cashier

stocker

sales associate

retail sales associate

replenishment associate

Toys R Us

It should be noted that every review is only really going to reflect experience in either one or a handful of stores, usually within the same district, and as such there's going to be a decent amount of variance.

Most of what this company did from my time working there was labor to put on a front that everything handed down from corporate was working whether it was or wasn't. Store Managers were honestly afraid to give negative feedback to their District Managers, who were afraid to give negative feedback to their Regional Managers, and so on. The reason for this is that because everyone is essentially lying about processes and their success, any feedback that speaks to anything different is taken not as honesty, but a failing with that particular individual. As no one wanted to be labeled as incompetent, no one speaks out.

The result of this is that stores are always short on hours. Part of this is due to managers fudging the numbers and reallocating hours to suit their needs. It was common practice to take hours meant to employ the requisite amount of storeroom employees (two team members for team lifts, an assembler, a packer for online orders, a closing associate to process Returned Goods/Defective) or hours intended for phase shifts (changing the store stocking layout) to pad other areas, particularly the sales floor and front end. This resulted in frequently ill-stocked shelves and a terrible mess in the back during phase changes. OSHA would have had a field day with how the fire exits were blocked off because of this reallocation of hours.

The whole of the problem is that corporate just doesn't provide enough hours against sales--which is the metric that drives how many hours any store gets. This also fosters something of a spiraling cycle where if a store gets bad sales, they get hours cut, which usually results in upset customers, which in turn hurts sales, reducing hours, etc. etc. It was common for stores to cut as many people as possible based on sales projections.

Corporate is fond of implementing new procedures and avenues to capture sales without also allocating the appropriate hours. In the time I worked there we went from having a few basic functions (Unloading freight, stocking shelves, and helping customers load big ticket items like power wheels and swing sets, for basic storeroom members while also boasting an assembler and back of house specialist) to having more responsibilities (in-store pick up, daily shipping fulfillment, layaway, helping customers in the wheels department) with less employees. For years we didn't even have enough storeroom employees for a team lift, and woe to you if you needed one. It was also not uncommon for management to forget that employees needed lunches, and not account for them in their scheduling.

TRU does offer employees health care, with the caveat that one must be a full time employee, a feat very few could manage. When I left, the only full time employees were management and the shipping/receiving specialist. If any employee was being utilized to such an extent they were nearing having to be changed to full-time in accordance with the law, hours were immediately slashed to lower the their average.

If you're part time, they'll work around your hours. If full time, you have no flexibility. As Management, expect to have to put in extra hours not only at your store, but driving between stores to ensure sales captures, as if your inventory is incorrect and you get an in-store pick up or shipping request, you're going to be expected to get the item from another store so your metrics don't suffer. Also expect to constantly leave your lunch behind to settle matters--again due to understaffing.

Metrics are what drive EVERYTHING. Employees who can sign many customers up for Credit Cards, Rewards cards and Buyer Protection Plans get more hours, while those who can't might only get four hours a week. Stores that meet sales quotas and are under on hours get bonuses given to their Store Managers, which is where another part of the under-hours problem comes from. Managers will drive metrics into the ground and consistently hound you for them. It was not uncommon for associates to sign up family members just to meet expected quotas. It was also not uncommon for people to quarrel over credit--if a sales associate on the floor convinced a customer to purchase a protection plan, it was more likely the cashier would get the credit.

The Employees were no different than other retail establishments--there was solidarity, some drama, and frequent griping about the obvious flaws in the system that pushed more work onto them with less to show for it. 

While there is upward mobility, more often than not management positions will be filled by someone from another store. Some promotions were only withheld because the person was so proficient where they were at, management didn't want to put someone else in that position.

I worked at 4 different locations for this company over almost 3 years. To date, it was my most difficult job, but that was only because of pressure from corporate and management on sales and metrics. Other than that, the job was relatively straightforward, though the stress of it overall made the job unbearable. I worked both as a front-end cashier and as an electronics associate. I worked at 2 Express locations and 2 full-size locations, with one of the full-size locations being a full-size half-and-half TRU/BRU and the other being double the size.

