Dillards, Dillard's Terrible Working Conditions, There's Got To Be A Way To Stop Them Ripoff Houston Texas

I have never worked for Dillards, so I cannot comment on their stupid rules, I have worked in retail in the past though. If they are this bad perhaps everyone should quit. Retail jobs are a dime a dozen anyway. If someone does not like the retail world find another job and/or get additional education in order to find a higher paying post.

I have worked at Dillard's since 2001, in Hot SPrings, Arkansas. This town only has about 35K people. So, my Dillard's is particularly small (only 1 story). Dillard's has a bad habit of not reigning in their Assisistant Sales Managers when they are inneffective, abusive, or otherwise. I first started in shoes, then because of the shoe quota I was moved to Men's wear. There my ASM allowed me to do much of the physical work, while the lazy employees stood at the register and racked up all of the sales, which hurt my own quota. When I mentioned this to him he said he'd do something about it. He never did. I ended up taking 2 pay cuts because of this fact. Instead of basing their raises on character and merit, Dillard's bases their raises on their own unobtainable goals that they set for their employees. Translated, this means that anyone who's stupid enough (myself) to do all the grunt work, while the lazy sales sharks sit at the register and rake it in, get the poop end of the stick. When I heard that there was an opening in Men's Fragrance, I lept at the opportunity to work there and requested a transfer. I stayed there for 3 years and got 2 raises subsequently. However this last review my sales fell slightly lower than before. But, instead of giving me 90 days (which is their policy) to bring my sales back up, they forced me to resign or get fired. I opted to resign, since I had nearly 2 weeks of vacation accumulated. To make a short story long, that one guy who commented before knows not what he is spouting. He's probably a DIllard's mole in disguise trying to rile up the dissidents. They have even forced 3 pregnant full-timers to resign so they wouldn't have to pay their medical leave of absence.

I work at Dillard's and the standard is high but my manager and store manager are very supportive and want to see us succeed. When I have communicated concerns they have been very willing to help me. My impression of Dillards is that must be they are all different because people are different therefore management style may differ.
We have an excellent management team at our store. I work with great people who know the meaning of team effort and supporting each other. These are People that have worked at Dillard's for 13 years since it first opened in our area.

The only down fall that I have experienced is trying to solicit the credit apps. I wish GE Money bank would provide a little more incentive and be a little more competitive. It would benefit them and us as well. High interest credit is a hard sell Especially in an area where Dave Ramsey courses are offered at every church in the area. (getting out of debt) I think people are much more likely to get credit with an instant gratification approach.

I just came up for my 6 month review and was short of making my standard so management moved me around to high end departments to help me achieve the standard goal. They also did this for my fellow associates that work hard.

I am sorry for the above individuals who have had the misfortune of a bad experience working at Dillard's. I have not worked for 16 years because I was a stay at home mom. However, my first experience in the work world at Dillard's has been a good one.
I have a great boss and great fellow sales associates that help one another. We are truly a team.

I work for females so it is not for any reason other than work respect.

I work at Dillard's and the standard is high but my manager and store manager are very supportive and want to see us succeed. When I have communicated concerns they have been very willing to help me. My impression of Dillards is that must be they are all different because people are different therefore management style may differ.
We have an excellent management team at our store. I work with great people who know the meaning of team effort and supporting each other. These are People that have worked at Dillard's for 13 years since it first opened in our area.

The only down fall that I have experienced is trying to solicit the credit apps. I wish GE Money bank would provide a little more incentive and be a little more competitive. It would benefit them and us as well. High interest credit is a hard sell Especially in an area where Dave Ramsey courses are offered at every church in the area. (getting out of debt) I think people are much more likely to get credit with an instant gratification approach.

I just came up for my 6 month review and was short of making my standard so management moved me around to high end departments to help me achieve the standard goal. They also did this for my fellow associates that work hard.

