Oh Dear . . . The list is endless! Where do I start??? You get treated like something the cat dragged in . . . spoke to like something you just trod in . . . not to mention getting told off for talking whilst you work!
Basically, if you want to be treated like you're still in primary school . . . then this is definitely the place for you!
Rotas being constantly changed without letting you know . . . hey if you want a life outside work . . . then don't bother with this place! You make plans around the rotas only to find they've changed when you go in for your next shift . . . so cancel those doctors appointments, and hospital appointments . . . and maybe those parents evenings that come round once every 6 months, because according to the wonderful place of home bargains . . . your work comes first!
If you have kids, then make sure your childminder is as flexible as home bargains needs them to be . . . because a 7am - 11am shift will run to 3pm / 4pm or even a 6pm finish . . . . and guess what? they won't let you go until that delivery has been put out!
A 16 hour contract . . . . what's that? well. . . . at home bargains = 30 hours plus, and in the holy grail of contracts . . . it states any hours worked after 39 you will be paid time and a half . . . . oh dear . . . home bargains are little liars, you only get the basic wage! LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!
If you struggle to get in because of public transport . . . they don't care . . .they'll keep you there until the last bus
ProsGreat work Colleagues
ConsToo many to list . . . read the review!
2.0
Retail Sales Associate | Halifax, MA | Jan 2, 2013
Boring work with an added minefield
In all it's a simple day at home bargains, put your stock out and tidy the place up. However it's complicated by poor standards in staff training (including the management).
They don't look after or value staff at all, and generally if you have favour with the management you can get away with pretty much anything, but for those who are not it can be pretty hard going. Your contract is tedious and for what seems like a simple misdemeanour can land you in some hot water. I also have a second job where I have been late because of being kept behind to finish an impossible amount of work for the time allowed. There is no consideration for your life outside of work, try to argue and you get "that's what it says in your contract/handbook" and off to work you have to go!
Most of my co-workers are friendly, though I am a person who finds it easy to get along with most people. I have made some great friends here, though overall there is a lack store identity with no store organised activities to get to know your new workmates.
The hardest part of the job can be the sheer amount of things you are expected to complete in a short period of time, even without my new second job a four hour shift can leave me (a fit 20 ish year old) feeling totally drained. Some areas of the shop are fully taken care of with 5 members of staff assigned to take care of it, whereas other areas with the same workload can be left to just one person with the same expectation of everything being complete before yo
Prosfriendly staff and the discount has its uses for some people
Consbreaks are set at half hour no matter how long you work, and despite a promise to pay time and a half after you work 40hours, you will never be allowed to work this much
This is possibly one of the WORST companies to work for - full stop.
Staff are normally assigned to a 4 hour shift on a daily (or so) basis and are expected to do the impossible most of the time. The hours on the rota keep getting cut........ They doesn't realise that it makes a huge difference and has a negative impact.
Staff are expected to do way to much and if one of the management team (well, they aren't a team, they are horrible pack of robots!) isn't happy, they will literally blow their top and start moaning when in fact, it's not the fault of the staff member but their own fault for expecting too much and being disorganised store.
The management are in their own bubble and speak to staff like pieces of dirt. They regularly go out for cigarette breaks: possibly 10 mins of every hour or so, whilst the staff still slave away. As long as they get what they want, they do not care for the staff. For example they can stand around talking for ages but if staff even look at one another, stuff hits the fan and it ain't nice
As for the company itself, no bonuses are rewarded to the staff except for a stupid £20 if you get a compliment from a customer......yep just £20. Pathetic excuse for staff morale. Whereas the management get big bonuses for meeting targets, cutting hours etc which means they literally crack the whip on the staff.
BREAKS........ good luck getting a break you are entitled too. They are so horrible when it comes to breaks.