As a front-end cashier, I stood in one spot for between 4 and 8 hours of the day, depending on the season, and rang up customers, asking the exact same tired questions to every single one of them. Most of them, of course, declined to sign up for the free rewards program, the credit card program (which came with a hefty 26.99% APR without giving any real benefits to the customers), and the warranty programs (which were offered on items that either weren't worth replacing, were too expensive for the item, or were more expensive AND more restrictive than warranties offered through the product's company), and management determined who they gave hours to based on the sales of those particular items. With the increasing cost of living and the fact that more and more Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck, a lot of these programs and offers were simply too much for the customers, so they declined. The offers were also usually quite useless to customers, so we were forced to lie or exaggerate in order to meet our goals.

As an electronics associate, not only was I given the same job as a front-end employee along with all of the pressure from management on sales, I was also required to remain alert and stay in charge of security and cleaning of three departments by myself on most days, which meant that I almost never got a chance to just sit or stand and rest for a moment. I was constantly on the go, always moving back and forth to catch thieves, replenish products, find items for customers, escort customers around the store, ring up customers, and more. My hours were still determined by the rewards cards, credit cards, and warranties I signed people up for, but all of my other job duties got in the way of that and I typically rang up 3-5 customers during a 4-6 hour weekday shift. Management typically required me to try to sign up at least 5 people for rewards cards, 1-2 people for credit cards, and 2-3 people for warranties, and the low volume of customers I had just added to the fact that our plans were horrible and not worth selling to the customers at all.

I was frequently asked to leave my department unattended to go help in other departments at the last store I worked at, and I found countless thefts because of that. The two full-size stores I worked at were horribly understaffed at all times and that forced management to try to compensate by having one person do the jobs of several throughout the store. We would typically close the store during weekday nights with 5-6 people.

Turnover was high, but not nearly as high as I have seen in other places that I worked, and the benefits were quite decent for an entry-level job, with starting pay averaging out at around $8.20 per hour. Part-time employees were able to get vacation time and sick days and they were allowed to participate in company insurance programs after a year of employment, though the insurance offered was unsatisfactory. There were frequent food days for employees, though none of them were paid for by management or corporate (employees could bring in items for a potluck if they so chose and participate in that). We all had lockers for personal items and a drink and snack machine were provided in the break room. Unfortunately, we only received a 10% discount, and that didn't include all items in the store. That 10% discount was usually not worth using, either, since the same products could be purchased at other retailers for considerably less. Toys R Us/Babies R Us frequently overprices their merchandise by up to 50% more than MSRP.

I gained a lot of experience working with computer inventory systems and handheld scanners while working for this company, but the unpredictable hours, the ridiculous demands placed by corporate and management, and the sheer frustration with understaffing alone made the job unbearable. I quit for other reasons, but that alone made me start looking for more stable employment. In the end, I felt like I had to compromise my moral and ethical code by lying to the customers in order to get the hours I needed to just barely scrape by, and I was not comfortable with that.

Toys 'R' Us is not a terrible company, I can certainly think of worse ones, but retail is as retail does, and this company does not break from the mold in the slightest.

In terms of work/life balance, the company does not perform well, the schedule changes every week and is only posted at the end of the week before. The number of hours given is inconsistent, and the days those hours are given are equally inconsistent. With such inconsistency and far from enough advance notice, balancing work with life is nearly impossible. Making plans becomes a nightmare, and the fact that shifts can be suddenly added or removed depending on the whims of the HR department did not help with that. Giving credit where it is due, they did try to respect it when you reserved a day as a day you were unavailable for whatever reason.

In terms of job culture and management, they were nothing to write home about. The culture seemed to be one of resignation to the daily grind, workers who had been there longer were often lazy and sluggish in their work, and due to a lack of cohesive management newer employees were often not properly trained. I myself ended up giving impromptu training to a few of the seasonal workers because management simply forgot about them. The supervisors were pretty good at their jobs, but the upper management was a amalgamation of retail manager stereotypes. All excited and zealous when it came to 'motivating' employees to work harder, but missing most of that zeal when it involved them doing things themselves. Considering the job culture, I don't exactly blame them, but working under such people was not the greatest experience.

