My first full fiscal year that I was there I received David's "Circle of Excellence" award for good feedback from my customers and for selling over $250,000 worth of merchandise as a part-time employee. The only thing you get for this achievement is a special name tag and personalized business cards. All of my performance reviews were 5/5 in every category but when I discussed raises or promotions with my store manager, her response was that if I wanted to make more money, I should sell more dresses. All of their sales positions were only a quarter more an hour than minimum wage when I started (less when my state's min wage increased) plus commissions but you didn't receive commissions on everything you sold. In order to receive commissions, you had to meet a minimum dollar amount of sales per hour worked for the pay period. If you reached that minimum, your commission was only about 1% - 3% but rarely would any associate have a high enough average to reach that 3% tier. The store was the busiest on nights and weekends so that is when associates would make the most sales. If you worked mostly nights and weekends, you could make a little commission. If your manager scheduled you for a lot of weekday morning and afternoon shifts, it would be nearly impossible to make the average sales needed to earn any commission at all. All of our managers were hired from outside of the company even if there was a qualified associate who'd been there for years regularly opening and closing t
ProsFacilitating special experience for brides, fun with fashion, 25% discount
ConsPoor compensation, high pressure sales, no opportunity for advancement, disrespectful management, toxic workplace culture
2.0
Customer Service Representative | Roseville, CA | Dec 8, 2012
There's definitely a lot more downs than ups
Let me start off by saying the employee turn over rate at this location is extremely high.... That should already tell you something. I'm not sure if its like this at other locations, but here they (as in most of the management) don't care one bit about any employees; all they care about is making sales goals for the day. If the goals aren't made, your hours get cut. They hire way too many employees to the point where there aren't enough hours for the good employees that actually deserve it. (They mostly do that because they know half of who they hire won't last more than 2 weeks). I left in October because 1 out of the 2 GREAT assistant managers left for another place because this place is BEYOND STRESSFUL which is an understatement. If you are in need of steady money, don't bother applying here because job security is not available here. You can go from one week of 35 hours to the next week of 10 hours within one schedule period. And fair warning, YOUR SCHEDULE IS NEVER FINAL, not even the day you go in to work. There were numerous times when I would go in to work my shift and I was told when I walked through the door that I was off at 430 instead of the 8:30 time that was put on my schedule THE DAY BEFORE. And the store manager could care less. The communication from her was very poor. There were also numerous times where I would come in to work my 11-730 shift and as soon as I walk through the door, my coworker would look confused as to why I was there. I would look at th
Prosassistant managers prior to october were excellent, some of the coworkers, and the brides you are privileged to meet
Consthe store management, the lack of hours, and the unappreciation from the company of their employees
Bridal retail is very different from normal retail because it is very involved right from the start. A Stylist (salesperson) is assigned to a guest (customer) the moment they walk in the door. The stylist guides the guest through choosing a dress and accessories by asking open-ended questions about other aspects of the event (venue, color palette, time of year, etc.), which helps figure out aesthetics. If the guest is ordering something, she'll need to return to pick it up. If her dress needs alterations, she can make an appointment for a later date (we offer in-house alterations at an additional charge).
Sometimes the alterations process is the most difficult part, depending on what the guest wants and her attitude toward the seamstress or the process. If she needs more than one fitting, timing can become an issue, as we work on a 4-week turnaround. Guests who wait too long to either buy/order a dress or book an appt will sometimes take it out on us and expect us to bend company rules or waive rush fees (fees are only waived if the error was on our end). Even with plenty of time, some people are very hard to please. They will point out a single loose thread or dangling bead and claim he dress is falling apart, then demand a discount for damages or their alts for free. Some will even lie to our faces about a stylist (whose name they conveniently forget) telling them alterations were free, or not being told about alts costing extra. (ALL ALTERATIONS ARE AN ADDITIONAL CHARG
Rewarding as an occupation, not quite as rewarding employer
I'll start off by saying, I love working with brides. It is a pleasure to come in to work everyday and help excited women find the most important gown they will ever wear. It's always a great feeling to know you helped make such an important decision. As a consultant, you get to know the brides on a person level and essentially make new friends while keeping in touch with them, helping them stay on track for their big day. Although the title may be great, I would recommend searching at other locations if possible.
Don't get me wrong if you are young and just starting out, David's is a great place to learn the basics. They were pretty good about training and teaching me everything I knew before working me into my own appointments. Once you get started, it is easy to catigorize where you should start off with the dresses based on your knowledge of the gown the bride is looking for and her budget. It is a business and sometimes it is hard to know when to push for a sale and to know when it is too soon.