I am sorry for the above individuals who have had the misfortune of a bad experience working at Dillard's. I have not worked for 16 years because I was a stay at home mom. However, my first experience in the work world at Dillard's has been a good one.
I have a great boss and great fellow sales associates that help one another. We are truly a team.

I work for females so it is not for any reason other than work respect.

I work at Dillard's and the standard is high but my manager and store manager are very supportive and want to see us succeed. When I have communicated concerns they have been very willing to help me. My impression of Dillards is that must be they are all different because people are different therefore management style may differ.
We have an excellent management team at our store. I work with great people who know the meaning of team effort and supporting each other. These are People that have worked at Dillard's for 13 years since it first opened in our area.

The only down fall that I have experienced is trying to solicit the credit apps. I wish GE Money bank would provide a little more incentive and be a little more competitive. It would benefit them and us as well. High interest credit is a hard sell Especially in an area where Dave Ramsey courses are offered at every church in the area. (getting out of debt) I think people are much more likely to get credit with an instant gratification approach.

I just came up for my 6 month review and was short of making my standard so management moved me around to high end departments to help me achieve the standard goal. They also did this for my fellow associates that work hard.

I am sorry for the above individuals who have had the misfortune of a bad experience working at Dillard's. I have not worked for 16 years because I was a stay at home mom. However, my first experience in the work world at Dillard's has been a good one.
I have a great boss and great fellow sales associates that help one another. We are truly a team.

I work for females so it is not for any reason other than work respect.

I work at Dillard's and the standard is high but my manager and store manager are very supportive and want to see us succeed. When I have communicated concerns they have been very willing to help me. My impression of Dillards is that must be they are all different because people are different therefore management style may differ.
We have an excellent management team at our store. I work with great people who know the meaning of team effort and supporting each other. These are People that have worked at Dillard's for 13 years since it first opened in our area.

The only down fall that I have experienced is trying to solicit the credit apps. I wish GE Money bank would provide a little more incentive and be a little more competitive. It would benefit them and us as well. High interest credit is a hard sell Especially in an area where Dave Ramsey courses are offered at every church in the area. (getting out of debt) I think people are much more likely to get credit with an instant gratification approach.

I just came up for my 6 month review and was short of making my standard so management moved me around to high end departments to help me achieve the standard goal. They also did this for my fellow associates that work hard.

I am sorry for the above individuals who have had the misfortune of a bad experience working at Dillard's. I have not worked for 16 years because I was a stay at home mom. However, my first experience in the work world at Dillard's has been a good one.
I have a great boss and great fellow sales associates that help one another. We are truly a team.

I work for females so it is not for any reason other than work respect.

I have previously posted and have stated that I was employed by Dillards for 20 plus years. The above writer was correct when it was stated that Dillards stays right on the edge of what is legal.
I was moved out of my dept. for making over 12.00 per hour which was no longer allowed. Guess what? Less than a year later that rule no longer applies.

I lost my job for a temporary(and very deliberate and hurtful)policy. Their objective was to get rid of long term employees that were doing well and replace them with employees making half the amount and to hell with you and the 20 plus loyal, hardworking years you put in. The lawyer I spoke to said that I should contact EEOC. I did do that and since they basically screwed everyone regardless of race, religion,etc.
there is basically nothing that can be done.

Plus the fact that Texas is a Right To Work State.... That has been explained to me in the simplest terms... 1.Employers have ALL the rights.2. Employees can be fired for any reason or no reason at all. If there is a lawyer that will take this and run with it I will join in. They may have skirted the law, but they are unethical as hell. If they don't pay for it now,,,they will later. Even if they do pay for it now they are going straight to hell, because you can only mess with people's lives so many times before you pay for your deliberate actions. Believe me, they are very deliberate.

T Lynn

The only solution to your mother's situation is to form a class action suit against Dillards for in humane working conditions. First. Federal Law requires that all employers give an employee a 15 minute break every 3 hrs. worked while on the clock. 5 hrs. plus an employee must be afforded at least a 30 minute lunch break, which the employer can have the employee take off the clock. Dillards has the worst reputation for employee consideration.

