retail sales associate

merchandiser

cashier

sales associate

fitness specialist

Scheels-Sports

as a prior employee of this fine company I will state that I will never ever, and I mean never shop within this company again for many reasons. To start as I said I am a FORMER employee of this company that parted voluntarily on what I thought were good terms. When I started this job I loved it and I had almost no complaints at all. The pay was fair and if you worked hard you were rewarded by commission. If you were not a commissioned employee hourly rates are exceptionally low. The first year  We were even granted a Christmas bonus the first year I worked there which was then cut in order to save money, while the store leaders still got their annual bonus which I heard do not quote me on was usually 5 figures,this is a billion dollar company mind you and they don't like to take care of the ones in the trenches doing the actual work. My opinion I previously held about the company has changed dramatically. Before I start I'd like to be completely honest on my part and say that as an employee I met or exceeded all expectations within this particular branch within the company and the managers would go over employee reviews frequently to show you how you were doing. I missed/called out of only two shifts in nearly three years of employment and I picked up and helped out as much as possible, as well as out performing the bulk of my peers and even full time associates that spent twice the time at work as myself in terms of sales and customers per hour. Two of the three full time associates I worked with the closest were undoubtedly the absolute laziest people I have ever had the misfortune of working with. They missed an incredible amount of shifts while I was employed there, whilst seeing absolutely zero consequences for the lack of reliability which had to be covered by a part timer that had the day off. Management is an absolute joke as the bulk of the managers aren't even over the age of 25 and seem to have much less knowledge and experience within their field that you'd expect. Don't get me wrong though a few of the good ones know their stuff, but they are few and far in between. Unfortunately I was also a  frequent victim of bullying and harassment by a particular manager, don't worry as I did not let this faze me. Disappointingly only a minority of leadership act as yould expect from a company of such stature. Even though I had left on good terms, giving plentiful notice and even offering to help as much as possible before my voluntary departure I had only come to find from my previous colleagues that I was being bad mouthed behind my back by management after my departure. Management that I had previously liked (big mistake). I had thought prior management and myself were on good terms and I even used some of them as professional references for new jobs (big mastake #2) but I did not get any of the jobs I was using them for. I was curious as to why, but like I said my previous colleagues had told me I was being talked bad of behind my back when they only said great things to my face. I have a feeling this is a very common occurrence within all management here. Many colleagues I worked alongside with throughout the years in which I was employed by scheels sought promotion only to have their hopes crushed. As I stated previously I would rate myself personally as an above average to average employee (nothing too special). However, there were many people that I worked alongside with that outperformed me in many ways that went on to try and persue promotion within the company only to be beaten out by folk that had never worked within the company before having no prior knowledge. This was mostly due to poor judgement on behalf of the inexperienced leadership that had been wrongfully appointed. If you don't kiss a whole lot of A S S at this company you will go nowhere. The lack of integrity, accountability, as well as dishonesty in this company has left an incredibly sour taste in my mouth. If however you are looking for a job that offers zero chance for advancement that leaves you feeling empty inside every day whilst offering few benefits look no further as scheels is the company for you. The only good benefit from working here is the employee discount which I will miss greatly. Please shop locally though folks as this billion dollar company doesn not need your money. When it came to their covid response they claimed to be an essential business through the thick of it all when in fact they are no where near essential to the function of society and the community. All part time associates got 0 hours March through may while full timers were forced to work a lot more to compensate. Were they rewarded for this? If a pizza party is your kind of big reward for working through a pandemic while having your bonus scrapped then yes. I wish I would have never set foot in that place. 

As a ferris wheel operator, I initially felt like I was part of something great and enjoyed my job. I'd recommend this job if you're looking for a short term experience. It was exhausting, but rewarding to see kids happy and having fun. If you like kids, you'll like this job for the most part. If you like kids AND customer service, you'll excel in this. I also think the pay is great for what I did, and I'm not sure about other employees, but a couple of us got raises after a year.

Safety is the primary objective at the wheel, but a lot of customers (especially evenings and weekends) feel as if they're above the rules and ignore us, which makes it hard to enjoy the work you do. The kids are great, the adults not so much. Young adults can either be amazing or the worst customers possible. 

