Dillards treating employees badly ripoff San Antonio Texas
This is in response to the horror stories I have just read on this website. I have been employed with Dillards for over 20 years and am here to say that the stories are horrible and true. I have witnessed it all, except the selling of soiled clothing. Of course, I have not worked in clothing for a long period of time, so I may not know about that. I remember Dillards being a very pleasant place to work. This was when Mr. William Dillard was alive. I will say he was a very nice, caring man. I saw this on more than one occasion. Too bad his children did not follow that path.
The stories written about pay cuts are horrendous and true. An employee is more likely to get a 10% pay cut than maintain pay or get a raise. The situation just got worse. A corporate decision was made to move any associate that worked in fragrances and made over a predetermined amount per hour would be moved out of fragrances. The amount was different according to city or division. I believe it was between 11.00 and 13.00 per hour. Now, keep in mind that this pay was earned according to Dillards rules.
Now, you think a 10% pay cut might play havoc with your finances. Well, the employees moved from fragrances at the end of a 6 month review period will have their pay cut to whatever they are supporting in that area (where they were moved). This means these employees could Easily and Likely have their pay cut in half. Quite a few of the affected employees have been with this company for many years.
Years ago when we were taken off commission we were told "This is a wonderful thing, we are now working sales per hour and you can make as much money as you want. You can write your own check". Many employees remember this, as it has been discussed recently. Obviously, as long as you are a employee at this company the rules can be changed with no regards to how it affects the employee. This decision has devastated me. I have been a great employee. I do all that is asked of me and then some.
This will lead us to another point. A reference was made to how we wer reviewed. The awful, unfair truth is that you are reviewed strictly on sales. You ARE NOT reviewed on attendance, appearance, customer service, stock work, diplay and everything else that is required of us. It was also pointed out that there are certain employees who will do all this work and others who race to get every customer and/ or simply clerk. This usually happens while the other person is putting up stock, cleaning, recovering area, etc.
The point here is that the harder you actually work doing things that are part of your job (that you are not reviewed on) the more you are penalized. Good rule of thumb. The hard workers get the paycuts and the ones that accost the customer and steal sales (ANOTHER STORY) will maintain their pay or get a raise. I know it is hard to believe, but I am living it. Why do I continue to do this work while others stand around? Good question. The answer is work ethic as I am still recieving a paycheck.
Why do we stay? Most of us are seeking other employment. We have 6 months from the day we were relocated in the store before we lose at least a third of our pay. To close this topic keep in mind that the rest of the store has to worry about a 10% cut (bad enough) only the employees moved from fragrances will lose realistically 1/3 to 1/2.
Now onto insurance. It is very expensive and not great coverage. The person who said the only ones that can afford it are the employees making 17.00 plus an hour. Newsflash. Still not affordable. Every year you pay more and get less.
Attendance policy. Ridiculous, but true. We have all had doctors laugh at us when we tell them how our notes have to be worded to excuse an absence. Without a note it is unexcused. So, if you want an absence to be excused you have to pay for a note, oh I mean, Drs. visit. As stated in a previous letter, sometimes a doctor is not necessary. The 8 excetions you are allowed before termination. Not fair. Some managers will approve tardies and out early for certain employees and not others.
Anyway, what a waste. At one point years ago this was a wonderful place to work. Now all there is are bad attituides, arguments among employees, management who has to enforce all of this unfairness. I have to believe they don't agree with it ir enjoy it. Maybe the manager that told me that I take paycuts too personally might enjoy it. There are one or more in every crowd.
Murray
San Antonioi, Texas
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
notachoice
connelly springs,North Carolina,
United States of America
I agree
#3UPDATE Employee
Fri, December 18, 2009
I agree with everything said about the 10% pay cuts, the push for sales over ethics, health insurance. I have only been at the Dillards in Hickory, NC for 5 months. After a "phenomonal" first 3 months, I am facing a pay cut in January because the dept is down 83% and my sales are poor. Is it me or the store? I wasn't born yesterday. I clearly see how they do business. If I would have known how the ethics were, I would have stayed on my unemployment - my checks were higher. Employers who have been there longer told me they wished I would have spoken to them first. They would have told me not to work there.
The "shark and golden woman" of the group does exactly what this person stated. Runs around sniping every sale. Doesn't do the other work required, doesn't clean out or put away merchandise she leaves in other depts, etc. She has cut her own discounts for customers, lied about credit card rates and info, even was caught returning items for a customer from another dept and then reselling them with a discount!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is still there! She has been called in and talked to several times about her behavior but nothing has stopped her. I can never be good at what I do with the sales over ethics mentality. When I find another job, I will never shop there again.
Jason
San Antonio,Texas,
U.S.A.
Same Scenario
#3UPDATE Employee
Wed, October 19, 2005
First, I just want to say that I was in the army for a long time and left recently becuase I wanted to spend more time at home. So, my first job that I took and currently have is with Dillards as a sales associate. Now, alot of the complaints I have read I couldn't agree more with. Some of the comments boil down to bad management etc which is with any company. I fortunately, work for a good asm. However, the policies that I would like to talk about are corporate policies, eg things that have probably come about since the dillard leeches (children) started running the show. First of all, the sph is ridiculous. Now, if you work at a high traffic store and in a good high selling department you are probably going to at least make your minimum sph. But, if you work at a crumby mall with no people but are in a large city you are probably never going to make your sales goal. Where I work there are three of us in one section, with our pay rates and what Dillards says we should sale would mean that the register should total around 3,000 dollars per day. Guess what? with the number of customers we get especially in a non-clearance time frame we normally sale about 700 dollars total. Between all three of us. That doesn't meet one persons sph let alone three. I had four customers for the entire day count them FOUR customers in our area. Now, I'm used to being a highly motivated individual, a go getter who wants to get the job done but under these circumstances there is no way to meet the sph. Four customers a day would have to purchase a thousand dollars a piece just to make sph. Secondly, I spend half the time doing stock work, rearranging rounders and four-ways, decorating, and cleaning. All by the direction of the store manager. So, if I spend most of my time doing grunt work in a shirt and tie then how can I be making sales to the four people that are in our area for the day? I started working at Dillards with high hopes and aspirations of management (my asm hired me because she thought my time in the service probably left me with management material skills) but, without making my sph there is no way I'm going to be considered for anything other then termination or pay cut. There are areas and stores that the employees can meet this high demand. But, at least for where I am at this is not going to happen any time soon. Especially since they just built a new shopping area fifteen minutes away that is taking the few customers we had. I can't speak for every store and for every section but I will say that no matter what I do I will never meet my sph and that makes for a miserable employee. I have been working for Dillards less then two months and I am already looking for other employment. To daydream that the Dillards would make their goals realistic is not going to happen because they could care less high turn around rate is probably what they are banking on because it means new employers at lesser pay and means more money for them. Speaking of which they are coming into our store tomorrow and I would love to tell them what I think but thats never going to happen. I hope all who are not making it at dillards takes their retail experience and moves on to another competitor. Employee review should be done over a realistic sph, apearance, customer service skills etc. Not just on ridiculous sph's that people can't meet.