You say that you live in Texas. There are many good attorney's there that would be glad to handle such a case. The incident's that you refer to are not local, but a nation wide policy from Dillards. A major chain we all know did some of the same things to its employees. It took one employee to get the ball rolling, and this chain is now paying millions in fines to all of it's employee's, and has had to change its policy toward working conditions.

You, on behalf of your mother, can get the ball rolling. I suggest that you phone every attorney in town that handles Class Action Suits. Trust me, you will have employees crawling out of the wood work to join in, and Juries will not be sympathetic. Remember, slavery was abolished in 1867. Your mother or her fellow wmployees don't have to be one.

Dillards and the other big box retailers will be happy as pigs in you know what when Bush pushes through his "Guest Worker" program. Those people won't have the same rights as you and I nor would they be paid the same. Slowly low paid American workers will be replaced with masses of desperate workers from Latin America and China. Bush and the other Republicans are so beholden to big business and they see this immigration change as a perfect opportunity to allow companies like Dillards to get access to cheap labor.

Other companies like McDonalds, slaughterhouses/meat processers and construction firms have long taken advantage of cheap illegal labor and now the rest want it too! Just like the immigrants (legal or not) at McDonalds only speak "McEnglish" (menu items, supersize etc)Dillards can quickly teach "Shoplish" (what size please? would you like to open a dillard account?) and pay these people $5 an hour with screwed up schedules and no breaks. Why would they pay Ms Lynn's mom $9 and possibly health benefits of some sort?

At what point do these people in power realize that these superstores do have obligation to the American people that have given them everything they have? Who would shop at a store that wouldn't even considering hiring you because they'd have to pay a legal wage? I wouldn't.

Keep you eyes out for Bush's "Guest Worker" Program.

You are right. There does need to be a Union. I have been on both sides of that fence. I worked for Kroger when they were in San Antonio and I saw alot of people getting away with things because the Union protected them. That is the bad part of a Union. The fact is, if there was a Retail Union here this type of practice Dillards uses would not be tolerated.

What happened with Kroger and the Union is that the Kroger employees greeded themselves out of a job. The benefits there were awesome and cheap for the employee, the pay was great and now most of them are working for a bit less and paying outrageous insurance premiums, if they can afford to pay any at all. I have said for years that they(Dillards) needs to be protected by a Union. Again to Peter, you seem to really be an advocate for Dillards and that shows a real lack of compassion on your part.

You are definately entitled to your opinion, but you obviously have not been where myself and these other people are. Don't negate their feelings or trivialize their experiences.

The predicament of this child's mother as an employee of this large retailer is not unusual now that Unions are not as prominent in the workplaces of America as they once were.

As Americans see the rise of technology, the lower rung of the economic ladder type jobs such as this salesclerk will see ever declining earning power. This combined with the diminishing value of the dollar which is felt most strongly by this group of employees is demonstrative of this fact. Add to this, the combination of technology such as the Internet and online commerce, the rising costs of doing business along with outsourcing the customer services to do these businesses as they grow very large and one can't help but see that the future of those who only have the capacity whether through economics, lack of ability to get an education that would assist them to better themselves or the creativity to 'think around' the problem by coming up with creative ways to meet the rising costs of living and it is plain, those who are employees of these types of retailers without Union representation will continue to see these examples as the 'norm' until open door retailers disappear from our marketplaces (which may not happen for a long time.)

To this child and all employees who work in retail and are experiencing these scenarios, you need a Union. If you live and work in a 'non-Union' state such as Texas well, I offer you another solution: move to California or some other state where Unions are a possibility and the business bureaus and laws protect the workers more! PS: the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union) has a website where you can find your local offices by writing them there, xxxx it is a good example of the type of activism starting with the nation's largest retailer by this Union to put a stop to the misery described and which is prevalent in retail and food worker sectors of employment that more and more retail workers are rising up against!

