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For a job in the retail world this place is great! Rarely ever do you get angry customers, the reason for that is because when everyone walks in they instantly have a smile on their face. Customers enjoy the store and the Charmers love working there as well. All the girls i work with are so nice and helpful, if anyone needs help theres always someone standing by.
For a newer company i wouldnt expect them to have the high expectations they do.
Work is constant across the board. you can go to any Charming CHARLIE and have the same experience.
Being a PTSM you are not allowed to go over 24 hours a week. Most starting out get $10.00 - $10.50 depending on location.
25% discount all year on full price, every once and a while you get 40% off.
Pros-
1. You will learn so much about colors and fashion trends
2. You will make awesome life long friends
3. If you are a college student they are flexible with your needs
4. Fun work environment (customer wise)
5. Awesome networking opportunities
Cons-
1. The greeting "script" of what we are supposed to say to customers ( hint hint, our customers were not born yesterday... they can see right through it)
2. The way we are praised for nagging customers through out the store, we are told to ask them if they are still finding everything okay etc. in every single zone 1,2, and 3. And if the customer gets irritated with a charmer for nagging them then "we are doing our job right".
3. Shipment load is ridiculous especially during the holidays, customers are almost always overwhelmed when entering the store.. we do not need to keep cramming product onto the shelves when they are already over flowing.
4. The company is constantly changing policies and obsesses over things that do NOT matter, in fact most employees are actually trying to make the company better for good reason, don't fight it so much.
5. favoritism huge issue in this store, if a manager does not like you.. well, best of luck to you because you will be torn to pieces.
6. its ALL women, and man oh man when there is a cat fight, everyone will hear about it in about 30 seconds via mass text message. (get some guys in this place...PLEASE!) at least some gay guys.
7. Quality of products.. we were constantly having returns, sometimes people would walk out in the parking lot... and turn around and walk right back in the store because their purchase just broke.
8. if you're a hard worker be prepared to be taken advantage of, if you are smart enough to be left alone on the sales floor... trust me, you will be left alone.
Advice to management-
I loved my assistant managers to pieces at the College Station location, in fact they were the only thing that kept me there for so long. They would always back me up and respect me as if I was in the same position as them. They would also be out on the sales floor working with the charmers as if they were in the same position (awesome sales are a team effort) and the assistant managers and this store seem to be the only ones that understand that.
upper management in my opinion seriously could use some work. apparently sitting in the office for the entire day color coding files and taking personal calls was in their job description. Because if it was they seriously nailed it! I know this may seem harsh and I know they did more than just the things I described but this is just what I have observed over several years. And the Double standards with upper management were absolutely ridiculous, They expect you to say and do all of these things when they do not even do them! example: no employee holds ( they tell charmers they cant hold items and turn around an hold things for them-self!) , Up selling greeting etc. (nag us to say all of these things perfectly and fail to do them correct way themselves) I could go on but I am seriously tired of typing.
All in all I loved my assistant managers (the real hard workers) and I loved this company
But seriously do some cleaning up and make sure all of the favoritism, and double standards stop or this will be a "revolving door" company forever!
p.s.- promote within! give those hard working charmers something to look forward to! and don't promise them a promotion if you have no intentions of promoting a charmer and just bringing in someone that knows nothing about the company!
Starting -minimum wage
ending- 8.00 (after several years)
No vacation, no bonuses, no other perks.
I absolutely hated my job at Charming Charlie. The management was extremely rude, you didn't get any kind of discounts, the pay was terrible and the fact that I only got 5 hours a week was insane. My entire paycheck was going to the gas to get to work because they decided to move me to their new store that took me over half an hour to drive to. You never did anything good enough for management and they pushed and pushed until you were so stressed out by the end of the day you were almost in tears and ready to quit. I am so glad I decided to get out of there when I did...it was amazing how incredibly disrespectful management was to all the sales associates...treated us like we were all slaves!
Pros: None.
Cons: No discount or benefits, terrible pay, rude management, stressful.
Starting salary: $7.00