Complaint Review: Olan Mills Portrait Studio - Salisbury North Carolina

I totally agree with you. I was fired after being with the company eight  years, (working 6 days a week for the better part of the last three years that I was there)  I had many years of photography experience coming in to the company. And as an employee, I ran a yearly $85+ average at all times, and have over 100 photos in the merit program. I was terminated just before the Lifetouch purchase was announced. I never called in. I always kept good communication with my DM if I needed anything or if any issues arose.

We would work 11+ hours a day 7 days a week during Christmas. Without getting a lunch break, it was grueling. No pay raise for the last three years of service. But I really loved the job. Had a lot of respect for the Olan Mills name. I had very loyal customers - from the beginning - who only requested me - which is what lead to my working 6 days a week - people complained if I wasn't there! Very flattering - and I loved my customers - but also very tiring because my studio was a high volume studio and people would sometimes refuse to be seen by my "helpers"! :)

I'm sure I will never know the real reason I was fired, and I'm doing way better now, working 3 1/2 days a week making what I made there working six, but this termination is going to bother me for the rest of my life. My customers were family. Eight years is a long time when you are working with children - they grow so fast!! I certainly wasn't there for the money, I really loved the job!!!

You are right, people are not trained in photography when hired. It was often counterproductive to send me help. It's not "help" when I have to go reshoot what they just shot because it looks awful!

I've been in the photo business for a long time (17 years) I stated out with William Sanford, the man who helped build Olan Mills to what it is today. I respected Olan senior, but since he died the company has gone to the dogs. Its just a matter of time until the devil gets his due. I challenge every employee to come on here and tell he truth about the company. You may think they care for you, but they don't. They could care less if you drop dead in your tracks. I worked for them, part time during Christmas and they cheated me out of my pay. When you complain, nobody listens and if you go to corporate, they contact your DM and tell them to deal with you. It's sad and if Olan senior was still alive it wouldn't happen, but Olan II is not the man his father was. I know I'll never receive my pay, but this is a warning to anyone answereing the help wanted ads olan mills advertises.

I have been working for olan mills a total of 10 years. one year the first time and 9 this time. when I came back the second time, olan mills begged me to come back and I agreed on the condition I got the studio I have been working in for the last 9 years ( the only one currantly not in a kmart in 1 quarter of the US) I have been the top photographer for them for the whole 9 years and customers wont come in unless im there. I never call in, work sick, I dont even take my vacations and I bonus and reach my goals before anyone else. I work right thur my lunches and even clock out like i took one so they don't get a fine from the labor board. Today after all day of them acting all nicey nicey the big wigs 20 min to closing tell me they need to discuss something with me. so we all sit down and they start by saying that today was my last day at my particular studio. that they are moving me to a kmart ( which to me is a stabb in the back and a demotion.) that i had a choice of the cheektowaga closet sizes studio or the west seneca studio which is the worst in the ares ( the customers are rude and it is alot farther away and the kmart employees are rude it has the least oppertunity of bonusing. I was told this was from the corportate that they are makeing changes in the traditional studios and they want to make a fresh start and that it isnt that I did anything wrong. I have 6 sittings on tomarrow that requested only me to photographe and they wouldnt even let me calle them and let them know i wouldnt be there they said that they wouldnt really miss me that if they did they would tell them i would be at another studio. I was devasted. I told them it was unfair and they said either I chose one of the other studios or I dont have a job. They demand my key to the studio. I called my hubby to come get me from work, and when he picked me up I told him what happened and I was crying very hard. He was so mad he told them off and told them I quit and I too told them I quit I took most of my stuff out of the studio with me. We left. I am angry and devasted. I am also proud that my hubby supported me especially knowing how much we needed my job. I just cant believe that a company that would treat the employees that work the hardest and bust thier asses the most and are the least demanding with such little respect and with so little regard.and stabb them in the back so badly. the bosses didnt even fight for me. I was litarly the top sales person in the Zone ,my studio was the first to reach its goals and not only reach them but exceeded them. I had earned 95 merit awards and 8 gallery and 3 merit finalist awards and this is how they treated me.

This isnt a rebuttle, this is an agreement of what was said in the original post. I was a district manager in the ohio area, I started as a photographer and moved up the corporate ladder and was with the company over 4 years. I honestly feel bad for the people who still buy into the Olan Mills name, whether it be customers or people enthusiastic about working for such a well known company. 1st off, the people hired to be "studio managers" arent taught to be professional photographers, theyre trained how to pose people and how to aggressivly push the pictures off onto customers with lies of "today only" sales, etc. Its very true that employees are pushed to make certain sales goals and are constantly threatened with their jobs if said goals are not reached. The funny thing about it is most of the time the corporate big shots cant shoot a decent picture or make that sales average that is expected of the people they hire. Ive been to many many meetings and its amazing that NO time is given to address good customer service. The only person who ever talked about it was the president of photography, P.B. , who is excellent behind the camera and seemed to truly believe in both quality portraits and exceptional customer service. These poor employees arent paid jack, theyre over worked, ESPECIALLY through the holiday season,, theyre expected to eat, sleep, and live and die for this company, and once the company has all the blood sweat and tears it can get from them, theyre fired and replaced with some other poor naive person who believes the garbage and lies spewed by the company. I ask the customers to please not be too hard on the photographer or sales person, because more than likely theyre doing exactly as they have been taught and are worried about losing their job, or have reached the point of being walked on by corporate that they just dont care anymore.