Dillards Inc. Inappropriate working conditions, selling used clothing, ripoff merchandise Nationwide Arkansas

I left Dillard's in 1999, and all of these comments were definitley true then. WOW! Still after all this time. . . This many people can't be wrong over all these years and all these states.

The Adolf Hitler attendance policy and 1980's technology is so true it made me laugh! Let's not forget stuffing the floor with excessive merchandise, being locked in the building during inventory and having your schedule changed at the last minute. Oh and being told that there's "no one on the cameras" today so watch the floor. There was so much theft from the customers at the store I worked, it was a joke!

Luckily I didn't need their crappy benefits, but I saw the premiums and COBRA would be much cheaper. Due to the daily markdowns bringing the merchandise to 75% off, some of the customers were as confused as I was. Was this Dillards or K-Mart? Yeah, you'll make their ridiculous SPH on a $2 sale. The only saving grace for me was that the managers were so stupid that you could basically do what you wanted and they never noticed. Dillards operates on management by intimidation and is consistently noted as one of the worse-run companies in America. I just have a feeling their books may be a little cooked - no company can survive running like this. This place is a joke.

Oh Shane,\ I don't know what planet you live on. I have been an employee for 20 years and it has gone downhill since the Dillard heirs have taken over. Their father was a good, caring man. He would NOT approve of the company he built treating their employees this way. Sales goals ARE NOT obtainable. My last 2 pay cuts have ocurred even though I sold more per hour than ANYONE in my dept. I am talking the cosmetic area as a whole, not just a counter. I sold more than ANYONE and still got cut. What is it Shane that you are trying to cover, but you could not be more wrong. I have been a faithful, hard working and loyal employee. Those are not just my words, those are the words of management. To only be reviewed on sales is ridiculous. You must be one of the ones that just stands around trying to ring up every customer and not doing any other work. You must be one of the ones that are never assigned snything to do because you cannot be counted on to do it. A previous report stated that it is the ones doing all the work that get the paycuts. You do get penalized for working hard. And how dare you say it is all part of our job? How can that be when the ONLY thing you are reviewed on is what you sell? I can go on about reviews and pay cuts. If you think 10% is bad, feel for the employees who were moved,involuntarily, out of the fragrance counters and were put under "conditional transfers", I am slotted to lose 4.00-6.00 per hour, after 20 years of service. I am working out my last two weeks and am hoping for the best. I have basically been forced out of my job. Hopefully my sanity will be restored. I will have to say that the ASMs should be cut some slack. Most I know are good people. They have no say in these rules and policies. They are simply the bearers of bad news. Would you want to tell your hardest working, top selling employees they were getting a paycut? Most would not. I do know one who did....she was a wack job anyway. As for attendance...one previous report stated that if you brought in a reciept showing you purchased a new tire if a flat was your excuse would excuse or justify it. I find that interesting, because at our store that would still be unexcused "that is what your exceptions are for". Dillards will soon be filled with Only apathetic, loser employees that don't even know what customer service and work ethics are. I may get payed double what some other employees get, but I do more than twice the work. Oh yeah, the insurance...even with mr rate of pay it is not affordable. And it is not good insurance. I have much more, but I am done. I am not a Dillards hater, I feel very sad for what has and is happening to the company

I work for Dillard's currently. I have read other reports of people whining because of attendance policies. This is a job. You are not in Kindergarten any longer and have a responsibility to be at work on time each day. If you are tardy or even absent without reason it only causes those of us who actually arrive on tiome work all that much harder taking on responsibility for those who are irresponsible. The atendance policies are straight to the point and you are advised of these during your week long training. You are given the opportunity to leave the position befiore actually hitting the floor. As far as SPH go, it is not impossible to reach the goals they set even while marking down inventory and restocking...again it is part of YOUR job to do these things. There is no reason you cannot make your SPH. If you are doing your job properly you are to stock merchandise BUT when a customer arrives in your area of the store you are BY COMPANY POLICY supposed to attend to the customer and once the customer leaves then get back to restocking shelves and racks. It is a lack of good work ethics if you do not do thses things. Customers are the priority and ANY good ASM or SM will tell you this. The comments made are based on bad work experiences. I have worked at Dillards for some time now and they are actually VERY good to employees. If anyone says differently then you must look into that persons actions before judging a retail establishment based on those statements. Do your job and you dont get pay cuts or fired.

