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I started working at Hollister Co. - a branch of Abercrombie & Fitch - when I was in high school. Like any other retail job, it is fast-paced, fun job to take on. If you do not have a college degree, the two available positions are Models and Impacters. Both receive minimum wage, however, are based entirely on looks.
The company is very by-the-book on everything from floorsets to what the mannequins wear to what the person ringing you up looks like. It's a good place to work in to understand how a multi-billion dollar company operates and get the experience of working in retail and dealing with customer service but it is extremely shallow. The company headquarters decides if each Model is approved to be used for campaigns, and when you are approved you can get away with murder. I've seen approved kids skip 4 shifts without calling and still have their job.
The work ethic of the associates is very poor most of the time which attributes to why customers complain about the lack of customer service. Aside from that, it is a very fun work environment to work in. It is more of leisure job due to the no room for promotions and raises without a bachelor's degree.
I've had a very good experience with my particular store. The managers are fun and fairly easy-going. One great thing about the company is they hire MANY associates so it usually isn't too hard to get a shift covered, plus, you make a lot of new friends. The downside is not getting many hours during off-season. As long as you work hard, follow the policies, and provide great customer service you will have a fun, stress-free job as well as be among the managers' favorites.
Pros: wearing casual clothes, good music, fun kids and managers, and you smell better leaving than you did when you came in
Cons: no room for advances, shallow, pressured to get new clothes, strict look policy (can't even wear nail polish)
Wage: minimum wage
Discount: 20% off all items except clearance, and 50% off triple a's - the clothes they select that would represent the company for that season - which is limited to 2 tops and 1 bottom. Also, you receive a 30% discount at any Abercrombie & Fitch, 20% at any Abercrombie Kids, and 20% at any Gilly Hicks.
Vacation time: associates it is very easy - just request of two weeks in advance and they cannot schedule you during requested time off. It's a little more difficult for store managers because there's particular seasons (back-to-school, new floorsets, holiday season) that you cannot request off, also the other managers have to pick up the slack while you are gone which can cause some hostility between managers.
The job can get pretty boring when there aren't any customers. Managers aren't very strict about things besides the "look policy". This job doesn't pay very much & is more of a status/just for fun job.
You can definitely get promoted working here if you do well. I would say the company has a fun and laid back culture. Job duties and be repetitive and the pay is low (very low 30’s) but thats how retail goes. Working in store management means you will have erratic hours. And yes, you can wear jeans with holes in them to work if you want which is really cool.
