Don’t work at Valley Stream! - Sales Associate Macy's Employee Review

1.0
21 Dec 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The discount is good (20%). The choice is either open a Macy’s card or get a prepaid card, which you can definitely use online so that’s a plus. Some companies don’t give you that choice and only give you an employee discount card that works in store only. I worked there while going to school so I had the option of getting up to 8 hours a week and I can work anywhere in the store if I wanted. (More details in the con section) Flexible hours and a more stable scheduling If you opened a Macy’s card you can get Macy’s money which is like a coupon. Much better than just a measly shout out. I loved closing for the store because you didn’t have to spend an hour or two cleaning the entire store. Opening the store wasn’t bad either. All you had to do was open registers. The con was going to those associate powwows that I couldn’t care less about because it was always a manager I disliked running the small meetings. Payroll is every week! Every Friday you get your paycheck and even if it’s just a measly paycheck it’s the only perk I miss about working here.

Cons

The reason why I specified the location in my title is because this particular macy’s is very, very toxic. There was certain managers who were very anal and very abusive, and were only there to see you screw up. I don’t believe other Macy’s associates from other locations can say this but at this one, it was too much. For a while they pushed Macy’s cards and this myclient system where you enter someone into a system just so you can contact them to shop and they’ll come to you the next time they shop. I can’t necessarily say because it’s been three years since I filed my resignation papers but from what I remember, if you didn’t make at least one client each shift you will get reprimanded for it. Not every customer wanted a Macy’s card either. You had to push for the Macy’s card and keep asking until the no turns into a yes. Customers don’t like that and neither did I. Customers are terrible due to the fact that they’re shopping at a 100 year old company that sells name brands. They complain about the coupons they so desperately want to use but can’t because they don’t have a Macy’s card. The coupons they would get from their friends or family members that own the card was the star rewards coupons and they were usually 10 off 30, 20 off 50, and 20% off...however those coupons don’t work on certain name brands that never go on sale, Everyday Value (anythingbthat ends in .98 and it isn’t clearance), jewelry, shoes, and clearance items so it was useless and customers blamed me for it when I tell them it doesn’t work. They get even more mad when it works and they don’t have a Macy’s card to use it. Nothing is really updated. You’re working with a lot of old infrastructure so sometimes it does shut off on you. Macy’s doesn’t put UPC/SKU numbers on their non-name brand clothing (i.e. INC, Alfani) so you would have to find it in a database but there are times when the item isn’t found because it’s about a year old and it was found in the clearance section. It gets very tiresome. This location has the nastiest coworkers and are very cliquey and specific about who works there. I usually work in Children’s but I also work in the dress section, the lingerie section, of the plus sized section because they were all in one floor, the managers/coworkers on the floor weren’t nasty and it was easy to navigate. If you work anywhere else in the store, like noncommissioned jewelry, handbags, or women/men, coworkers would look at you sideways wondering why are you working there...and some wouldn’t even help you out when you’re struggling to find an item. I stopped picking up shifts at certain areas for a while. My manager also forbade the entire children’s department to advertise shifts because she didnt want outsiders picking up a shift and doing a terrible job in her section...however children’s was never really that hot to begin with. If you didn’t go to the opening pep rally in the morning (that I mentioned in the pro section) you were reprimanded m, depending on the manager. There were about three type A managers who made sure you went no matter what and if you didn’t you were in trouble. There were times I didn’t attend and the one of the anal managers looked at me sideways. One always caught an attitude and I don’t like it when people instantly give you an attitude, especially when you don’t deserve t. The pay is very, very low. You start off some change above minimum wage (beforenit was 15 it was 7.25) and they raise it every year depending on your performance. I always got a cent raise and that did nothing when I was going to school and also needed to update my uniforms. Associate facilities (like bathrooms, break rooms, and locker rooms) are always unkempt. Associates are just as dirty as customers, if not worse. One time the cleaning ladies mixed bleach with ammonia to clean the bathrooms and it messed up my nose forever. I’m still affected by it. Neither customers nor associates deserve to inhale toxic chemicals.

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5.0
8 July 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You will get to learn a lot, and it’s really good job if you’re trying to get into retail

Cons

Everybody will treat you like you don’t belong here

2.0
3 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

you get ok pto even as a part timer, not physically demanding, good A/C and heating depending on the weather.

Cons

very low pay compared to other businesses, you only get a 40 cent raise every year. same playlist consisting of 15 songs on repeat and it drives you crazy as time goes on. very inconsistent hours they rarely give morning shifts, you only get the more undesirable shifts like closing which ends at 9:30pm. the sales goals will be exceeded and they hours will still be cut especially around the holiday season. numerous amounts of time where i am left alone at the register on a busy day with no backup and still expected to clean fitting rooms and recover the floor with no help. overall no room for growth, started when i was 18 and am now 20 and have not even been considered or offered a higher position, 2 tiny raises is all i got. i overall feel like my position is bottom of the barrel compared to asset protection, jewelry department, and fragrance sales because they get paid better and make commission while doing less easier work. would not recommend and if you do end up working at a Macys use the experience you have and never stop applying to jobs because there really is no growth here.

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Macy's Response
1mo
Thank you for your honest feedback as our Sales Associate. If you are open to it and would like to discuss further, please feel free to send us a private message on https://www.facebook.com/Macys/ or https://www.instagram.com/macys/, and include your name, phone number, email address, and store location so we can connect with you directly! Thank you.
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