First, how can you make sales when you are cleaning and doing mark downs? When you have your review, all that counts is sph., yet my asm wonders why no one wants to get them done? If i don't get them done will it hurt me from getting a raise? no. it may help if i get sales in stead and a customer my get the help they need..will doing them help me get a raise? no. But if my asm could evalute me on these things as well would they get done..yes. the ones in my dept. who do not help do anything are the ones stealing sales. while we miss sales finishing their work and get nothing. yet my asm ask us to get things done because she knows they wont. but who gets the raise? they think they are doing good. Today on the 5 registers in our dept. our total sales were less than 2,000. divied that by 6 people and 38 total hours. thats 53 per hour when you need about 100. In the mean time we had 2000 markdowns to do. we also get charged 15 mins. for a morning meeting. if the store is not opened yet how can you sell anything? when a new employe comes we must train them and let split our sales. we dont get paid to train or get a credit on our raise evalutions. And yes a young lady we worked with us had give her two weeks notice when her father died. she is an only chlid and only 20 years old. she was listed as a no rehire and lost her vacation owed because she had to miss work to plan, and attend the services, and take care of all of the details of the will to keep her home. please...........yes this really happened.

After a combined 13 years with Dillards from 1974 to 1999 I have seen the company change in many ways. After Dillards bought the Mercantile Group in 1997 things changed. I used to talk to Alex Dillard on a one on one dialoge and he would listen to what I had to say. I met William Dillard Senior on several occasions and he was a gentleman that had an incredible memory. I would love to come to work and hate to leave.
All changed.

As a manager to confront an associate that worked their heart out and tell them that they were losing monies because their sales did not make the cut was very demoralizing.

To tell an associate they were terminated because they were out of town more than 4 days for a funeral was demoralizing.

Alex once said the hardest job with Dillards was the area manager and he was right-it became the hardest job emotionally I have ever worked.
Retail is stocking, markdowns, floor moves, customer service, credit, recovery, preparing for visits etc. There is not a company out there that doesn't expect that from you- as a sales person or an area manager. How the company treats you is the difference.

An associate should not be evaluated on sales alone because they do so much more than that. I am in contact with current Dillards associates that I have known for years and the requirements for meeting sales goals have been reduced to 3 months. Associates that have been with the compant for 10 years are terminated-the associates fault or the area managers for not working with them- who knows.

I left Dillards for personal reasons that are between myself and Dillards. I loved my time with them and have lots of memories and good friends. I now work for a competitor that belives in the associates-the reviews are based on the following: sales, customer service ratings based on mystery shoppers, credit, and attendance. Associates are given the long rope and if they want to hang thenselves that is their decision not the companies and they will be termed.
Every company has disgruntled employees that see the picture in their light. There is always a whole picture.

I worked for Dillard's in Albuquerque @ Winrock Center. I was "terminated" reason given by Store Director b/c I have a negative behavior. The REAL reason I was looking for another job that accompidated my family's needs for hours. The management at Dillard's (which I was a manager) was and is horrible. There is no loyality to the workers, or customer's. Everything is about $$$, and h*e much you can do for Dillard's. There was NO I mean NO training involded for a manager. No support from the store director fell very short and no inspiration for a Leader to have. I do not see how such a large retail chain stays in business.

As one person just said a lot has to do on the individual store,but you know something a lot also stems down from the top as well.Our store manager had no business being in that position, and the department mgrs. were just as bad.These people had no talent or people skills,and the reason they all worked here is because no one else would put up with their garbage.I also blame the Dillards family.All they care about is profit and nothing else.If my company was always rated in the bottom four places to work by FORTUNE magazine(for all you skeptics,this is true and not mentioned by any managers)I would be doing something to change this pretty d**n quick.So it's no suprise to hear that they got a new CEO.Smart employers learned a while back that if you treat your employees right,it will reflect on the customer service they give to others.It's all a big domino effect that some people just can't figure out.As for the attendance policies, I have to say that one of the rebuttals is a little mean in his response.There is something out there and it's called LIFE.A person could leave in plenty of time and get stuck in traffic or hit every red light on the way to work.I know it would be easy to get a receipt for the flat tire,but what about these cases? At my store you could not explain these to a manager because they didn't CARE.And yes ADULTS shouldn't have to deal with this,because it is a very nasty,childish way of doing things.The sph factor was also horrible.To be punished because there were five people in your dept. all day is contemptable.You cant force people to spend their money,and to get a cut in pay for it is unfair.This system would cause fights to break out among employees.Clerks in mens would get mad at cosmetic girls for ringing up clothes etc. etc.And of course the language involved in these complaints was not nice.It's a hell of way to run a business pitting sales clerk against sales clerk!!Before some people defend this saying it creates sales,some of these catfights broke out in front of customers.Would you want to shop in a store where two sales clerks are putting each other down? Dillards is just a bad place and a complete waste of time,like all retail is.

From the replies it's obvious that the problems listed depend on the store and, to a degree, the sales people. The store i worked at had it's share of problems but they weren't anything as horrible as the original complaint is making it out to be.

