Christmas Tree Shops Reviews

hard work to saw down trees

Corporate "campus" lacks cafeteria, fitness facilities, and adequate parking. Mileage is not reimbursed at the standard IRS rate, they reimburse at the minimum rate and tell you to claim the rest on your taxes, which dollar for dollar is a huge loss, especially if you have to drive often, or long distances. They don't tell you this until after you've driven 400 miles on a trip. Office supplies is only the bare minimum of what they have in-house. Pens, cheapo legal pads, highlighters, manila folders, a mouse pad and wrist rest. Everything else, including POST IT NOTES, you have to bring from home. Post-It notes are not supplied because they want you to "cut up scrap paper" No, I'm not kidding. You are brought in 3 levels below your experience and salary level, with the empty promise that "it's a huge company, there's room to move around" only to be told you have to stay in your position for 18 months with a perfect review and there are no internal job boards. Moving departments/store concepts is unheard of. The company is run by HR and they watch your EVERY move like the CIA. Emails are routinely read by HR and your boss, even if nothing improper is suspected. They are paranoid. Not allowed to work from home- no remote computer or email access, except on your personal cell phone, and that's highly frowned upon. Basically, if you're going to work, you have to be IN the office. There is no independence, everything is micromanaged because everyone is paranoid. The caliber and intelligence of people is surprisingly low. The questions asked in meetings, and the emails people sent left me stunned. Nobody knows how to do their job, nor are they smart enough to figure it out. The company is like the red-headed stepchild of Bed Bath, so you're last on the list for resources. Projects take an extraordinary amount of time. The company is so big that nobody knows who does what, or who to work with on a project. You will spend more time trying to get to the right people than working on the project. The company is stuck in this "cutesy/whimsical" New England style that doesn't make sense in the rest of the country. That's why the store in Texas closed. Everyone is terrified of upsetting the crazy, cranky senior citizens who nickel and dime the stores for unregulated, cheap merchandise that falls apart in a week. They also won't advertise an item that isn't available in every single color/size/shape/option in every single store. They are all about disclaimers that mean nothing, because the customers get whatever they ask for. Never 'disappoint the customer'- IN A DOLLAR STORE! There are so many great ideas from buyers, yet everything is shot down because "it doesn't fit, we can't change, it's not good for the core customer". Well, good luck growing if you only cater to your existing customers. I cannot stress enough that this is a company to STAY AWAY FROM AT ALL COSTS. You will be made to feel like it's your first job, no matter what level you are at, or what experience you have. If you want a no-brainer job with a lot of management, rules, and hand-holding, this is the place for you. Otherwise, steer clear.