LL Bean seasonal employment-a farce freeport, Maine

I cannot comment on the poster's experience except to say that my experience as a seasonal employee is completely different.

I was hired as a seasonal employee for a new LL Bean retail store that opened in Danbury CT in July 2012. I was hired at a hiring event on May 30 and became employed on June 17. I have worked an average of 26 hours/week since then and would have worked more if I hadn't booked out so much (I have a home-based business as well.)

Because I work for a new store that was essentially a startup, this may have affected the number of hours I have worked. Some have worked a lot less (probably partially due to availability) and some have worked more. I currently work in 3 different departments and will be soon be trained to use the registers (POS.)

I have been informed that I will soon become a regular part time employee.

I went to work for L.L. Bean as a seasonal employee 4 different seasons and my wife was a seasonal who was asked to stay on after 'peak' was over (though still technically a seasonal) and she was eventually hired as a regular 'b' (a 'B' employee is assured of at least 24 hours of work per week, an 'A' is 36 hrs I think, then theres regular salary).  I chose to work for L.L. Bean because I had just gotten out of the service and I was still looking for work and something coming in is better than nothing. My first season was 2005, then I worked again in 2006, 2008, and 2009. I was first employed in the OFC warehouse, 3rd shift. Yes, after backpack summer peak was over, there were days when we wouldn't work, but they only lasted until october. When a serious family crisis came up and I needed to go to 1st shift, management bent over backwards to get into a 1st shift position and even got me a raise by having me trained as an order-picker forklift driver.  I couldn't have asked for nicer and more responsive supervision. 

When I went back in 2008, I had just been laid off from my primary job and needed some income. This time I was in the CFC warehouse working Quality Assurance on incoming product. When the economic slowdown hit, our hours started to go away because if no ones buying anything, then L.L. Bean isn't either, thus no need for QA on nonexistant product. I didn't hold Bean's responsible for this, it was out of their control. But what they did do was great. They continually let us know of temporary shifts in other areas we could pull. I volunteered to work in the factory outlet and I loved it and they loved having me there. Once it got to the point that I had more hours at the outlet than the warehouse, I asked for an official transfer and got it. I continued to work long after holiday peak was over and was invited back early in '09 and work there through-out the summer until I was re-hired back to my primary job. Since Beans has kept me in the loop on when to apply for seasonal work and invites me back each year.

Beans is a place where you pretty much can make your place by working hard and being a 'company man'. Nearly ALL their permanant hires are from seasonal workers and nearly ALL supervisors come from the ranks.  The biggest benefits for seasonals, whether they work or not, is the discounts on L.L. Bean products and the employee store. You don't need hours to use those benefits. I've bought over $2000 (retail) worth of stuff in the employee store for about $150. Who the heck can complain about that?

Pretty much all the bad employee reviews I've read here are from folks who feel entitled to work, entitled to hours, and entitled to a paycheck, whether they deserve it or whether the company has the money for it. That is a 'Welfare' attitude. Mentions of "the richest family in Maine" is just sour grapes.  Hours at Bean's are driven by actual and predictive revenues based on consumer driven numbers. If no one is ordering, then Bean's doesnt need anyone to work. What is so hard to figure out about that?