The first few months were great but once you get started there are sometimes unrealistic sales goals. You are written up if you don't make a certain amount per week. There is a Heart Chart with a sales goal for the pay period and management divides how much you should be selling for every day, hour, etc. On average I would say a goal of around $1,400 in sales during a Saturday would be neccessary to keep you from being written up. After working with other bridal salons and desig
No beneficial training on fitting,styling, working with brides or using the register. Learning the work environment comes from asking your new co-workers for help. They don't offer full-time hours and the part-time hours are 3-5 hr shifts for 2-3 days a week, a typical pay period could be from 10 to 23 hrs at a pay rate of $7.50 for stylist. Short 30 min. lunch break for rare 6-8hrs shifts, and because of the excessive workload you are usually denied that short 30 min. break and you end up working a full shift with no food other than what you ate before you came. And if you are lucky to get a break they say to you be back in 30 min. so you can take another bride or party. Even when it's slow there's no breathing room. You're either working with a bride or cleaning or telemarketing 20-25 brides to get them to make an appointment. The staff is usually limited and overwhelmed with tasks. During the interview they promise you that the 7.50 isn't so bad because you will easily earn a good commission, but the commission scale is rigged in such a way that it becomes impossible for you to make it, so you usually end up with just 7.50 for 25hrs or less and no commission. If it's slow managers will send people home so your pay becomes even worse.You have to watch every minute that you work and note every cent you make. Making money here is very stressful and requires strategic planning. At $7.50 hr you need to work at least 30 hrs to make at least $200 on your paycheck after taxes, but
Disorganized management, favoritism, and worst job of my life!
I thought that working at a bridal shop would be one of the most fulfilling job experiences I would have...I was wrong. Management at this store is lacking immensely as is leadership and organization, sad to say that they are practically inept. They single out certain individuals (stylists and jr. stylists) as to who are their favorites right off the bat making it highly impossible for any non-favorite employees to progress. Training is non-existent, this includes "on the job training." This store feels like reliving a much more drastic immature version of high school--probably elementary. Overall, customer service is lacking from many employees including the managers. Sad to say that the store managers at this store practice all of these negative traits, making it a horrible work experience. I've noticed that I am not the only one writing a bad review for the store...there is something to be said about that.
The only thing I enjoyed was interacting with the clients and helping them pick out dresses for such important dates in their life. Working with stylists was enjoyable as well, but management was unbearable. A lot of times, I and other stylists wouldn't get credit for our sales because certain managers would ring up the client and give the sale/commission to their "favorites." Unethical and unprofessional. I write this to warn future clients and employees of what they are to expect at this certain store. When my seasonal position was over, I was ecstat
ProsFree corporate lunches, learn about wedding protocols, decent pay
Consshort breaks, no flexibility in schedule, unprofessional work environment
I love my job. Working with Brides and Prom girls is so much fun. The rush I get from finding that perfect dress is exhilarating! Especially when it was busy, the day just FLEW by. But outside of that, David's isn't the best place to work.
Back when I started at the end of 2012, The jobs were separated-- Wedding consultants, who did mainly brides, and Dress Specialists (Me), who did bridal parties, prom and special occasion. It worked. Everyone got the right amount of attention. Being able to focus on one type of work-- WCs having one maybe 2 brides over the course of an hour and half vs DSPs taking 3 or more bridesmaids or prom girls, since they take less time and require less immediate attention made things easier.
Since about October 2013, David's Bridal has been shifting around, making everyone "Stylists", meaning everyone does everything now. Yeah you have "Jr Stylists" to help put stuff away for you (which doesn't really help). They are molting if you will... trying to create a whole new business hoping to create more revenue, but instead its creating chaos.
Aside from all the technical stuff that only matters if you worked there before all the mess::
The pay can be good, especially if you are the Star Stylist and sell all your brides really hard. They tend to hire a lot of part time help and work everyone 15 hours or so a week so its not a job you could truly live off of unless you're the aforementioned Star Stylist.
They also have made it a practice to
ProsWarm Fuzzies you get from Brides, friendly coworkers
ConsShort lunches, only one FT position, few hours
3.0
Assistant Store Manager | Henrietta, NY | Sep 18, 2013
Very exciting and demanding environment ,heavily centered on customer service.
I worked for David's Bridal in a Management capacity for 12 years. It was very customer oriented, focused on building and maintaining long term relationships with our clients. A very fast paced, busy environment, each day was unique and presented different circumstances and challenges. Being a retail business, it involved long hours and flexibility in scheduling.
My duties included all the usual store management requirements, such as scheduling, payroll, training, recruiting and overall supervision of several different departments and staff.
My favorite part of my job was the ability to support both my associates and my customers when issues or problems arose, and to balance the needs of my company and clients when coming to an acceptable solution to any given situation. This afforded me the opportunity to adapt and grow in a managerial as well as a personal capacity.
All the employees at David's Bridal worked closely together as a team, utilizing the strengths and talents of different individuals to give our clients the best possible experience with our company.
