food service associate

sous chef

shipping and receiving clerk

merchandiser

human resources generalist

Mitsukoshi USA

The company has experienced significant growth especially in the past several years, accompanied by the typical organizational rotations of executives, all with the mindset of 'Kaizen,' a Japanese belief centered around continuous improvement and facilitating positive changes. While change is generally positive in traditional business settings, the unique context of the theme park, with its constraints regarding compliance, accommodation, and operational procedures, means that drastic organizational shifts in this frequency and scale can pose considerable challenges for operators who may lack the experience and physical capacity of sufficient manpower to manage employees effectively. 
With that being said, the system creates unnecessary frustration and exhaustion, even though all management including executives' efforts are aimed solely at improvement.
I believe the workplace culture is good. The mission and goal are clear. How to navigate and operate is different story.  It changes frequently, so you have to have resilience and flexibility to accommodate.
The most challenging aspect of the job is that despite the multitude of tasks and sacrifices made, they often go unnoticed by others, so you have to maintain the positive mind-set on your own. 
The most enjoyable aspect of the job is the work environment. At the end of the day, it is the happiest place on earth. Not being cynical. Despite encountering typical challenges and frustrations like anyone else at any companies, the opportunity to daily remind oneself of the mission and purpose once stepping "on-stage," and witnessing how the team consistently strives to operate and assist guests to the best of their abilities, is rewarding.

I worked at Mitsukoshi USA for over 10 years. When I started working, it was a great company where I was proud of my work and the company cared about me. However, now the company only cares about money. Last year the bonuses to the associates and profit sharing plan were eliminated, even though the GM bragged about the highest sales and highest profit ever. The executives are sent from Japan every 3 years and only care about how their own advancement within MITSUKOSHI Japan - they do not understand or care about local employees' lives. They want to cut costs and increase profit for their time only then go back to Japan and not suffer the consequences. There are no sick days, no paid family leave, and no flexibility for taking care of children or parents. Health insurance used to be good, but is now bad compared to industry standard. There is terrible double standard because executives get paid for housing, company car, and 4 weeks of vacation to go back to Japan. I still have many friends at MITSKUOSHI USA and I liked my colleagues, but management is terrible.

It's was rewarding challenge with the training of Japanese Culture Representatives that are assigned to the Japanese Pavilion at Walt Disney Worlds EPCOT Center. Mitsukoshi / Japan pavilion rotates 300+ temporary work visa young adults on an annual basis. Most of which have limited to no no background in retail or restaurants. We established training in Tokyo Japan for the new Culture Reps joining us from Japan. Ongoing training throughout their stay at the pavilion was given to them, as well as, classes to understand American business, Culture and language, To see their individual growth in their stay was most rewarding of all. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to design and help develop the programs and see the positive results. Mitsukoshi / EPCOT WDW have thousands of young adults reaping the rewards of these programs each and every year. Job well done!

I loved most of my time at Mitsukoshi. However, in the last years it became very difficult to work and support my team. I did my best to do my job, but I was only ever criticized by the GM. I was not familiar with how he wanted me to change things and could not change like he wanted me to. But rather than taking the time to teach me how to change like he wanted me to, he would just reprimand me in front of others. The executives expect us all to be able to read their mind and do exactly what they expect, but they never explain clearly or train us how to do what they want, even if we are trying.  Then they get upset when we try and do things how we have always done them. They come from Japan and don’t understand how to work with Disney, and they don’t respect our knowledge and experience. I got tired of trying so hard to do well and failing and only being criticized and never having my team’s accomplishments praised.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Managers are strict yet very nice, they react you the basic greetings but is is helpful if you have some knowledge of japan and the language. Coworkers are very friendly. I was sad to go. May reapply in the future 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
It’s a mandatory 8 hour shift, weather your part time or full time. Only difference is part timers work 3-4 days a week full timers work 5-6 days a week

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very lively. Everyone is nice and helpful 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Depends if you’re opening or closing that day. Opening shift is slow in the morning but picks up fast once the doors open. Closing shift you get thrown into the action but when the park starts closing, it dies down

My typical day was to come in and work like crazy to try and keep the restaurants running. I learned a lot about the restaurant business, and I liked my direct supervisor. However, the senior management is terrible - they rotate out every 3 years, don’t speak English, don’t know anything about running a business in America, and only care about advancing their careers. They refuse to renegotiate salary or increase benefits. Even if you work hard or get a special qualification on your own, you are just expected to work harder. When I left, we had no sick days, no family leave, 13 days of PTO, and terrible health insurance. The profit margins are insane, and yet to the senior management, especially the GM, we are just pawns in their career game.

The operation is representation of the Japanese culture, cuisine and retail experience. It also represents Walt Disney World in it's operations. 
With an operation that maintains a staff of 300 cultural representatives. Two thirds of those staff members are on a temporary work visa. Therefore, the training of the these representatives are constantly in cultural transition classes throughout their stay.
It was a joy to see the growth in these young individuals adapting and working successfully in this new environment.

Its a very simple job, in my opinion easier than other food service jobs. Coworkers are great, easy to get along with and are always willing to help you. The only downsides are a) shifts are usually 8 hour minimum and you always either open or close, there is no in between. b) management kind of leaves you hanging about a lot of things and struggle to correct things i.e. they had my availability completely incorrect, it was written in email and they still made me work on a day i was unavailable because hr happened to give my manager the wrong email. I showed up, but ignored my schoolwork for it. 

This company is the embodiment of Japanese food,culture and hospitality. With that being said if you are not Japanese don’t bother wasting your time, there is a blatant favoritism for people who are Japanese to work there even if it means they can’t understand the job duties or responsibilities. Whenever someone who isn’t Japanese has an issue they will do everything to cover it up and ignore it  because you are viewed as someone who isn’t perfect and you must be an issue. All the managers speak Japanese and know very little english so good luck trying to understand or get your point across.

Worst place I ever work in my life,  they speak bad about you in their language,  No respect in that company, specially the ones from that country,  If the managers don't like you,  they let you work until your 90 days. and then they let you go. This place Its a joke, they never have employees because they dont last after they notice,  the mess of a job they get into. They are always hiring. because people don't last in that job, A lot of personalism. They will treat you bad, Good luck.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Food service associate 21 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Sous chef 11 salaries reported	$55,500 per year
Shipping and receiving clerk 2 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Merchandiser 11 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Human resources generalist 10 salaries reported	$914 per week

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