Complaint Review: Dillard's

I have been working for Dillard's for about 6 months now. At first I thought this would be a good job at least to start (I am currently working on my Bachelor's of Arts Degree) Honestly I am glad I decided to further my education and use this job soley to pay for books and the like. I am going to use them as much as they use everyone else.And then move on to make more money (staying within co. policy of course)..after all it is all about the money with them anyhow, right?

MISSLEADING EMPLOYMENT- First of all I specifically applied for Dock work, they tried to get me to switch to fragrances in my interview but I assumed it was on comission and I have worked as sales before so I know how cut-throat it can be (One rule for job orientation , don't let your potential employer push you around into a job you dont want.) Miss manager said that the Dock workers do a little cleaning in the morning but not much, I said ok np so I got my Dock job.

What a joke and a lie! I come to find out that I am nothing more then a housekeeper that happens to unload trucks now and then. I clean the bathrooms, mirrors ,vacuum, sweep, floor maintence, light bulbs etc. And maybe twice a week we unload trucks. And come to find out that they will basically hire anyone and everyone that applies, well that says a lot about a company all of the accusations about them hiring to purposely have a high turnover are true!

BAD ORIENTATION- When I went in for orientation I was in a group class of 15. They gave us paper work and walked through it with us kind of like we were children telling us to check off this and that although we had never learned it or had gone over it.Then they made us sign it and put down our SS number, I decided to use the number they provided for me instead. ADVICE, if you have an option to use a provided number instead of your social do so! Afterwards we watched some videos mostly on employee theft the whole "Dillard's! beware!" was enough to raise a few eyebrows. (even though I am a Dock worker I still had to sit through the sales orientation..)

I heard all about the infamous quota that the sales ppl had to make sure they achieved or else they got a pay cut. I don't have said quota since I don't work register but still I couldn't believe that! I thought that was a rip off and it didn't even apply to me! What a horrible way to treat employees this needs to be seriously investigated..

DIRTY- This is coming from a Dock/ Housekeeper who works an eight hour shift cleaning this store. I noticed that in a few posts people mentioned that the mirrors were dirty and stuff is dusty and the like, In the store I work it is the "Dock" workers job to clean and do all housekeeping. And we do it all for only 8.25 /hr (Dillard's is too cheap to hire out professional cleaners).

Anyhow about a month after working there and really started taking notice of how dirty the store really is. On a daily basis as I vacum I notice the place is littered with bugs and spiders and I have seen roaches and other insects (non flying) that I can't identify.The thought of cleaning all of that up is disgusting! (And I grew up working in a barn! now that is bad!) I can't say that I have noticed any reselling of badly used or dirty merchandise as I am not on the sales floor but now that I think about it this stuff has to come from somewhere...a dept. store should not be this filthy I wonder what you would find if you pulled up the aging carpet.."shivers". This goes beyond what us "Dock" workers can do. They need to stop penny pinching and get a real cleaning crew.

BAD SALARY- Although I don't have the pleasure of sharing in the lovely sales quota so lavishly placed upon the poor sales staff I get to enjoy my share of Dillard's money hoarding tendencies. As a dock worker we are entitled to earn our base pay, 8.25 /hr, and a "bonus" of 20% for housekeeping and dock work. Well As for the bonus it mysteriously goes missing from our pay checks on many occassions, normally when sales has a bad week..hmmm... Like last week they told us that we didn't get our bonus because we took too long to unload a truck. A "policy " that just happened to spring up out of the blue when our missing bonus was mentioned by some of the other seasoned Dock crew. How convenient...And upper-management has the audacity to be so suspicious of it's sales workers for theft...takes experience to know the field so well, eh?

MANAGEMENT- I seriously believe that management went thourough the exact orientation that we did, with no further training to advance. They never seem to know anything, most of them. (not all but most) Have the worse attitudes and are mean and yell at employees , I get to see this as I am in every section of the store throughout the day. Miss manager that hired me is so bad that even when the store has inspectors come in, for lights and elevators and the like, they actually schedule the inspections around her schedule so they dont have to talk to her!! We even had a security guard (off duty cop) quit on her, I over heard his phone conversation...It's one thing as a manager and have a professional get things done attitude , which to some can seem mean and intimidating, but Dillard's takes this to a whole other level..Managers should not belittle employee's especially infront of others . What is wrong with you people!!

DICRIMINATION- I am from NY and I have never worked in a place that this much open discrimination. There is favoritism over race and gender, Not sure about other Dillard's but ours almost always refuses to hire men The men also seem to get yelled at more. Christmas is just around the corner and the trees are on display. There are several trees in up front on display (I'm not just saying this to complain. if anyone is ever in the Arbor place Dillard's go there around christmas time and you will see) All of these trees (in the front) have Caucasian figures yet there is one tree place behind all of the others way in the back that is a full African American display. Pushed way in the back? I mean come on, even if you didn't do it intentionally (which it was, they said so) and you noticed it was like that you would at least fix it so it wouldn't appear as discrimination. They won't even fix the display! even after customers and employees have commented on and complained about it. It's embarrassing to work in a place with a display like that. It should be brought to media attention..or something.

I do not advise anyone who actually needs real job to go and work for this company as it is a joke, and is seriously in need of some major reviewing and revising. I am currently still working and at the same time looking for another job. I actually hope that some of the ppl who do work there read these statements and the statements of others. I hope management finds thier way into this site and reads these statements, oh how funny that would be...

Ann
Douglasville, Georgia
U.S.A.