sales associate

department manager

head of operations

general manager

retail sales associate

ZARA

Honestly, I liked it, but mostly because of the managers I worked with. I was a stock associate and the managers for the stock team were awesome, kind, sweet, understanding, literally dream bosses. They gave us any day we wanted off just as long as we asked for them two weeks in advance. They weren't difficult and they weren't tyrants. They were literally genuine and kind people. 

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the sales managers. The sales managers made things really hard at times and they were often standoffish and, for lack of better word, mean. Unnecessarily mean, anti-social mean. I used to tell some of my coworkers from the floor to transfer to stock. Nobody from the floor liked their job, and it mostly had to do with the managers. Stock team though? We was chillin'. 

I just think Zara has to do better with ensuring that their store managers are nicer to the associates. If you don't like who you work with you're just not going to like your job, simple as that. I think the least a business can do is ensure that the managers treat those below them decently. I've heard stories of floor managers making sales associates cry. That kind of thing I can't even imagine the stock managers doing. 

*NOT every floor manager was difficult, but the majority were. 

But yeah, it really depends on who's your manager. I was really lucky to get the managers I had. 

If you don't like customers or are afraid of getting into it with them, try to join the stock team. It's way more interesting, way more to learn, and the potential is way better in my opinion since you're learning about how products move around the business from and to the warehouse, inventory, even some accounting (no joke).  

I was hired on the spot, it took about a week and a half for them to get me into the system and for me to start working. The interview was simple, just basic interview questions you would expect from anywhere.

Holidays are extra pay, I forgot how much, and if you work overtime, they will pay you (they paid me). 

The two main shifts are 6am-3pm and 11:30am-8:30pm. 

They'll work around your schedule for school. Mines did for a lot of people. You should discuss school at the interview. 

I worked at an NYC location, pay is $17 right now. Pay is bi-weekly. 

I think this job is best suited for people who are in school, need a part-time job, or want to learn how a business operates when it comes to the movement of products (receiving shipments, sending shipments etc). 

It's really easy to become a manager as long as you have no warnings/get along with your boss/actually work hard. 

We got hour breaks but if we wanted to we could cut it at 30 minutes (don't let managers abuse this, it's your right to decide how long you want your break to be, no more than an hour though and no less than 30 minutes). Two paid ten minute breaks. 

Everyone except managers wear uniform. Uniform is supplied and paid for by the company. For the first few months you have to bring your own all black clothing. The uniform is dress pants and a blazer. White/black shirt for women and a navy polo for men. Shoes have to be white or black or both but you can get away with it if they're creamy in color. Logos on shoes are fine even though the hiring manager might tell you they're not. The shoe uniform might change though, they might start providing their own shoes. 

Lastly, it is not a hard job but it might take maybe a month to grasp it. Some people learn faster, some slower, but it's normal to be confused in the beginning. 

One of the most unorganized company you’ll ever work for. The way Zara’s structures work is highly unrealistic and a waste of time. From the way they expect operations to process shipment, to how cashiers handle returns, to how visuals are expected to complete their endless duties. This company set us up to fail from the beginning and then ask us why. Every regionals and corporate are too involved and micromanages every aspect of the store but are unable to find more staffs or to simplify the the structure to help us maintain a balanced store. I’ve had so many ideas of how to better this store but all they do is listen and actually never do anything about it. 

As a visual, you’re expected to do everything and to help out everyone but in return no one will help you. Being a visual at Zara is like being a higher paid sales associate or stock associate. Each year they give you more duties to do but won’t give you a raise.

I’ve worked at multiple different stores as a visual and seen how other retails run their store as a whole and Zara’s is by far the most complicated store to work for. They have so much potential but they’re forgetting the most important thing which is to invest in their employees. I’ve seen so many employees who would quit in a day to a week because the store physically expects too much and that all begins with Zara’s structure. Nobody wants to work at a store that they get no proper training and just gets thrown in. And then feel overwhelmed and quit because they are expected to endless of racks all day. 

