Pros
- Great starting wage - Good discount - Decent quality clothing - Good training
Cons
The amount of work hours you get is based on the amount of sales you make. Promotions are based on favouritism, not experience. A lot of false promises are made by higher ups in regards to promotions, hours and raises, but follow through is rare. Most new hires who do not meet their sales goals after 3 to 4 weeks are let go, sometimes with no meeting or phone call; their names are just removed off of the schedule. The atmosphere is very stressful and tense, as all associates on the sales floor are competing and fighting for sales. It takes anywhere between 1 to 2 hours to close the store at the end of the night; and in this time your sales per hours declines as there is no cut off, which means closing shifts = decline in personal sales = less work hours. There have been multiple times I have witnessed managers asking staff to time out to "upkeep" their sales per hour, which means working for free. You only receive a 30 minute break, no matter how long your shift is. During Boxing Day, you are expected to work open to close (~12-15 hours), with only 5 minute break intervals (but they lure you with catered food). There is no work/life balance when working at Aritzia; it takes over your life. Lastly, good luck calling in sick (when you are legitimately sick), as well as asking to go home when you are not feeling well. I have witnessed managers deny requests to go home, even when one of my fellow staff was legitimately vomiting in the staff washroom. In conclusion, if you care at all about your well-being, do not, I repeat, DO NOT work at Aritzia.