Deichmann Reviews

The company has spiraled rapidly down hill for the last 3 years, the Deichmann of 4-5 years ago was a pleasure to work for but have become so tight fisted with payroll and become obsessed with shoecare to such an extent that I can't put it into words. It used to be about the customers and there was a family vibe throughout the company as staff were treated well. Now the few staff that are working the shop floor are under so much pressure and have such a large workload that they struggle to provide decent service with almost weekly prices increases it's now becoming insulting to the customers that pile through the doors everyday. An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, not hitting the shoecare target will be the cause of the next mass extinction and the end of the human race according to Deichmann. The expectations and pressure to sell shoecare products is absurd given that staff are not rewarded for doing so, there is so much pressure on staff that they are not able to express themselves and add a personal touch to customer service, instead the customers receive sub par service from nervous and anxious staff aimed at getting as much money out of them as possible to increase profit margins. Shoecare is the most spoken word in the store every single day and when things do not go well the manager resorts to purchasing the products himself. The manager thinks the staff don’t know he buys it himself but everyone has placed a bet on how much he will spend on shoecare products in 2017, his current total stands at £128! If an individual doesn't hit the shoecare target for a few months then they will be issued with a 'letter of concern', this is an informal sit down chat with the store manager that is intended to make staff feel like they have done something wrong when they are not contractually obligated to hit a certain % target for shoecare products. They try to make you sign this letter which states you must improve over the coming months or further action will be taken, this is then stored within your employee file. The workload is heavy, staff are expected to greet and serve every customer as well as complete all tasks within strict time limits. This can be seasonal department moves and withdrawals, working deliveries, transferring stock, changing display pallets, launching sales and promotions, the list goes on. This would be achievable if stores had decent staffing levels, payroll is too tight and either the stores operational performance has to suffer or the customers have to suffer. Deichmann want the best of both worlds without having to pay for it. Payroll is very tight, staff are made to feel like they are an expense to be minimised at any cost instead of being an integral part of the business or 'family'. Most stores are staffed to the bare minimum and this creates problems in serving customers to a decent standard and maintaining the standards of presentation, performing all the tasks throughout the week as well as being vigilant with shop lifters. The store I worked in lost on average one member of staff per year that wasn't replaced or their contracted hours redistributed to remaining members of the team, just lost completely. Staff numbers dwindled from 13 down to 8 in 5 years due to increases in minimum wage and stricter and stricter payroll budgets. The manager abuses his position, goes home early (sometimes several HOURS early) but forces staff to pay him in full, enjoys ridiculously extended breaks, lives in the staff room eating, sleeping, playing smart phone games, taking personal phone calls and almost always extremely reluctant to work the shop floor and interact with the customers. In the 5 years I worked for the company I did not see my boss work the full 40 hours per week once, not once, I’m not even joking, I wish I was but I’m not. Here is a list of reasons the manager has gone home early: To meet his wife for drinks in Manchester, to avoid the traffic caused by united/city playing, he felt like he had been kicked by a mule, he got to work at 7am/half 7/8am ect, to pick up dry cleaning, his cat died, to take his 27 year old son to the doctors, to give his wife the spare keys to her car, to play squash. Here is a list of activities the manager has been known to partake in during working hours: wrapping his wifes mother’s day/Christmas/birthday presents, playing smart phone games, taking personal calls, sleeping, eating, shopping, driving after shoplifters in his car, watching films, pretending to work, renewing his car insurance, taking his car to be repaired and my personal favourite looking at pictures of his cats. Work/social life balance can be problematic, weekly rotas are provided 2 days before they are due to come into effect, eg the rota for the week starting Monday January 9th is issued to staff on Saturday January 7th. Most stores open 363 days a year, only closing on Easter Sunday and Christmas day, is it really necessary for the quieter stores to open at new year for the measly £500 you make in sales? Give your staff a break during the holiday season and they will be happier and be more committed to your business. The fit of the uniform is horrendous, especially the smaller sizes, only t-shirts, jumpers and dress shirts are provided, must purchase your own trousers and only 50% off a pair of work shoes 2 – 4 times a year depending on your contracted hours; these could easily be provided for free. Head office operations staff dictate how to run every store through weekly instructions, this leaves no room for creativity from the manager and team. Progression above supervisory level is severely limited due to the very tiny number of trainee manager roles. This job is only really suitable for students or parents of young children only wanting part time work, you will never get full time work here because they are so obsessed with payroll costs.