Compensation and job security were the major areas of contention, and the main thing holding the company back. Compensation was minimum wage, as is the norm with retail, and as usual, cutting hours was a common occurrence. So making any sort of money here was impossible. The constantly fluctuating schedule made acquiring and maintaining additional jobs nonviable as well, I maintained this job along with another for a time, after specifically speaking with the manager and having him agree to work with me on this, however he broke this promise within the first week, and I was left to just juggle the jobs and try to keep both companies from getting too upset with me about it. This problem is not unique to this company, but unlike some other companies, this company doesn't have anything to its name that earns it getting some slack.

Job security however is legitimately horrible. When hired, I was told explicitly, by several people across all levels of management, that I was a permanent employee, not seasonal. I was VERY thorough in confirming this. However, when the holiday season ended, I found myself out of a job. Evidently, I had either been lied to repeatedly, or someone had mistakenly entered me into the system as seasonal and laid me off along with the rest. By the time I got this sorted out, all available positions for regular employees were full, and I was out of luck. 

Now this would be bad for any employee. But this was their treatment of an employee who was an objectively harder worker than the majority of employees. On numerous occasions I not only completed all of my tasks, but I also frequently picked up slack for other employees, showed new employees the ropes when management couldn't be bothered, frequently agreed to do tasks beyond my job description and consistently performed well in my tasks. 

So this begs the question, if this is the level of job security given to an employee who was objectively excellent at the job. What kind of security can any other employee expect? Perhaps my experience was a fluke, but I cannot say for sure in this review, therefore, I rate job security at 1 star.

It's a toy company but ran like the military. I'm amazed Toys "R" Us isn't completely out of business yet, especially after what goes on at the store I worked in! Director Level and above very disconnected from the rest of the team. Horrible time off, always called in on days off, shortens your vacation time. Store manager would never treat employees with respect or dignity. Store manager played favorites to employees that treated others poorly like him. During my time, there were so many people quitting or fired on a weekly or monthly basis. Some of the policies employees are forced to follow are quite ridiculous. For example, employees can't have an "unnatural" hair color like cranberry. Employees also have to provide S.T.A.R. service (smile, talk, ask, and rapid). The first three parts make sense. The rapid part does not. Corporate expects us to spend only two minutes or less with each customer. That much time may work with most customers, but there are some customers who need more than two minutes of help. Cashiers are told to ask all customers if they'd like batteries or a Buyer Protection Plan (BPP) with their purchase, even if the customer is just buying some gift wrap or a gift card! It's like asking someone at a restaurant if they'd like fries with their ice cream cone. Management and Corporate will try to find silly things to fire you over like not punching in and out correctly or not offering a customer batteries and a BPP with their purchase. All employees here are trained in how to operate a register just in case they have to be used as backup. However, that training is only very minimal. It took a week for one of the managers to realize I'd never been formally trained yet and only then was I assigned to an employee to be trained. After that, I slowly began to realize that this company is really only about pushing credit cards, rewards cards and other store programs. You selling rates are tracked and every so often, you'll get fussed at for not selling enough credit cards, rewards cards etc. There's a list of about 8 things you must ask all customers whether they are purchasing furniture or a pepsi. Customers complain on a regular basis that they don't appreciate the questions and feel harassed.
Scheduling is a major issue here. If you're not in management, you can forget getting lots of hours. Most of my shifts were 5 hours and maybe 3 times a week. There are no such things as 15 minute breaks and lunch breaks are 30 minutes whether you work 7 hours or 18. If you are closing, you may work up to 3 hours past closing time around Christmas. Basically, they hire lots of people, give a few hours to everyone and never have to pay anyone very much or give any breaks. The store is so old that there's cracked and mismatched floor tiles, gunk, rust, and who know's what else attached to the floor and displays in certain areas, the shelves are bent out of shape, the ceiling fans haven't been cleaned in forever, and the bathroom looks like it's never cleaned. It's just gross! None of the employees wants to play Geoffrey because the costume is filthy, smells bad, and looks bad. Some of the coworkers are nice, but there are a few who weren't. As a company, TRU is almost $6 billion in debt. Why? The CEO is running it into the ground.

Usually I work in the electronics department, but depending on the needs of the day I can either be put a customer service, register, or on the floor.