Changes that Zara needs to make: 
- Let employees wear whatever they want as long as it’s Zara items to promote their store instead of giving us the ugliest uniforms to wear, let our personality and character shine through Zara’s fashion!
- Change the structure of their shipment (All prices should already come tagged with hangers) if they expect for their store to look visually presented before the store opens. (Some stores are already receiving their shipments this way but it should be every store regardless of their volume)
- They need to hire at least a group of 5/6 of visuals for each store that has their own set of schedule or else the stores with only one visual will feel like they’re just another sale associate 
- Corporate needs to listen to the ideas their employees have to offer because they work there physically and knows what’s best for their store’s needs
- STOP FAVORING STORES who are a lower volume, treat all your stores the same 
- SIMPLIFY SIMPLIFY SIMPLIFY!! Ex; Sale set up is ridiculous, one of the worst sale set up. Super complicated, it can be as easy as just putting a sign up to say “30% off applied at checkout” like how they do their Black Friday. 



I had been working for Zara for about 3 years in total as a cashier/ cross- trainee with a clean working record, including returning as a re-hire. They didn’t honor my prior experience from working there nor the raise I had received from the previous location, and was put back at the bottom to ‘work my way up’.

Although things like sales & maintaining a clean work place are important (as Zara is very high- volume and it does get messy) the teamwork aspect was not intact at ALL, and that would always directly affect the customer service... which was usually not good. 

Personally I didnt feel there was a good value system in the workplace, and it was always very clear who was priority in the company. (i.e. Managers and responsiveness as well as treatment with the visual merchandisers vs cashiers & floor associates). There was no sense of comfort or outlet for the associates, as the ‘higher ups’ were normally sided with each other. (I promise I’m not just saying that)

In terms of growth and promotion, they already have a plan in mind for who they want and where, which isn’t the fairest process. For instance, I was on track for a promotion, and was given new duties to show my readiness, and the entire time, through follow-up with the HR rep and corporate, there was nothing but dragging feet, and many loopholes & gray areas, which of course led to my search of another job. 

Lastly they are accusatory! (I cannot speak for all locations but this was solely my experience). I was pulled to the side and was TOLD that $200 cash had gone missing in my register 2 days in a row (-_-) & that I wouldn’t be fired, but was no longer eligible for my promotion. No type of investigation, no running of cameras. Nothing. Not only was it offensive (because I don’t/ didn’t steal) but it showed how much they really care about getting to a solution and going through proper protocol... And was told once again that I could “work my way back up”..... I submitted my 2 weeks the next day.

In terms of actual working hours, they were crazy, but it’s retail so what do you really expect? They were OKAY with accepting requests, but even that was temperamental. Lots of ‘ask this manager’ and lots of running around. I get that we are all busy, but we can’t work effectively (or work at all) if it can’t even be communicated! 

The discount was alright. On holidays you DO receive a $100 Zara gift card... but if yours doesn’t work for some reason you’re just SOL. 

That’s my review. I wouldn’t recommend working here *shrugs*

What is the best part of working at the company?
Longevity. If you can deal with dysfunctional management and pettiness you’ll have no problem keeping the job. Possibly even work your way up if your desire to.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Taking on multiple tasks while not having strong leadership. You will at some point be responsible for doing many things once you have been there for a while. If you are looking for gratitude and appreciation this isn’t the place for you.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very unorganized and unprofessional. You have managers that do things out of pettiness and are verbally abusive. They will retaliate if you don’t stay past the time you're  scheduled. Systems are always down or devices are always slow or glitching. Turnover rate is high due to management and customers constantly complaining. You have to have weekend availability, so if you’re a person who likes being out on the weekends kiss that goodbye. You have to earn full time it is not given. You work 5-8 hrs, but your scheduled is never consistent you’ll work different times each shift unless you give an availability. They may or may not accept especially if doesn’t compensate their needs. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day for me is unpredictable it may be a good day or terrible day depending on what’s going on. If there is shipment it’s more than likely a bad day. The managers are stressing to get the shipment done which they have been behind on lately. So more work for you constantly processing and being micromanaged how fast you process and get it done. Not to mention if you are also the cashier so certain expectations are not realistic. A good day might be slow, so you will have more time to get things done or not have a work load.