It's both mentally and physically taxing: mentally because you have to scan customers for frequent lying and/or arguing, multitasking running the wheel, counting, measuring kids, etc. ; physically because of the standing, bending, pushing cars down to test your stop, and most of all, talking and yelling. I'm generally a pretty quiet person, but I've developed a strong voice from having to yell at customers at least once per shift on weekdays, up to 20 times per shift on weekends (guesstimate). It's definitely not meant to be a full time job unless you have lots of energy.

 ASL's show favoritism, so make sure to get on their good side, and initiate conversations often so they'll pay attention when you need help. They give you spot awards (money to spend in store) sometimes for helping out in other departments or covering shifts. Most of the time, departments other than sales, such as the ferris wheel, don't get a lot of attention from ASL's, so when I was struggling I didn't get a lot of support unless I specifically asked for it. A lot of the time, they don't really understand how the wheel works or how to schedule us, so you sometimes have to work alone. Mornings are easy alone, as well as evenings during the week most of the time, but weekends are really hard if someone calls out because the other employees at the wheel won't necessarily jump at the chance to work more. Most of the time, the ASL's won't even call the other employees to come help us because they don't think we need it, or don't care.  I noticed that every time I was working alone and struggling, I wouldn't even get a second glance from the ASL's. We joked that we were the neglected children of the store, or the elephant in the room.

I'd say the best part of the job (other than the discount) was getting to interact with kids so much, and the worst was just the absolute exhaustion after most shifts. I learned a lot about safety and the importance of emphasizing what you really mean when listing rules, because people have a short attention span. Some of the coworkers I love, and some I couldn't stand, but that's normal for any workplace.

Overall I did like the job and would recommend it, but only short term. If you want a fun summer or other seasonal position I think this would be perfect! I think other departments of the store are treated better because they actually make the store money, which isn't what the company wants you to think is their priority, but is. They emphasize how important the guest experience is because it brings them more guests to give them more money. I didn't have the stamina to continue, but if you're willing to put in the work you'll be rewarded!

I was extremely excited to work for this company at first. They talk it up BIG in the beginning to try and get you to "buy in" to the culture.. The biggest draw they use is the excellent employee discount and stock ownership program- which by all means is the best in the industry. However, it felt like they hardly paid enough to actually utilize the discount and they use the employee stock program as an excuse for the low wages. Which leads into the biggest disappointment with Scheels- Pay. (Especially the specialty shop managers (SSM)). They expect the SSM's to wear almost every hat in the store and pick up the slack of part timers and Assistant store leaders (ASL) at every corner. If someone isn't pulling their weight, dont expect them to get a sit down with upper management- expect management to tell you to lead your team better and do what it takes to get the job done. which transitions into the next point- Poor management. They love "YES men" for their leaders, if you say 'how high' when they say jump, you may find yourself with a promotion quickly. But you if fall out of line and question their leadership even a little bit, you are an outcast. They basically only give faie raises to people with "good attitudes" and have almost no account for work ethic or what you do for the company. They want you to follow the ethos of a book written by an ex navy seal.
At the end of the day, they expect top tier work for bottom tier pay. They expect overtime, working holidays, going the extra mile, etc. and offer very little in return- maybe the occasional corporate standard pizza party! You're also expected to work every other weekend and do not have the ability to request those weekends off- you MUST find someone wiling to trade weekends with you- which is not always easy. Furthermore, there is almost ZERO room for growth. From SSM you can go to ASL, but they have anywhere from 5-20 people in the pipeline training for ASL at any one time and the odds of you actually being chosen are low. From there, if you want to move up, you will be expected to move to a different state.
In my 18ish months with scheels I watched them hemorrhage SSM's left and right- most leaving because of pay or poor upper management. I think this can be an fun job for young kids in high school or college- but if you have big dreams for your life and don't settle for average, it may be a struggle for you. 