The company D
ProsActually nothing
ConsShort breaks if any, low pay, too much work, backstabbing management, expecting a lot
Head office don't care about the staff and don't back you
I worked for home bargains for 5 months and I really did give them my all as my manager during that time said that I was one of his best employees but after one customer complained to head office that I swore on the shop floor and was aggressive to him HR sacked me without even known the real me. During a busy Sunday in the shop a customer had spilled chocolate raisins on the shop floor so as I walked down the isle I hadn't noticed the sweets and stood on them which then made my foot slip and gave me a shock and to my reaction I slipped out the words "oh sh**" very quietly but a customer was close enough to me to hear this and he reported this to my manager and as the customer walked back up the sweets and juice isle I asked him why he reported me to my manager instead of speaking to me first as I said to him that I would have apologised and he said because I swore in front of his child (accidentally I might add) then the customer asked me my name as he said that he was going to report me to head office, which he did (saying that I swore in front of his child and that I was showing aggressive behaviour towards him) Then I had my meeting with my manager and I explained to him that I accidentally swore due to the shock of losing my footing and at no point did I act aggressively towards the customer (which was the truth) and after the notes of my meeting was reviewed by HR they decided to believe the customer other than myself and dismissed me. Although the CCTV footage would ac
ProsExtra hours and 10% staff discount
ConsPatronising assistant manger, Too much over stock, Two faced and immature colleagues, not allowed to stand up for yourselfs
When i first started working at Home bargains as part of the fill shift our induction day involved listening on how to operate tills etc (although this information was useless to me as only the female members of staff go onto the tills). I was quite surprised to receive no training what so ever.
When you first start you are expected to complete a cage of stock on your own in 45 minutes. This is next to impossible as you don't know where any items in store are and the shelves are normally full of stock requiring a reshuffle of the complete shelve. There is also strict guidelines on how stock should be displayed on isles however you are not told this and after you put the items where you think it should go you will shortly learn after a harsh telling off from one of the managers.
2 Weeks into the job and you have a meeting with one of the managers to discuss how your doing. Unfortunately this normally equates to "You need to improve, work faster" without any help in ways to accomplish that.
The management of the store is generally quite poor. From your first day you will be treated horribly and will only help you if you ask. There is also the fact that some managers work differently to others so doing something good in the eyes of one manager often gets a telling off from another. After reading a few reviews already posted on here it seems that the stores are a lot alike. The managers are quite rude towards you, offer no support and are hard to get along with.
Thi
This is a horrible place to work, not because of the staff but because of the typical routine of the job. In terms of training and when you first start there would be a sense of accomplishment and the feel that the company isn't ridiculously ran. And then you realise that there is no 'set' way to do things, no one cares about whether you do your back in lifting a box that's too heavy or whether or not you have some form of physical or mental illness that stops you doing a certain part of the job. Then you become aware to the favouritism throughout the store where members of management decide whether they want to be your best friend, worst enemy or not even acknowledge your existence. Plus theres the manager who will probably tell you that he has never taken a day off in his nine years of working for the company. Whilst giving himself nearly two weeks off right before stock take. Leaving the shop in nothing more then a nice country pancake. Also, the company doesn't give a flying pig. Whether or not you do an 18 hour shift then start 6 hours after that shift ended. Its almost as if common law doesn't apply to them. Oh and if your under the age of 18 prepare to be exploited and worked as much as a member of management. But hey, if you want to work for a company like this, go for it. And if you want to become management then all you have to do is tell the area manager about a couple the have no idea what your doing, will fit right in! This company is the cheekiest of moos!
I am 38 and was unemployed for a few months so took the job as I was desperate. Your contract will be 16 or 20 hours a week. Full time vacancies are for supervisors or managers only. There is usually plenty of overtime if you want it. I was on the fill shift which is basically a shelf stacker. It can be strenuous work but that wasn't the issue. The main problems for me were sitting in a cramped staff room with a bunch of immature staff members shouting and swearing at eachother. You are expected to wait for the delivery to arrive. You are not paid for waiting. On my first day I started at 8 and the delivery didn't arrive until 11. I went home and came back. A few days later the delivery hadn't arrived by 9.30am. No manager came to tell us what was happening. After sitting in a kindergarten staff room for an hour and a half I walked out. The problem was my age. If you're young you may enjoy the job.
When you are put on the till from time to time you have to shout for your colleagues to call your manager if there are any issues. There is no other way of contacting them. I thought this was very unprofessional.
ProsLots of overtime if you want it.
ConsHaving to wait around for the delivery and not getting paid for it.
I've worked for home bargins for 5weeks. I worked along side the store fitters who are can come across tough but they have deadlines and 5 days to make a empty unit into a store. They are acturally really nice if your willing to pull your weight.
The company doesn't take on lead sales everyone is a shop assistant and who ever shines in the first couple of weeks can then Apply for lead sales, you'll have to have another interview for this.
I didn't get lead sales the first time I applied but it made me pull my socks up and work harder and show that I can do it.
This isn't just a retail job if your a hard working person this company for a career opportunity.
I've met some lovely people in the last few weeks. I'm a 20 year old apart of mangement earning more money than what I would been able to if I stayed in my career that I spent 3years in college to get.