The "training" to move up is insane. I was fully doing a Visual Merchandiser's job for Sales Associate pay for over 6 months with false promises of a promotion and horrible training. They are ripping valuable employees off with insulting pay. HR would not listen. Recently, they even sent us out a counselor for employees to talk to, to make it "feel like we've been heard" (actual words from my manager). What is the point in talking to a counselor about the problems of the workplace if they have no power to change anything? In my area, even a terrible studio apartment costs $1K a month so $12/hr is not enough to get by and tons of easier jobs pay more. 

I barely had any time to do my visual tasks because I was too busy doing Sales Associates' jobs because we were constantly understaffed, which resulted in blame for me not doing my "job" (which was not even officially my job since I was still in training). Lots of pressure from Regional Managers and I was expected to stay in constant communication with them. Very little new hires would stay due to the negative atmosphere and high expectations. Fingers were pointed and blame was constantly placed on the nonexistent "Visual team" (which consisted of one actual Visual and 3 trainees). Everybody there is miserable and lots of toxic drama takes place. I would only recommend working here part-time so you are insulated from all the nonsense that goes on. The only reason I give it 2 stars is because some of the people you will meet are great and I do believe Zara has potential. They have good technology and decent clothes, but it still isn't enough to outweigh the terrible management and lack of care for employees. I guess that might just be the nature of fast fashion.

1. Expect to be over worked as a part time worker. Shifts are hard to get covered because no one wants to work there. You have no free time outside of work and always are understaffed.
2. The management team isnt the best. The managers are very stubborn and slow, I often find myself asking why my managers take so long to understand problems and find resolutions. 
3. The company as a whole is very unorganized it takes weeks for the hiring process to go through and when you do get hired they give little to no training. Months ago they just through a new employ on the floor with only a day of training expecting him to know everything and when he didnt the department manager was frustrated and angry.
4. Corporate has such high standards for employees who are just getting paid close to minimum wage. A typical day at Zara you often have to do multiple peoples jobs due to understaffing or laziness. Also you can’t forget to mention your store director nagging you to do something a certain way; when you can do the same job your own way being more effeicent without cutting corners. Overall I would never work at Zara again the cons definitely weigh out the pros.

Also you can’t forget to notice how badly the clothing is manufactured. A lot of clothes come in with strings hanging off them and small holes as an employ I  have to inspect every piece of clothing before I buy it because a lot of them are pre damaged. The profit marigins are so high too.

About 90% of the clothing at zara is knock off clothing of major designers and even some low end companies like nike/addidas. I wouldnt spend money here because you are taking away from actual respectable companies with there own original ideas. Every item you buy from Zara hurts another companies sales.

Typical day was putting most people to work on the weekends and still being understaffed. Management is constantly moving you around and giving you tasks that are not your assigned jobs. I’d go from closing my section to running racks to backdating shoes to fixing the self checkout. Poor communication among managers so usually they put employees to clean up other peoples messes. Incredibly inflexible about scheduling and changes to such, they insist that even as a part time employee you must be open availability all the time. They also schedule you for when you explicitly tell them you cannot work and then have an attitude that you bought it to their attention. Pay is nowhere near fair for the amount of work some people do. It also leads to the employees teaching new hires and getting more responsibilities while their paycheck doesn’t reflect that. Everyone gets paid 17$ per hour and it’s based on how long you’ve worked there, instead of skill in order to get a raise. Workplace culture is coworkers being rude because they work in the fashion industry as well as some people using their lunch breaks to smoke outside the store. The hardest part of the job was the hours. Even when scheduled until 10 management likes to act like they can keep people until they are satisfied with downsizing racks, I don’t live as close as my coworkers so I’d clock out anyway. The scheduling sucks and is annoying to deal with. 