Scheels is a great place o work as a full time employee. Full time employees are almost always specialty shop managers, leads or merchandisers. Scheels suffers from all of the same workplace negative aspects as any retailer does; long hours, lower career pay, attracting talented people, overwork/burnout, etc. If you work in one of the high dollar volume shops, you will make very good money for retail. Overtime is almost always avoided for hourly associates. Management, or assistant store leaders, are paid below average pay. They work between 50-70 hours per week. There is no flexibility with scheduling for management. Schedules for every employee are regular rotations, which affords every other weekend off for full time associates. Managers have a monthly rotation. They do offer employee stock programs, which is great as it is no cost, with no need for management. You have to stick it out for 20 years for it to outpace conventional 401k. They focus on leadership and personal investment in the companies core values. The people are good people for the most part, trying trying to make money and offering a next level customer focused shopping experience. I dare you to find an actual consistent shopping experience that comes anywhere near what Scheels has built. It’s still retail. So expect to be overworked, and underpaid. Long term, if you can last, it’s good. The company is run like a religious cult. They control your income, there’s slogans all over the place in the offices, extremely strict and rigid time off policy, they will absolutely make you feel “less than” if you take time off, are sick, call out, miss work in any way for any reason, or if you don’t buy into the leadership/accountability club of leadership. Also, if you are a female, they will only offer you roles in the shoe /clothing shops, cashier, web, cafe, or merchandiser. Next time you’re there, take a walk through the second floor and compare it to the employees on the first floor. Just saying.

The HR manager had pets.  If they didn’t like you they would treat you badly.  I was once asked to deliver a lid for a backup cash drawer.  I ran it over to where it belonged causing one of three customer service employees to cover for me for a couple minutes.  They didn’t have anything going on, just gossip.  I got yelled at by the manager over the cashiers and customer service because the gal that covered for me “could have been needed in customer service.  The day before my 90 day review the cashier manager asked me to trade shifts with a new employee.  It would require me to work evenings and would have been impossible for me.  I refused and the next day the HR manager fired me for leaving the register to deliver the spare cash drawer lid like I was asked to do by the 
head of accounting.  She told me she talked to all the other managers and none of them wanted me there.

The HR manager would gossip with her pets about other employees.  I am a big woman and word filtered down to me that the head of HR and her pets thought I was an embarrassment to the company because they sell sporting goods.  

I asked to finish out the week, they expected me to because the new employee wasn’t available yet.  As soon as I went back to my station after being fired I noticed the cashier/customer service manager and her friends lined up watching me.  The other cashiers definitely noticed it too.  It was humiliating.  I finished the day and came back that night to turn in my work shirts.

The HR manager was promoted to store manager in Colorado the next year.  A few months after she fired me, she fired the sweetest young man who suffered from a traumatic brain injury.  Why?  Because they would send him on an errand or he’d go to the restroom and forget to come back.  He didn’t do it on purpose, his injury was such that he legitimately forgot what he was doing before.

That HR woman and her pets made working at that company miserable.  The culture there created nasty people like them.

Do not go full-time! 

When things are slow, full-timers get sent home so part-time and mid-time associates 'make hours' and continue making money whilst full-timers are worked like dogs for poor pay. They "sell" you on a great job within a great company...don't drink the kool-aid and take your blinders off and make sure you are getting what you are after. They want so much from you, yet don't compensate saying that success is only what you make it out to be. FALSE! They hold you back from standing out due to incompetent supervisors that think they know it all because they got promoted from the sales position. Go be a teacher and make a difference...you'll get the same pay and way better hours. Oh did I not mention they suck at scheduling. Their scheduling managers don't care about any associates, unless they are dating them. Way too many relationships between management and employees. Not an equal opportunity employer even though they claim that. New store in Overland Park, KS went through 8,000 applications to find 200 employees. They find what they want. Walk in their stores, you'll see what I mean. Oh and they work on commission, so wear your headphones. 

They sell you on the retirement plan..or their amazing ESOP...guess what 90% of their employees probably never make it to retiring with that company. SO what money they snubbed you while you were working will end up in those peoples hands that came in late and received your promotions and are set with light workloads and endless bonus' which are based on too much b.s. to air out. 

IT's retail and not a family-oriented company, although they think that.

Working at Scheels is good at the start. You're treated nicely and they welcome you into the fold with open arms, but soon they begin to expect more than what they should from you, and they want an inordinate amount from you. If you were a fan of Highschool Cliques, then the management here is for you. The managers or ASLs act almost exactly like that. And they will bully you if you do not fit into their club, make no mistake. Writing some people up for some things, and letting others be for the same reasons. The ASLs behaviours can even be sometimes abhorent. I recall once one of the managers talking about how he wanted to help female customers try on leggings in the fitting room with them to his other managers. Not to the mention the many times that they make homophobic or casually racist remarks when they think no one is listening. 