In electronics I am consistently helping all guests that come into the section. I answer questions about the video games, systems and other items we sell. I up-sell add-ons, buyer protection plans, credit cards, and rewards cards. I keep the area clean and organized and pick up anything guests leave behind from other areas of the store. I pack out new merch that comes in throughout the day. I print out price labels for all new merch that comes in. I reorganize merch to fill empty space and reset some walls to planogram and security standards as needed.

At customer service I answer phones. Most questions I answer myself or I direct it to the appropriate party if necessary. I handle the returns, sometimes having to look up receipts and handle disputes on returning items. On busy days the service line also acts as a back up register, on really slow days it is the only register and I am constantly assisting with check-out. I look up the inventory for items for guests. I will then get another associate to locate that item for the guest, or if we don't have it, I will attempt to locate at another store or order it for them.

When on register my main focus is quick check out. Upselling and making sure sales and coupons ring up the way they should and handling most disputes with guests over sales/coupons that don't work out as the guest assumed they would. For this I sometimes need to get a manager, just for approval for a price adjustment if it is necessary.

On the floor I assist all guests I find and help them find items they are looking for, suggest items and answer any questions they have about the items or the store. I reshop items from returns or items guests discarded Also I straighten and edge all items on the floor.

During the holiday season, as we triple our staff I take on additional responsibilities. I am often in charge of the front end. Making sure we have enough cashiers when there is a rush, sending extra cashiers to help on the floor when the front end is slow, getting the lunch schedule figured out and making sure everyone stays on schedule, handing disputes with customers over prices/sales/coupons/etc, pulling and counting money from the registers.

The people I work with are fun and it is a relaxed environment. For the most part I really like my job because we are given a lot of license to have fun. However, there is a lot of pressure on selling buyer protection plans, credit cards and rewards cards and not enough focus on the other parts of our jobs. Also, the time after the major holiday season is very slow and our schedules get cut, sometimes leaving me with a 10 hour work week.

Management changes pretty often, and because everyone works so closely together if we end up getting someone in who doesn't work well with the team (either rude, doesn't care, etc.) then they often get complained about and are quickly replaced.

My favorite part of the job are the random projects and organizing. Like packing out items, reseting a wall, labeling, etc. I like keeping busy with something that makes me think a little and keeps me moving instead of just standing at a register.

My least favorite part of the job is just standing at the register for hours on end. It gets exhausting, but luckily doesn't happen to often outside of the holiday season.

What a horrible place to work, constant negative actions from District Managers, Human resource managers and Store Managers. The training leaves a lot of room for improvement, complaints that are brought to Regional Human Resources are dismissed as alleged after there is proof in the form of written, visual video and pictures. I will never recommend any form of employment at Toys R Us to anybody for any reason. As an Assistant Manager, there are times you are left alone to manage a high volume side-by-side store from 1pm until close, with no key holding or department head support staff, you are left ringing out guests, creating baby registries, constantly putting out "fires" all over the store. The scheduling practices are atrocious during peak times you will have one cashier, no other able employee to run register unless you pull them from their tasks around the store (which was constantly), then discipline the same associate for not completing the job, (that was instruction from the District Manager). We heard gunshots one night at the store, looked outside and saw the entire store surrounded by SWAT Team, all entrances and exits blocked off, Toys R Us requires you to contact the  "Situation Response Hotline", prior to that, as manager on duty concerned for the safety of employees and guests, I locked the doors and asked that everyone stay away from the windows and the front doors and go to a safe place near the rear of the store. I contacted the hotline explained that we were blocked off and closed for business, they asked why, I explained we thought we heard gunshots and are completely surrounded by SWAT. The hotline said, "Do you have any more information?". I explained there wasn't anybody who could speak with us from the Police at the moment. I was instructed to unlock the doors and reopen for business and to contact the Regional Loss Prevention Manager. I called and I explained the situation as well to him and his response to me was, "Why are you calling me about this?!" I reiterated that we heard gunshots outside and all of our entrances and exits were blocked off by SWAT teams and Police and I was told to contact him from Situation Response. He agreed with Situation Response to reopen and let business run as usual. I announced over the loud speaker that the front doors would be open for anyone who would like to leave but the parking lot was blocked off, anyone who would like to stay may remain. The guests were so thankful that they were able to stay but were upset that I was instructed to unlock the doors to let people into the building. It is a miserable environment, the pay scale is deplorable and the level of miscommunication between corporate and store level is plain disgusting. Never in my life will I ever shop or recommend employment to this company or any of it's subsidiaries.