Perhaps G just worked at a bad store.
now for me to complain about the complaints.
1- since sales people are in charge of area returns, if your area was reselling smelly merchandise thats your fault for taking it back.
2- Ironic that someone would say "As a working ADULT" then complain about the tardy system. Yes getting a "tardy" sounds childish, but as a working ADULT you shouldn't be coming in late to begin with. Plus if it's something out of your control you can always just talk to a manager about it. The only tardy i ever had was because of a flat tire, the next day i showed my manager the receipt for the new tire and she excused the tardy.

My stores biggest problem was managers playing favorites. one employee could get away with something that another would get fired for. That is essentially why i quit in the end, but i don't blame the company for that. I would go back to work for them if i could. unfortunantly i got so mad that i walked out so now i'm "non-rehirable"

From the replies it's obvious that the problems listed depend on the store and, to a degree, the sales people. The store i worked at had it's share of problems but they weren't anything as horrible as the original complaint is making it out to be.

Perhaps G just worked at a bad store.
now for me to complain about the complaints.
1- since sales people are in charge of area returns, if your area was reselling smelly merchandise thats your fault for taking it back.
2- Ironic that someone would say "As a working ADULT" then complain about the tardy system. Yes getting a "tardy" sounds childish, but as a working ADULT you shouldn't be coming in late to begin with. Plus if it's something out of your control you can always just talk to a manager about it. The only tardy i ever had was because of a flat tire, the next day i showed my manager the receipt for the new tire and she excused the tardy.

My stores biggest problem was managers playing favorites. one employee could get away with something that another would get fired for. That is essentially why i quit in the end, but i don't blame the company for that. I would go back to work for them if i could. unfortunantly i got so mad that i walked out so now i'm "non-rehirable"

From the replies it's obvious that the problems listed depend on the store and, to a degree, the sales people. The store i worked at had it's share of problems but they weren't anything as horrible as the original complaint is making it out to be.

Perhaps G just worked at a bad store.
now for me to complain about the complaints.
1- since sales people are in charge of area returns, if your area was reselling smelly merchandise thats your fault for taking it back.
2- Ironic that someone would say "As a working ADULT" then complain about the tardy system. Yes getting a "tardy" sounds childish, but as a working ADULT you shouldn't be coming in late to begin with. Plus if it's something out of your control you can always just talk to a manager about it. The only tardy i ever had was because of a flat tire, the next day i showed my manager the receipt for the new tire and she excused the tardy.

My stores biggest problem was managers playing favorites. one employee could get away with something that another would get fired for. That is essentially why i quit in the end, but i don't blame the company for that. I would go back to work for them if i could. unfortunantly i got so mad that i walked out so now i'm "non-rehirable"

From the replies it's obvious that the problems listed depend on the store and, to a degree, the sales people. The store i worked at had it's share of problems but they weren't anything as horrible as the original complaint is making it out to be.

Perhaps G just worked at a bad store.
now for me to complain about the complaints.
1- since sales people are in charge of area returns, if your area was reselling smelly merchandise thats your fault for taking it back.
2- Ironic that someone would say "As a working ADULT" then complain about the tardy system. Yes getting a "tardy" sounds childish, but as a working ADULT you shouldn't be coming in late to begin with. Plus if it's something out of your control you can always just talk to a manager about it. The only tardy i ever had was because of a flat tire, the next day i showed my manager the receipt for the new tire and she excused the tardy.

My stores biggest problem was managers playing favorites. one employee could get away with something that another would get fired for. That is essentially why i quit in the end, but i don't blame the company for that. I would go back to work for them if i could. unfortunantly i got so mad that i walked out so now i'm "non-rehirable"

They recently changed their attendance policy. You are allowed to be tardy 8 times, the notice in the break room didn't mention over what period of time, and 0 absences, unless you have a note proving that you either had car trouble or went to see the doctor.

Dillard's initial review is within 90 days. You were judged only on your sales-per-hour (SPH). You received a 10% raise, stayed at the same level, or received a 10% pay cut. At your six month review they could even possibly fire you for not meeting your SPH.

However, Dillard's also has a policy of meeting at least 67% of your area SPH. This was never mentioned during orientation but just before your review they make you sign a document saying that you were informed. A month later I was released.

When I was called in to the office to sign the 67% rule document, I was told that I wasn't meeting it. But I was at 85% of my personal SPH. This didn't make sense so I talked to the Operations Manager about it. He said he couldn't do anything about it because the rule was the rule.

Figuring that there was probably no way that I'd be able to increase my SPH before my next review, I submitted my resignation. The management then asked me to stay on and convinced me to review my decision. A month later I got fired.