If you have great customer service and customer put it on the website you'll get into the wow club you'll receive £20 from the company and be put in to a draw to win days out ect.
ProsFantastic team work! Above min wage, great company to work for if your mangement after 6months you'll receive bonuses after stock checks.
The worst company ive ever worked for it was good at first customers was saying i was doing a good job i worked at the one in Colchester i worked on the tills.you had to call the managers over to void things it was like you was asking them for a massive thing for them to help you! The manager Daniel bradley was nice at first but i had to do a stock take and needed extra help as i hadent done one in my previous jobs in retail i did it in the end but that wasent enough they never told me how long my trial was for. Was there for 3 weeks. I passed the training but i made mistakes at first but in the end i got really good at my job then some staff colleges went back to the manager talk about 2 faced! i thought they was my friends!! Customers moaned about the service dont blame them at all. Sue a manager started on me she always was rude will never work there again! Wot sort of company dont tell you about the trial ??
Prosstaff discount
Consmy back used to hurt and i cut myself on products
I started working for this company 7 months ago the first few days were really good but soon after the truth comes out management will treat u like ur nothing. They will force you to work 12-13 hour shift with half an hour break steal your days off and holiday pay they would even delete your clocking in so often that you don't get paid for them days. you are forced to work late nights and start early morning no time for your family. They do not have a clue on how to treat people customers or employees. They would only employee people that don't speak English as they won't know they're rights they made a mistake with and got what they deserved. They are the worst company to work for from area manager to the management worst people ever so glad to be out of there would advise anyone not to work there if they value they're life you won't have one once you start
From someone speaking with experience from having worked other jobs, working at Home Bargains was an absoloute nightmare. It was vile.
I am 20 years old, and my previous job had good breaks, everything was pretty fair for everyone, good perks to the job, and all in all an alright place to work. It was a bit difficult, but it is like that with every job.
The reason I started at Home Bargains was because I was looking for more pay, which Home Bargains offered. The mananger seemed okay and friendly, and from what she said and shown on the induction it looked like a fun and busy place to work.
I couldn't have been so wrong:
1) You get given a cage to stock the store with, with an unrealistic time of 45 minutes (the cage has a lot of stock on it).
2) Some managers were okay, but a few were very horrible and overworked you. If you're not a customer, they don't care about you, they own you so they feel they can speak to how how they like. It is not good when you work really hard and it shoud be time for you to go home, no, they will just give you others peoples jobs that have not yet been completed.
3) There's a thing called "Fill Finish". this is where you don't leave until you have finished the tasks given to you, which is fair enough as it was the same as Odeon, but like I said, they seem to want the impossible and really work you until your feet bleed.
The thing about this is, you are usually meant to finish at around 1pm - 3pm, but they won't lose any sleep by
ConsLong hours, workers are young, treated like a criminal by managers, belittled, work not valued.
Working for Home Bargains has been genuine, good honest work. I have learned a lot from this job and the people within it. I would recommend this job to anyone searching for work or anyone interested in the world of retail. Don’t expect it to be easy though, there is a bit of graft involved.
The Retford store has an amazing culture of friendly and compassionate staff that have successfully created a warm, lasting atmosphere that is great to work in. They are honest, decent people with great senses of humour that are open to questions and always willing to help you. They set a great example all around and hopefully you will learn by following their footsteps. If you have a growth mindset, you’ll fit in perfectly.
Customers are 50/50, but this is really to be expected when working in a customer service environment; the customers can’t be changed. Some customers are remarkable individuals with great stories to tell, pleasant senses of humour and are a delight to serve. But there will always be the few that are rude, obtuse and not very understanding. Simply rise above rude customers and think of the positive ones.
All the managers were excellent people with genuine retail experience and dedication to what they were doing. They are open to questions and will help you with anything if you are struggling. They set a good example in both customer interaction and respecting the Home Bargains method of properly putting products out. Although it was rare, some managers (I stress “so
ProsVery productive honest work, good pay, really pleasant atmosphere.
ConsLacklustre training, sometimes monotonous work, inconsistent hours.
As a customer Home Bargains seems like a wonderful, even relaxing place to be. I foolishly took this to mean that working there would be similar. In the interview this was certainly how it was portrayed. Friendly teams working together, doing the best for the customer and creatively designing the shop floor and products...It only takes a few shifts to see the mistake you've made in signing that contract. For a start, forget everything you agreed in the contract because the managers quickly will.