Typically, you go in, put misplaced items away, your shift ends and you go home.

Customers are typically very friendly as long as you provide good service, and quite patient if technical difficulties arise. There's a very good feeling you get when you help a very polite customer find the last toy, but also a bitter regret when the next polite one is looking for the same one.

Sometimes, the jobs switches up a little, as you'll be put in situations dealing with unusual circumstances. Things could happen, like a missing child, paint spilled all over the floor, lady wants a box from up top the shelves, customers needs help finding or learning about a product or even having to simply clean up the shelves. These jobs aren't exactly fun, but they help mix up the job and keep things fresh.

Another aspect, either good or bad, all depends on you. You must maintain a good relationship with your co-workers. If your co-workers like you, and they work hard like you do, you can really thrive off each other acting as a team. On the crazier days, good relationships really pay off.

If you like Radio Disney, you'll hear plenty of it, as it plays over the speakers constantly. If you don't, it's soft enough you can easily drown it out of your head anyways.

Then, there are the days, you get a lot of rude children and their equally rude parents with them. I'm talking the kind that dump their trash in other people's carts, get angry over the more popular items getting sold out and completely disregard the safety of not only the employees, but other customers.

Management is mostly fine, except around the holidays. You'll find yourself staying anywhere from 1-5 in the morning with no absolute answer as to when you'll be getting out, so if you need a ride from work, you might want to avoid night shifts there. Despite this, most of the managers are friendly and proactive in helping you do your job, which again, get's crazy around the holidays.

Unfortunately I had a few days I was called in to work alone a few too many times when we had 50+ carts full of misplaced items in the back and more coming, way to much for one, even three people to do in only 5 hours. I can't fault them for not knowing ahead of time this would happen, but it's not very pleasant when they blame you for not being able to keep up with thousands of customers.

On a side note, by two weeks into the job, you should be flying through the store, able to find anything that's still on shelves. Everything is well organized, so once you learn the store, it's a walk in the park.

Finally, they'll pay you decently, $8.75 an hour, which on the crazier weeks, 30+ hours working well into 3-4 o clock average, makes it all worth it.

Toys R Us (Greenville, NC) had always been one of my favorite places to visit as a customer, and now I highly dislike it after working there since I know what the employees have to go through every day. The store is filled with very nice and helpful employees and supervisors, but the store manager was never delightful. She is not a leader by any means, but a boss. She does not respect many of the people she works with and treats them as if they are her servants. 

One of the hardest parts of this job cannot be helped, and that's the guests. They are usually very needy, uninformed, and rude all at the same time, regardless of how much respect and generosity you lend them. Inventory information is not available at all computers and there were many errors in the system, which would make the guests wait a long time before receiving their items or any information of it's availability. This is hard on both the employees and customers, as neither have any control over the issue. (But the employee at hand will be fussed out for it.) Cashiers constantly need to call the supervisors for overrides for many things: customer complaints, price adjustments, coupon problems, returns, etc. This is very stressful as they are not always available, and customers are very impatient. 

I was always expected and asked to stay late (anywhere up to 3 hours), and would be scolded if I declined. You will be called in almost every morning since there are so many callouts. I began blocking their number since I enjoy sleeping on my days off. Lunches were never on time and there was always a problem getting someone to cover it for you. The managers would always announce metrics over the walkie and push cashiers to promote Rewards Cards, Credit Cards, etc., yet you will never get commission for selling them. If you were to ask each customer every single promotional question the manager wanted you to, you would end up asking a total of around 8 questions before checking out. (And I've been told by many guests that it is ridiculous) 

The only fun part about this job for me was when I could spend a long time informing guests about video games, movies, and other electronics to fulfill their needs. I met some great people from this job, but none of this was worth staying. I learned a lot from this job, but not in the best ways. I learned how to be very tolerant of rude guests and managers among other things. The actual job itself is not too hard, and would be greatly remedied with a better manager. (Which entails many things).