Sandy, thank you for posting your experience with Dillards. I'm glad you got out, I've been trying to get my mom out of there since she started 2 years ago.

It just keeps getting worse. She lives in fear of being fired because she has to see a doctor. Yes, she brings in a note each time she sees him, but you can only see the doctor a prescribed number of times, regardless of your health situation. My mom had a small medical issue, but needed to see the doctor, who ordered xrays and labs, requiring her to miss 4 days of work over a 2 month period. Those 4 days were accompanied by a note from the doctor, but they are still considered "demerits". How ridiculous is this company?

She started out making $9/hr, she's still at that rate (thank goodness!), she's worried a couple of times that she'd be lowered to $7 because she couldn't make the unobtainable quota. Her manager, this is the 3rd manager in her department since she started, berates her on a daily basis. It's really sad. I wish we could get one of the tv networks to do an undercover investigation of this company. I know that what they're doing is illegal. It has to be. If not, they are just on the edge. I'm sure if 1/2 of the customers knew the way they treated their employees, they wouldn't shop there.

Not sure if I mentioned before they now lock the breakroom on Sundays. No lunch on Sunday, a 6 hour day doesn't require a break in Texas. Also, there are some laws that are supposed to be posted publicly, such as the Family Medical Leave Act, and they have it posted in the Executive Office, where none of the employees are permitted. It's hanging in the Store Manager's office.

I agree with Sandy -- If you have had personal experience with this company, I'm sure it's hard to beleive they actually treat their employees this way. But, it's 100% true. I call it the sweat shop. My mom has been made to feel that she can't do any better, that's the mentality of managment at Dillards. I used to shop there, but since my mom started working there, I refuse to buy anything from them. I was a loyal customer for over 20 years, but now, no way would I spend a dime.

One last thing -- my mother receives an employee discount, but you must use your credit card to receive the discount. She had a "pay as you go card" because her salary (at Dillard's) wasn't enough to quality for a "real" credit card. She was fine with that, when she wanted to buy something, she's just put money on the card, then make her purchase and get the discount. After 1 year of employment, they sent her a congratulations letter saying she now qualified for the "real" credit card, and they gave her a spending limit of $2000. Well, she started using the card, she purchased a birthday gift for me and my brother, and a rug for her home. She spluged a little bit, but why not, with the discount, she could pay it off in a short while. Well, after she charged $800 on the card, they suddenly closed her account (even though she'd been making payments and her other credit situation hadn't changed) by sending her a letter saying her income didn't meet the needs of their card. So now, she's owes them $ on the credit account, and they won't let her get a "pay as you go card" until the balance of the other card is paid off. So now, she doesn't even get the employee discount. Isn't this some type of discrimination? All employees should be eligible for the discount. Why can't she get the discount by paying for what she wants with cash, regarldess of how much she still owes on the credit card. I know they did this intentionally, she's talked to several other employees who've had the same thing happen to them.

IT'S COMPLETELY OUTRAGEOUS!!! CAN SOMEONE, ANYONE, HELP GET THIS COMPANY UP TO STANDARDS OF THE US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.

I worked at Dillards for 20 plus years. I was done very dirty. I was moved out of my area for making too much money. I was making what I made according to Dillards policies. I was going to lose 2/3 of my pay after a 6 month period>PACESETTER....WHATEVER. IT DOES NOT MEAN A d**n THING. I basically sold myself out of a job. Approximately 1 yr ago, everyone in fragrances making over 12.00 an hour was placed elsewhere. I was penalized and basically sold myself out of a job. Previous to this new policy I had 2 paycuts in a row. Say what you will, but I sold more per hr. than ANYONE in the cosmetic area and it still was not enough...therefor the sales goals are unobtainable. I did everything I was asked to do and then some, I was counted on alot and always came through. Now, after all of us hane been gotten rid of...guess what?...that new 12.00/hr rule no longer applies. O.K. ignorant Dillards defenders...tell me how that is fair or right. If it is not illegal, it is unethical as hell. My life has been turned upside down and has put a huge financial drain on me. I have moved on and am happy at the job I currently have. I am working for less, but am happier. Dillards does beat you down and nothing is ever good enough...not even top sales. Do not stand up for this company if you have never experienced it. I would not believe it if I had not seen it myself. Most people I know would not believe it if it had not come from me. Mr. William Dillard has passed on and he was a good man, that is an understatement. Since his passing those greedy, heartless children of his have no regard for long term loyal employees...it is truly sad. Please don't make light of what we have or what these people are going throuh. Everything that the original letter writer wrote is true and like I said that is not even the half of it.