I'll admit that I wasn't the best sales person in the store. I made 80% of my sales goals as I was told to do during my orientation. But I worked hard on the floor and my area manager recognized this. He'd always complain about the other associates being incompetent and delegated a lot of tasks to me. Though I was a part-time associate, I was put in charge of visuals in the men's department. I also helped draw up the planograms for the inventory. At closing time, the manager would often ask me to lock the doors and politely push customers out of the store. I didn't mind doing all this simply because my opinion was that I was doing my part.

My area manager was surprised at the decision. He always complemented me on meeting at least 80% of my goals during our monthly progress reviews. Even he tried to talk to upper management about the quirk in my statistics but they didn't care.

Dillard's is probably the worst company to work for in regard to their policies. They haven't adjusted with the times, both technologically or in modern management practices. Ultimately, the company will lose out to friendlier competition, and I can't wait till the day that happens.

Right before I left (and I say I left because I did submit a resignation letter) we learned that they had a new CEO who was supposed to turn things around for the company. I guess the inbred Dillard's family finally realized that their last names don't mean success anymore.

As a former employee who was with this company for three years,I have to say that the Colorado response is pretty dead on. First of all,they do make you work your tail off if you arent selling to customers.

At the store I was at, management was forever cracking the whip expecting you to do something,and Im sorry but its just a dept.store and there's not THAT much that needs to be done.If I had a thousand dollars for every time the Mens Denim was rearranged, I could have retired!!!

I knew several people who got pay cuts because they were forver being recruited into moving fixtures! Putting away loads of stock every day is hard work especially when no one else does a lot.

Trust me,when you see them wheel five three tier carts,seven Z bars and a flat bed of boxes for your area alone,that's backbreaking work.

Second,the attendance policies are nothing short of stupid. What some people fail to mention is that you get 8 tardies and 3 absences for a year and if you take one, you have to wait three months or so before it drops off.

If you have a doctors note they will exuse it and not count it against you. Excuse me,but as a working ADULT I should be able to leave or call in to work if it is something that I need to do.

I shouldn't have to waste money sitting in a doctors office for something like a 24 hour bug or cold.Also tardies are for school kids not adults!!If you went over 8 tardies and 3 three absences you were fired-supposedly.

The Dillards I was at made a joke out of the whole thing by playing favorites and letting some rack up tardies and absences,while others got the boot.Very fair way to run things I would say!!!!!!

Third the insurance through them was very high. Unless you make 18 dollars an hour in cosmetics it sounds cheap. For those of us making 8.75 or so, taking fifty dollars out of a 240.00 dollar a week check is a lot!!!!

As for the smelly returned clothes being resold as new,given the devious nature of this company it would not surprise me one bit if some stores did that. This is a very nasty company to work for,made worse by incompetant, Gestapo like managers.

Some people in my area would get physically ill when they saw our dept. manager coming down the aisle,and this is no joke!!!!!!! Group complaints and meetings with store manager were done more than once,but he didnt care!!!!My experience with Dillards started out as a decent job but ended up a nightmare.

It is shameful and reprehensible that a dept.store of all places should be this way.Anyone who does not enjoy being treated like garbage,beaten down and going home angry,etc.etc. should avoid this company at all costs!!!!!!!!!

Some of the things the reported said are true; however, I found, as a current employee of Dillard's, that a lot of it is exaggerated.

1. Previously Worn Clothing - Clothing that has been worn is not returnable. Sometimes, some things do slip through the cracks, but anything with damage, that is dirty, or smells is taken off the sales floor. It is then either tossed or donated to charity, depending on the item and the manager.

2. Unaffordable insurance - the insurande is quite expensive, but it is not unaffordable. In fact, after about six months, it is nearly free. The company takes up most of the cost at that point.

3. Attendance policies - The attendance policy is easy to deal with...they allow for four unexcused absences (w/o a drs. note) in any six month period. Eight tardies in any six month period. Any over the excess results in termination. While it may sound harsh to some, without a straighforward attendance policy such as this, some employees will completely abuse it.

4. Stock work/80's technology - yes, we do stock work. The dock people bring the new merchandise to the appropriate dept., and the salesperson puts it out. Big deal! As far as technology, Dillard's has improved greatly w/ the POP label system, the yellow tag that is placed on each item sold. It is basically a receipt, tells us when it was sold, for how much, and how it was paid for. We still do use scan guns for amrkdowns, but it is fairly easy to spot an item which missed it (unless your store is hopelessly disorganized.) Also, if in doubt, any employee can check a price via the computer, and if they don't know how, a quick phone call will do the trick as well.

5. Not making the quota - Yes, Dillard's has a quota system in place, yes, your pay will be cut if you don't maintain a minimum dollar of sales. However, in the two stores I've worked in, the quotas are attainable...so long as the associate is helping customers, and not just standing there. BTW, I have never heard of nor witnessed a sales associate being forced to do backbreaking labor because they wern't making their quota.

In all, this report is overly exaggerated.