I was hired as a Seasonal Cashier at the Tulsa location across from Woodland Hills Mall and was put at the Customer Service desk for the vast majority of my time there. I handled the store phone, the computer, returns, layaways, and regular cashier traffic. 

The building itself needs repairs, the parking lot needs repairs, the cash registers need updated/repairs, the computers and network need updating, asset protection is non-existent (left to the managers/supervisors/employees), communication was astonishingly bad. 

Instead of having in-ear walkies, we used handheld walkies that were often broken, malfunctioning, misplaced, or people would just take them without permission, leaving everyone else wondering where they went. Every customer in the store knew what was happening between employees. When we had employees from the 21st street store come to help us due to high traffic, they even made remarks on how bad the conditions were at our store compared to theirs. 

We even ran out of receipt paper, bags, and toilet paper on multiple occasions. Some employees were scolded for not knowing how to use the cash register, despite the fact that they were never taught. Whenever they were finally taught the person in charge of teaching them would often be called away to help with something else in another part of the store and never get back to help their student, leaving them with customers at their register and no one to tell them what to do. 

There were multiple occasions where customers were able to simply walk out of the store with a basket full of merchandise because we had no bags. Then, the employees would be scolded for allowing something like that to happen. But at the same time, we were told not to confront customers, just to alert the supervisors or managers (on our hand-held walkies, no less.)

Employees would sometimes even gossip about other employees in front of customers. I had one customer outright tell me that two nearby employees should be reprimanded for bad-talking a pregnant employee that had just left because she had to immediately go to the hospital. The employees were apparently talking about how the girl was "faking it" because both of them had a baby before and that's "just not how it works."

I'm not sure if those employees still work there and I'm not sure if the conditions have improved, but I have no intention of returning to that location ever again in my life. 

I do, however, congratulate the Store Managers for putting up with everything that goes on with that store. They certainly have their work cut out for them.

Receiving Back Of House Associate
Navigate Management Work Station (MWS) to obtain and maintain all daily SIS reporting and metrics to include Floor Capacity, NOF’s, Bay Audits, Item Discrepancies, etc.
Pull product to support morning, mid-day or overnight replenishment.
Knowledge of RF unit for all storeroom applications for Big Ticket pick-up, repack, SIS, RGD, Key Items, etc.
Ensure all ticket sets from trucks and NOF reports are built and placed for sale in a timely fashion.
Daily maintenance of the Ready to Ride program including coordinating product assembly and storage and ensuring all pre-built items are located within SIS.
Ensure that the parts request program is maintained and up-to-date in accordance with the parts request SOP.
Work to ensure all big-ticket pick-ups are handled quickly, accurately and with the highest possible guest service.
Store any remaining product from the truck that was not completed during the truck process.
Responsible for all overstock and perimeter storage on the sales floor to include SIS upkeep of these locations.
Operate and teach the safe operation of the bailer and compactor.
Inspect all ladders to ensure they are safe to use.
Maintain all safety and loss prevention standards in the storerooms.
Ensure “Key Item” daily walk is completed.
Display leadership/decision making skills
Verify, sign and update CDC/vendor directs/MRS.
Ensure product is updated and secured for future display.
Maintain all CDC/vendor direct shipment files.
Track and update the inventory that is in the “review file”
Research all outstanding vendor directs daily.
Request and investigate POD’s on any outstanding directs over 7 days.
Use shipper web sites to pull up and print POD’s prior to requested involvement by the Direct Receiving Group.
Process transfers through MRS. Ensure shipment has taken place.
Perform all RTV’s and ensure they are processed through MRS.
Perform RGD processing daily. Ensure compliance of procedures by auditing 10% of the total shipped.
Maintain POS integrity through inventory adjustments in MRS.
Communicate major piece loss to management and the District Loss Prevention Manager (DLPM).
Communicate DC Trailer receiving issues to management.
Perform random audits and check-in security merchandise from manifest.
Point person for all communications on the Depot Program.
Send and receive equipment for the store.
Perform key item program cycle counts.
Complete price changes, when necessary.
Execute all initiatives per Company SOP.
Experience in TRU systems

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Cashier 16 salaries reported	$8.83 per hour
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Retail sales associate 11 salaries reported	$9.88 per hour
Replenishment associate 9 salaries reported	$9.40 per hour

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