I worked for dillards almost 15yrs, last year my new (now gone manager)
gave all the employees in her dept. a memo from the district manager saying she had to schedule a certain amount of people or she would be fired. I expect different months had differant qoatas. The point is she could put 4 people in a slow selling area and they wont make their qoatas
and put a PACESETTER ( a highseller)
by herself in a better selling dept.,and she is a better seller because she works by herself...and she (the pacesetter helps set the unattainible goals). you are setup to lose.

I was very happy to see your response -- since I DON'T work there, it would have been difficult for me to clarify as eloquently as you did.

Regarding the 5hr workday requiring a 15 minute break, I don't think that applies to Texas. I know Dillards works just inside the legalities of everything they do. They take advantage of the fine print written into laws, fine print the legislature would not expect from a company the size of Dillards.

I also appreciate you mentioning that if you're a couple minutes early, you're considered "tardy". This absolutely drives my mom crazy! She (and every other employee!) have to stand by the clock ready to punch-in, they can't all do it at once, so someone has to be late and someone early. It's really outrageous. If you arrive 5 minutes before or after your scheduled start time, your company should not penalize you. You could have gotten stuck by a train, whatever, and they don't allow you to be early, so it's a catch-22.

By the way, was it Fred....? My mom is very responsible, she understands rule, boundaries, and limiations....she didn't write the report -- I DID!!! why don't you go apply for a job with Dillards and see how long you make it? Do this on your next paid vacation -- before you make comments that you know nothing about.

Joseph's comments about being transferred apply not only to great sales staff, but also to management staff. My mom's manager had been in Furniture for about 5 years, doing a fabulous job, and got transferred to Clothing!! For the exact reason Joseph indicated -- because the sales were low in that department and they wanted him to bring his expertise. Now guess what?? The new furniture manager doesn't know what she's doing, and has practically driven the department into the ground. Even the most experienced sales person in the department can't make his quota because of the hours she's got him working. And he's NEVER EVER had a problem making his quota -- he's the only spanish speaking sales person in the department. So the logic is to take someone who knows how to manage a furniture store and move them into Clothing -- I'm sure the department the manager was moved to has also experienced problems -- how would he know how to sell clothes!?

And fianlly, Fred, I've been in the Corporate World for nearly 20 years -- I too know about rules, boundaries, and limitations. But if any manager of mine EVER treated my like I was in Kindergarten, I wouldn't work at my peak. The human psyche just doesn't operate that way, does it? You must be in management somewhere, perhaps Dillards. If a manager of mine told me I couldn't go to the bathroom, or couldn't get a drink of water when I was thirsty, I'd tell him to shove off and immediately get another job. I have a very high level of self-confidence, I suppose my mom doesn't.

I'll continue to encourage her to look for another job. Joseph, your comments will hopefully help her see that if she can survive Dillards, she can survive anywhere. THANK YOU!!

Peter's response to T. Lynn's posting is not based in the reality of Dillard's and their practices.

It is true Dillard's makes it clear at the time of being hired that there is a sales quota that needs to be maintaned. Falling below your sales goal will result in a reduction of pay. What they don't tell you is that the goals you are responsible for are often set rediculously high, even for retail standards, and are unfairly distributed throughout the staff--someone working 4 hours on a weekday morning has the same goal as someone else working 4 hours on that same night when almost 60% of the day's sales are rung up in the last 4 hours of a business day...do the math, the evening people have a distinct advantage here.