The most difficult aspects of my career with David's Bridal were the rare occasions that I was not able to satisfy my customers' requests due to conflicts between the corporate policies and the clients' wants and needs. It could sometimes become frustrating and disappointing, but as a manager and agent for my store I was obligated to make the most reasonable and fair decision based on each circumst
Prosconstant customer and associate contact and interaction, opportunities to coach, teach and learn on a daily basis, frequent new product lines, exciting, lively environment, diversity in duties
Conslong hours, frequent last minute schedule changes, frequent last minute vacation cancellations, 50 to 60 hour weeks, missed special family events, very little corporate recogcnition and encouragement for non- managerial employees
A typical day at work would include me greeting brides, bridesmaids, mother's, grandmothers, etc. and taking the bridal party around the store for a brief tour. I explain where everything is, what accessories we'll play around with, and then I'll explain the different designer gowns we have. I'll explain whether the designer gown is vintage, american royalty; glamorous, sexy; modern, creative; tradition; fun, hip, savvy. I'll then explain how the dresses and sizes are organized in each row and where the discontinued gowns are. At this point, I ask the bride some questions about how she wants her gown to look and what her budget is. I then take the bride aside for her measurements. While she and her party start looking, I go and get her undergarments. Once we have 3 dresses picked out, I'll bring the bride and her party to where we'll be set up. I help her get in and out of the dresses all the while making conversation with her, getting to know about her and her fiance and about her life. I build rapport and get her to trust me. Once I get her in a dress and she comes out of the dressing room, usually I can tell right away if she has on the dress of her dreams. It's all about the party's reaction and most importantly, her reaction. If she smiles big and starts petting the dress, it's the one!
I learn how to deliver great customer service. I establish rapport with bride and bridal party throughout the appointment so that we build trusting relationships. I've act
Prosenjoyable job, commission, great team of co-workers
Consshort breaks, minimal base hourly rate, have to work hard to even get commission
"Job work/life balance": Scheduling seemed to be based on the favorites. If they wanted to work certain shifts that the company doesn't recommend they'd get it. If someone with low numbers needed an afternoon off they would never get it.
"Compensation/Benefits": The pay is the only think worth being at Davids. The money was nice and the commission was even better if you made your numbers. It is retail, though, so don't expect to earn vacation time or anything like that.
"Job Security/Advancement": I never saw any form of advancement in our region even on the managerial level. It was always outsiders no matter what the level.
Management and job culture I believe differ from store to store since I know all the ones in my area are very different.
Sales at David's is certainly interesting. The product is nice, the atmosphere is fun, and the brides/customers are usually happy to be there. I have enjoyed my time there greatly. Being a commission based job favorites were picked. If your numbers were up the managers loved you. When my numbers went down during the slow season the managers wanted nothing to do with me.
Be prepared to have managers ask you to basically force people into buying no matter their finances. I can't even count how many times they'd go force financing options on my brides and their families after I told them that the bride couldn't or was not interesting in buying. They would even go as far as trying to force more expensive options on them whe
Prosnice pay, good products, getting to work with customers
Consmanagers pick favorites, no advancement, no vacation time
1.0
Customer Service Representative | Vaughan, ON | Mar 24, 2023
Unprofessional management and poor communication- avoid this store
Management at this store was completely unprofessional, and communication was terrible. Different managers gave conflicting instructions, leaving employees unsure of what to do. The training provided was a complete joke, consisting only of having new employees shadow others without proper guidance or explanation. This placed unnecessary pressure on employees and customers, especially in a high-pressure environment like a bridal store. The hours provided were inconsistent and not as promised during the interview, leading to frustration and disappointment.
The store often assigned unrelated tasks to employees, so get ready to do some cleaning washrooms, including cleaning toilets, mirrors, and other areas, as well as vacuuming the entire store, instead of doing your actual work. While it's important to maintain a clean and organized store, it is not reasonable to expect employees to perform tasks that are not related to their job duties.
The training program was also shockingly insufficient, with new employees receiving only one or two days of subpar training. Even though management knew this was inadequate, they still scheduled these underprepared employees to work on busy days ten days later, expecting them to remember the store's outdated systems and procedures. The already stressful work environment was made worse by malfunctioning computers, causing long wait times for customers .
Management needs to take responsibility and do better, as the success of the store is largel
Questions And Answers about David's Bridal
How often do you get a raise at David's Bridal?
Asked Mar 6, 2021
They don’t offer raises
Answered Mar 21, 2023
Annually
Answered Mar 12, 2023
What is the promotion process like at David's Bridal?
Asked Nov 7, 2020
Never saw anyone get promoted
Answered Mar 26, 2023
Poor
Answered Mar 3, 2023
What is the best part of working at David's Bridal?
Asked Oct 12, 2019
Looking at the pretty dresses and building friendships with customers
Answered May 11, 2022
That you help the people
Answered May 10, 2022
What tips or advice would you give to someone interviewing at David's Bridal?
Asked Oct 8, 2018
good smile
Answered Mar 21, 2023
Dress in your best attire. Black is best. No jeans.
Answered Feb 26, 2023
What is a typical day like for you at David's Bridal?
Asked Apr 3, 2020
10:15-2:30. They don’t like to exceed 4.45 hours. Because that means they have to pay.