Whatever hourly contract you've been given is not even the bare minimum that will be expected of you. Expect to be dolled out and pressured into several more shifts and countless more hours that you didn't ask for and possibly can't work into your schedule without so much as a quick conversation from management to see if its ok. You're expected to meet the 'needs' of the company... Which loosely translates to do what we say when we say. You're expected to plan your life around the company. But don't plan anything because if you think you're getting out of there when your shift is scheduled to end, think again! Delivery shifts end whenever they end, sometimes taking 4 hours, other days 7 hours. You don't know when you'll leave. When you're not on a delivery shift you'll more often than not be asked to 'just do this' or 'just do that' before you're allowed to go home. Yes, allowed. You have to ask permission to leave at the end of your shift (or even way past when it should have ended)
I used to enjoy my job until the assistant manager became our manager- then it all went down hill.
You can not rely on your hours, your rota can change while you are doing the shift they have changed, you can be demanded to stay hours after your shift officially finishes- with no regard to your plans, family or appointments. Then when you tell management that you can't stay behind (as they give you no warning)- they say (shout) in front of customers things like 'You are letting down your team' and 'we wont be giving you any more overtime '.
Then your Rota can change so much during the week that you cant make plans before or after your shift because you will probably have to cancel them.
If you book weeks or days off - the management team can grant them- but then change their mind and make you work them- with barely any warning.
Every 3 months or so there are stock takes that are optional for you to do to get an extra 4 hours wage and the stock take in the shop you work in is compulsory. Except in the place I worked in- where they put the names of the same 10 staff to do all of the stock takes in other stores (sometimes without asking) and if you had plans the night of that stock take (stock takes are always a late finish) and ask to have your name taken of the list-they will threaten to take all of your over time off of you and cut you down to your contracted hours.
I was accused of lying about my disability in one stock take by a manager of another shop.
Where do I even start? Out of all the jobs I've ever had, this was by far the worst.
I was totally mis-sold the job and culture in the interview; the place is amateur.
Processes are inefficient and out of date. They are also not willing to entertain suggestions about working differently despite having lots of experience in that area.
Technology is crying out for investment; the 1980s are calling and want their tills back!
Everyone would tell you to work a different way and not say it was them that told you.
The store was filthy with no clear cleaning schedule. When there was a spillage with glass I was given a rusty bucket and tatty mop to clean it up with as there was no glass specific cleaning equipment. That mop is now contaminated with glass shards to be spread around the store. Very basic health and safety!
Along with being dirty, the place is a jumble. Yes it's a discount store and their ranges change daily based on what they can buy cheap, but store standards were awful. They also have a strange system of whatever is delivered is made to fit on the shelf despite it being likely the shelf was already rammed with the product. This meant putting out one box resulted in you rearranging whole bays and condensing othee products more often than not. One box could easily take 10-15mins so you would never hit productivity targets.
Training was pretty much non-existent; as I said, everyone shows you shortcuts and management insist that doesn't happen.
Uniform provided is only a
ProsNone
ConsTerrible work life balance, poor benefits, poor culture, dirty store, out dated equipment, lack of leadership
I wasn't really sure if I should post a review. But I convinced myself this is worth talking about.
For a company that's worth over £3 billion, you'd expect there to be a smoother operation. But it's not, it's messy and with all the new protocols that the management have to follow it makes it seem far less... human?
You'd think they'd at least be willing to pay for security guards in the stores worst affected by shoplifters. But no. They'd be thousands better off each week if they did pay out, but no. They'd rather put either their youngest or oldest members of staff at risk on Aisle One than have someone who realistically wouldn't be earning much more than the top paid Store Assistants.
Kronos is a mess, especially when your store has just implemented it. It needs some serious work, and only really works for you if you're fully flexible. The random start times are bad, the random finishing times are bad. It's just… bad.
Speaking on behalf of my management alone, they did a good job overall. You hear so many horror stories about the management being the scum of the earth, and y'know what I believe that really is the case in some Home Bargains. Mine were good, still a very childish, classroom level of drama sometimes though. Some had clear favourites, but still treated everyone else fairly.
The rest of the staff were lovely, but again any gossip spread like wildfire across the shop floor. People grouped off but I don't really hold that against anyone. It's human nature t
Working here has been the biggest waste of 3 years.
Home Bargains consistently fails to provide you with even the basic human rights that you are entitled to for simply being alive.
I have spent three years slaving away in this company as a Lead Sales (a fancy title which basically means absolutely nothing) for approximately 10p more an hour than sales assistants.
Every single job you are given to do is effectively meaningless, pointless and a giant waste of time. Every single time you spent hours merchandising areas of the store, another manager will often (in the same day) be told to move that section to another area of the store. Thus making your entire shift pointless and a waste.