A particular department manager is frequently absent from the floor, rarely works weekends or closing shifts, and often calls out, leaving minimal staff to cover her responsibilities. Despite efforts to maintain the floor, it was often left in disarray, requiring significant cleanup after my days off.

HR is unresponsive to serious concerns. The store is severely understaffed, and instead of hiring to address this, a hiring freeze was imposed, and hours were cut during the holidays. We lost a significant amount of employees since initial opening with no with no replacement for each lost associate. When I left we would have about 10 associates on the clock per day, including the stock team, making sales goals unachievable due to delays in replenishing inventory.

Employee roles were classified as “global,” forcing associates to handle responsibilities far beyond their scope, such as shipment processing, visual merchandising, and covering multiple departments, often with no support. Departments like men’s and children’s lacked visual merchandisers, leaving extra duties to sales associates and department managers without added compensation or promotions.

Additionally, full-time benefits were revoked without notice, including earned PTO. Outdated practices, like posting paper schedules, remain despite implementing self-checkout kiosks at a fashion retail store 

The only highlight would probably be that there’s room for growth due to low retention rate. 

Overall, it’s a disorganized and unsustainable work environment that severely impacts employee morale and productivity.

The money is decent for what you're expected to do, but that's the only good thing about this job. Everyone is essentially part-time unless you're a Visual/Manager. So there's no PTO to earn or full benefits. Tons of hours but that's because they're always hiring. Turnover is HIGH. And it's mostly due to management, not the tasks nor the customers. Management is horrible and they talk to you as though you're 10 years old.  They act as though you should be grateful that you were hired, and should accept they way they talk to you. 

They micro-manage EVERYTHING and you have to keep setting boundaries with them and Visuals. There's no reason you should announce when you're going to the bathroom every single time during the day and having to tell multiple people your whereabouts. The store isn't that big so I'm not sure where they think you disappear off to. You may apply for a certain position but when you get there you're offered something completely different. 

Training is non-existent, you get the most training on how to fold the clothing. But no device training or anything the virtual training class mentioned you'd see. You learn those by begging another associate to show you because management won't. After your first day you're thrown into 9 hour shifts immediately with no training and expected to sink or swim. Apparently Zara hires a lot of "mean" people as I was told by customers as they were shocked I was so nice to them and they've grown accustomed to rude workers/management. This place is a mess, don't stay longer than you have to. 

I worked as a cashier and I loved this job. My coworkers were the sweetest for the most part. However, the drama that went on in this place was worse than High School drama. Management felt completely entitled and were the core of all the drama. 

They would disappear from the floor & carelessly talk badly about employees in the stockroom (where employees that worked in the stockroom would  ease drop and tell the whole team what they heard). Management at my location were completely unprofessional and the HR department was no help at all. So many complaints were made against a particular manager regarding race issues and harassment. So much for zero tolerance discrimination policy. 

Also, as a cashier we needed a manager to override quite often. We would call a manager and we would either get attitude from them, they would have a customer waiting for 15mins+, or during rushes; that PARTICULAR manager would clean up the store on his way to the registers, not only having the customer wait for a long period but causing our line to get longer. Then he would complain that we need to move faster because our line is too long. 

It’s not much of a discount, stores in the mall gave me a better discount for being a mall employee than ZARA did. The only time the discount is really useful is during the 2 annual sales, where you get a discount off the discounted item. 

This place had an extreme toxic work environment. The job itself was great, straightforward, fast paced and fun for the most part. I honestly wish I could’ve stayed but I come to work to make money, not to be stuck in drama like a bunch of kids.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sales associate 242 salaries reported	$18.30 per hour
Department manager 30 salaries reported	$72,310 per year
Head of operations 22 salaries reported	$71,059 per year
General manager 15 salaries reported	$92,400 per year
Retail sales associate 10 salaries reported	$16.65 per hour

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