and weekend work.
Challenging part of job was during really busy times,trying to keep shelves stocked,customers' checked out while making sure their visit was a pleasant experience, being on feet 7 hours or longer a day, depending if co-workers showed up for work.
Most enjoyable part was getting to know people and their likes and dislikes. I liked the feeling it gave me seeing women smile and feel good about themselves when they found the apparel they liked. I gave alot of bra fittings to alot of women, i was amazed at what having the right fitting bra did for their self esteem. A great experience at this job with some great co-workers.

I knew this job was going to be challenging due to the fact that at the time I was a size 4 running a clothing store for women sizes 14 to 28. So the first month, most of the customers were extremely apprehensive about how I would be able to address their needs or relate to their body image issues... I seized the opportunity not only to utilize my selling skills, but also my communication skills to reach them in a way that they felt like I genuinely cared for them. It was also a great opportunity to teach my entire staff by being an amazing role model for them. I receive many compliments from my customers. Some of them told me that they had never received this kind of service before and would be Lane Bryant's customers for life because of all that I have done and trained my staff to do for them. Unfortunately, my immediate supervisor and the previous manager had abused so much payroll dollars that by the time of my arrival, I was told that I had to somehow fix this problem by myself. So I ended up having to work about 70-80 hrs per week and only getting paid for 40hrs per week. I had no life outside of work and my relationships suffered. I had endured this tough schedule for almost a year and could no longer sustain it. I had to cut back the strenuous schedule and as a result, the store's payroll hours went up. I became my supervisor's least favorite person and was consistently harassed. They went as far as writing me up for phony loss prevention audits which always occurred on my days off. In the end, because they were unable to force me out of my position, my supervisors just showed up and handed me a final paycheck with no explanation as to why I was being let go. To make matters worse, I was even shorted 8 hours on that check. Upon finding out about my fate, my customers became so angry that they called and wrote letters to my corporate office, which resulted in my supervisor being terminated as well. It's a complete tragedy because I loved my job. I put 200% of myself into everything I do because that is the type of person that I am.

I am a huge advocate of body positivity and promoting self love in women of all shapes and sizes. Lane Bryant and it's associates has a way of making you feel comfortable in your own skin even as an employee. I've never received anything other than positivity and encouragement when working with them. 

A day to day working here was usually really fun. A huge part of the job is dressing the part so I was able to explore different styles I would've usually been uncomfortable with otherwise ( as long as they are appropriate ). They really push self expression and even allow facial piercings which I thought was an amazing advancement in retail sales. ( They, however, don't allow funky hair colors which was a little disappointing to me since they preach to be YOU. ) Otherwise, you simply fold clothes ( A LOT of panties ) and stock the sales floor, general cleaning, and assisting customers. Also the DISCOUNTS are amazing! If you shop here, it's almost worth trying to get at least some part time hours to get a 50% discount and a whole list of monthly, in store rewards.
If I had to complain about anything, it would be the lack of hours that's given ( expected of a part time job in such a busy area, I guess ) and the invasion of personal space ( if that bothers you! ). When measuring women for bras, a lot of them have no sense of personal boundaries and will strip with no form of self awareness in mind. Of course, you've got to remain professional and realize that they are just desperate for some help ... but I won't lie and say that I wasn't pretty uncomfortable at first. I got used to it pretty quickly though! Especially when I was actually able to see the fruits of my labor. ( I.E. a woman finding some self love with a good bra! ) Also another con is the days where the staff has to redo the entire layout of the sales floor. You've got to stay past closing to deep clean and help with building/removing the clothes stands and such. Necessary but really annoying in the moment. Thankfully, they do this on Sundays when the store closes up at 8PM so you're usually getting out around the same time!

To sum it all up, I would 100% work for this company again!

Working for Lane Bryant was a real life-changing experience for me. Learning the ins and outs of one-on-one retail service was a daily challenge, but a valuable and self-realizing one. 

A typical day at Lane Bryant included greeting each customer with a smile and explaining new promotions, showing them new product, helping them find new fashions for their lifestyle and making them feel good about themselves and how they look. Helping each customer get the most for their money by offering Lane Bryant credit card options and offers, encouraging customers to try new items and styles, keeping up with inventory, ordering from the register special sizes and consistently offering every single available assistance possible to make their shopping experience memorable. I also was educated for the first time on inventory processes and how to process stock, mark down for sales, merchandising and loss prevention!  And as I stated earlier, working for Lane Bryant taught me what retail sales is all about and that is something I will value for the rest of my life!

Although management changed often, it was always good and encouraging and I always learned new things about retail sales, communications and how people work together and how important it is that each associate to their best to keep the store running at its highest potential. Team work is the biggest lesson I learned from my time at Lane Bryant. 

My co-workers became good friends and the teams that were created were impeccable. I am still friends with many of them to this day! Very inspiring. 

The hardest part of the job was keeping up with business while keeping up with store operations! That was incredibly challenging and often exhausting, but we always pulled through successfully.

The most enjoyable parts of this job were keeping up with busy times and store competitiveness! Good challenges and laughs. Also making friends with returning customers and having them choose me as their favorite Style Expert! 

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