Ironically enough, they will tell you to be passionate and do what you love in Scheels, but if it's not something they also love, then you may as well have a red X on your back, and you will never ever be treated the same. I've spoken to many other coworkers and they almost all shared those sentiments with me. I'm grateful for the lessons I was taught there, but speaking with most who also moved on from their time at Scheels, I am glad that I'm out and wouldn't go back for anything. Especially with how poorly they will treat you. 

With all of this considered, it's no shock that Rochester Scheels has some of the WORST turnover rates for Employees in all of Scheels as a company. 

Started off great, they say so many things to get you in the door. But in all reality, Its a huge game of popularity. 
Theres 20 different assistant store leaders (ASL) who barely know the shops or products within them that they are designated over, leaving all the product knowledge and issues to the lowest people on the totem pole to figure out. HR is no help because they are ASL's and have their hands in the sales pot too. They encourage dating and marriage within the company for "benefit purposes" but you have leaders in interpersonal relationships with their direct employees that creates an extremely toxic environment for others.
They boast about how much money the store has made, the company has made, but cut all employee parties, any employee appreciation at all then hound you if you don't reach their unobtainable goals for sales but then won't schedule enough sellers to cover the floor.
Scheels locations have basically no security protocols for the merchandise. Barely anything is locked up and nothing has security tags. They lose so much money from stolen merchandise but employees are required to do full bag checks, jacket pat downs and are subject to be searched EVERYTIME THEY LEAVE THE BUILDING. I personally watched people walk out of the store with carts full without paying, multiple times. When they are asked about the issue of theft, you are shut down and with a write up that you are a "Culture Concern" for not trusting the customers. 
All in all, it looks great, sounds great, until you are thrown in the trenches after the 1 week of training. 

It is important to understand a vast majority of tenured Scheels employees started in college and then took on a FT role with Scheels. Because of this, they struggle when outsiders (employees with experience in other industries and companies) come in and look to improve, or at least, question Scheels' methods. If you are looking to work as a shop manager, highly recommend reading other Indeed reviews specifically done by the shop managers. If you are willing to go through the pain they go through, then Scheels is a good path. Second, drink the Kool-Aid. If you don't drink the Kool-Aid, they will find ways to get you out. By drinking the Kool-Aid, I mean don't challenge their methods/ways, especially if you have experience in other industries that would benefit them...they don't want to hear it. Expect lack of leadership/support from ASLs. They don't know what they are doing and have little real life experience. They have been groomed in the Scheels ways and will not support you if you are an outside of the box thinker. Scheels is all about the sales. Efficiency is not their priority...sales, sales and more sales. Because of this, they miss the strain shop managers go through to keep a shop running efficiently. They will tell a SSM to just come in earlier and work off hours if you need more time. This leads to the lack of support from PT sales. SSMs don't have the freedom to lead PT staff to help them thus they are struggling to keep up and will in turn lose sales they need as well. 

I started off loving this job, this was supposed to be my forever career! There are some of the best people that work here, and the benefits are amazing, but that is the only good thing about this place. THIS IS NOT A JOB FOR ANYONE THAT MIGHT HAVE A DISABILITY OR ANY MEDICAL ISSUES!!! If you have any issues, you will have to be at the bottom of the pack without any chances of advancing. Now time to talk about the "in-crowd" aka ASL's.... If you're not with them, you are honestly treated like an outsider. They pick their favorites, and you can honestly feel it when you're not one of them and this goes all the way to the store leader! You can hear the managers talking BADLY about employees, there's harassment, and I wouldn't trust them to save my life. I also feel like HR is more about the business then for the people that work there. This is a very HIGH stress level job and the amount of work that you do is insane between shop work and selling, with little to no help from the managers that are supposed to be there for you. Customers are the #1 priority, and you will be talk to about your sales numbers if they aren't high enough to management standards, but yet the managers are always walking in pairs and NOT focusing on the customers. So be prepared for that. 
I do love all the other people that I got to work with, and the training in this company is unlike anything I have ever known. You get sent to "universities" and meet with the venders about their products, which is nice cause you also get to work with their product they sell. 



Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Retail sales associate 31 salaries reported	$17.52 per hour
Merchandiser 108 salaries reported	$16.04 per hour
Cashier 91 salaries reported	$15.85 per hour
Sales associate 24 salaries reported	$18.49 per hour
Fitness specialist 65 salaries reported	$15.96 per hour

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