Your entire point of existence as a Lead Sales is to promote sales, yet you are expected to follow a planagram for the "Starbuy" section of the store that often goes against your job role and makes you display stock that doesn't sell, but the warehouse has too much of it. So it "HAS" to go on starbuy.
The company will constantly pay you for holidays that you HAVE NOT taken, making it impossible for you to book actual holidays. It will consistently FORGET to pay you, leaving you without money. And if you ring head office about any issue, they will allow the phone to ring for almost an hour before they bother to pick up.
Senior managers spend all shift on their phones talking about fantasy football leagues, showing each other baby photos, or spending hours (not an exaggeration) walking around the shop ignoring staff and customers to talk to th
First of all I would highly recommend staying away from this place. I’ve worked in a couple of retail jobs in the past and this is by far the worst. I would just like to say that the other store assistants (the ones who wear blue) I worked with were lovely and I enjoyed working with them but that was literally the only good thing about the place.
When I interviewed for the job I was told everyone had to do a bit of everything, so tills, fill shifts and rebuilds, this turned out to be untrue and it was the same people doing the same things all the time.
The fill shifts are ridiculous, you are told that 45 minutes is the expected time in which to work a cage but they don’t take into account the fact you have to move stock around to get things out, 45 minutes is simply unrealistic. Management make out that it’s a chore for them to help you get stock out but if you put something in the wrong place because you’re not getting any help then they moan and lecture you. You’re not allowed any cardboard or back stock on the floor and are expected to keep them on the cage but then it’s a struggle to work your other stock. You don’t know when you’re going home so it makes it difficult to plan things and they expect you to plan your life around the shop.
The tills are not adequately staffed, resulting in long queues. For a shop of it’s size (16 aisles) it’s constantly understaffed meaning the few staff who are there are having extra pressure put on them and are expected to do numerous j
ProsThe other store assistants were lovely
ConsStressful working environment, horrible management out to make people’s lives a misery, poorly run company, feel like you don’t have a life
Typical day
You would have to review CCTV, what would be reviewed would be decided by field managers or on the very rare! occasion you might be able to do some of the exciting investigation work yourself.
Learning/Training
I learned a lot in the first 10 years of my career I met some of the nicest and most helpful colleagues and management and was helped by some well experienced and knowledgeable people, but then in the last 4 years of my career due to the change in management the training learning and the excitement of being in work stopped mainly due to the way the department was ran the inexperience and poor skills. The only people who would be trained or promoted is the ones who fit into their circle.
Management
I found the latest management in Loss Prevention apart from one, was very unprofessional towards work and towards colleagues, wether that be making immature comments about people or even customers on the cctv. They would watch the internal cctv to make sure you was working and make it obvious to everyone in the room also would make jokes or snigger about the person they was reviewing on cctv, and making you feel very paranoid. One occasion where they pulled me for going the toilet “saying you’re going the toilet to many times…. Ridiculous. It’s a real shame because I loved the job and the company but the management just made it a horrible place to work so I had to leave to protect my mental health. Previous management I found very professional and management
Questions And Answers about Home Bargains
What is the interview process like at Home Bargains?
Asked Aug 15, 2016
Short 10 minute conversation with 2 or 3 set questions. Very easy
Answered Aug 5, 2020
Tell me about yourself
What do you know about home bargains
Give an example of when you showed leadership
A time you showed honesty
Why home bargains
What did you like about your old job
Anything you didn’t like about your old job
Why did you leave your old job
Make sure you sound confident, enthusiastic and be smiley 😁 good luck
Answered Oct 10, 2018
Do you get paid weekly or monthly
Asked Feb 14, 2017
Weekly Pay
Answered Mar 23, 2021
Weekly pay
Answered Jan 2, 2020
How often do you get a raise at Home Bargains?
Asked Jul 13, 2022
Only when the minimum wage increased, and during the COVID pandemic.
Answered Feb 27, 2023
Yearly
Answered Jul 13, 2022
What advice would you give the CEO of Home Bargains about how to improve it?
Asked Nov 13, 2021
Treat staff
Answered Sep 3, 2022
Look into your management, you know its happening because of the reviews on the company.
Answered Nov 13, 2021
How difficult is it to get a job at Home Bargains?
Asked Jun 19, 2021
I found it easy and a relaxed interview
Answered May 12, 2022
Not difficult, as long as you show you are willing to work and what to be there. Just be yourself and you will be fine.