As for T. Lynn's mom working in the Furniture department where she's unable to perform some required tasks...Dillard's decides where you go. You can request a department, but management has the final say where you will be working. They will even take their best salesperson who has worked in Lingerie for 3 years and move them to Men's Frangrances with the explanation of using that person's selling skills to increase Men's Fragrances productivity. Again, this sounds great in theory--just like the sales goals, but the truth is that this person has had several pay raises and if they have difficulty in their new position, they'll be able to cut a percentage off their pay rate.

The comment questioning why T. Lynn's mom even bothers having a job is just harsh and uncalled for. She has a job to earn money to help out her family. The complaints made about tardiness and exception reports, break times and store policies are absolutely warrented...

Did you know that if you clock in too early you are considered tardy, that if you are scheduled to leave work at 6:00 and you punch out at 6:06, you get what's called an exception report, and that after 9 of these reports you can be fired? But if you are seen getting your belongings together before 6:00, you'll be written up? Yes, all of these things are in the policies as written out by Dillard's, and yes, agreeing to work at Dillard's means you must abide by these rules...but at the time you are hired, Dillard's makes you believe that they will do everything in their power to make certain that there's always enough coverage to allow you to take a break...that when scheduled to leave at 6, you will be able to leave at 6, and if you must stay later, you won't be penalized for your extra efforts.

Lunch breaks are scehduled for you...fine, but if you're scheduled for lunch at 1:00 and you are in the middle of working with a customer when 1:00 comes around, you are caught between two company directives: 1) Take your breaks on time and 2) If you don't make your sales, you'll get a reduction of pay.

Breaks are required by law and by Dillard's own standards. For every 5+ hours worked, you are entitled to at minimum a 15 minute break, so on a Sunday, working 12-6, they should minimally have access to the vending machines in the breakroom.

In another comment Dillard's is referred to as "a RETAIL STORE whose stringent scheduling policy is in place to serve the needs of the customers..." Dillard's is a retail store whose stringent scheduling policy is in place to serve the needs of the shareholders. They are (as ALL retail stores are) only interested in the bottom line...what makes them the most money.

The only point I agree with is that T. Lynn's mom should get a new job, but that's where the agreement ends. If she's survived Dillard's for 2 years, she'll do extremely well in any other retail environment. Not only could T. Lynn's mom do better than Dillard's, she's almost guarenteed to do better than Dilard's...there's really no other way to go than up when you work at Dillard's.

I can't seem to fathom how you honestly think this is Dillard's problem?

Let's examine the facts here ... your mom is in a sales position yet has difficulty selling a sufficient quanitity of merchandise to meet the standards set forth and explained to her by the company at the time she accepted the position.

Your mom has difficulty performing physical aspects of the job, such as lifting and moving merchandise, yet works in the FURNITURE department which has the largest, heaviest merchandise in the store.

Your mom disagrees with store policies, particularly governing showing up to work on time, taking breaks and lunches, and leaving work for the day. Again, such policies are spelled out at the time of hire, so it is not like she didn't know about them when she accepted the position. Also, if she is so concerned about NOT working (i.e., taking breaks, leaving the store for any other reason) then why does she bother having a job at all? And, why work in a RETAIL STORE whose stringent scheduling policy is in place to serve the needs of the customers (aka, the people that provide your mother's paycheck!).

It is obvious that your mother cannot handle the demands of this job, and that neither she nor you can take a realistic assessment of the situation and place the blame where it truly belongs. Perhaps your mother cannot do any better than Dillards - actually it seems like she isn't even handling Dillard's well at all. My advice is that she find a job elsewhere. Leaving on her own free will is probably the best way to do it, as if she stays there any longer she will probably not make it through her next performance review.