I work for a chain of off the peg wedding dress stores, UK. It is owned by one couple I believe. I started five months ago, I'm a fashion graduate and made a wedding dress during my time at uni so it seemed like a dream job. The only problem was the contract was only for 12 hours. My boss knew I had rent to pay and needed more and she was really good at giving them to me, especially over the peak season (Jan to March), I was working 30+ hour weeks. Oh but I'm only on £9.50 an hour, and we don't get bonuses or commission. (Red flags one, two and three)
Now the problem with the chain itself is it markets itself as a budget shop, with dresses selling for just £600. It therefore attracts quite a lot of brides on a budget. However, we are expected to sell the bride a minimum of seven units. (Red flag number four). This is a dress (one), a storage package: box, bag and hanger (four), an underskirt (five) a veil or hair piece (six) and a belt (seven). This usually adds up to about £850. Not to mention the fact that we are expected to also upsell robes, pyjamas, hair scrunchies (???), T-shirts, tote bags, jewellery boxes and vanity cases and other useless gifts. But there are no discounts for packages, no deals that could actually tempt the buyer. It all gets itemised on the receipt too which I feel is a slap in the face when you realise you've just forked out £5.99 for a hanger. It is pure luck if we get a bride that has the kind of budget for what we are expected to sell.
After beginning to train me to be an additional keyholder as we lost our assistant manager within a month of her being there (red flag number five), they gave the position to someone who started after me and had not been performing as well as me. It came with a pay rise too.
We had someone apply for the assistant manager position and was successful, but on the day she was supposed to start she never turned up. That was a smart move on her part, but it really fucked us over. So I decided to apply, I have managed before and really cared about my job and the store at that point and we needed an assistant manager. Mostly I needed the contract for 36 hours and the £2ph pay increase. I wasn't prepped at all, I did it over zoom with a manager from another site and it was an internal interview so they asked about my KPIs. I wasn't doing well enough to be a team leader. My boss was also concerned I would get overwhelmed and leave just like the previous AM.
I didn't get the job which was disappointing but fine, the problem was in the meantime without an AM me, another member of staff and a senior member of staff were all actively doing AM duties, on our basic wage. We were running the store by ourselves, doing stocktake, accepting deliveries, taking charge of transactions and paperwork. On £9.50 an hour. (Actually just I am on £9.50 an hour, the senior consultant and keyholder are both on £10.03)
Anyway I'm still not hitting my targets so I was put on a plan to improve, if I don't average seven units per transaction by the end I will get an advisory. I'm not on track because I think pushing brides into purchasing £200 worth of accessories in a budget store is immoral. Don't get me wrong, I do try to hit my targets, and I have done previously. I'm just not a sales person. I am, However, a seamstress and I repair our dresses in house, I am able to give alteration advice to the brides, I have a lot of value to the company outside of my sales abilities, but they don't care.
My colleague has been with the company for three years and in that time has seen 21 members of staff come and go. If you're counting red flags that's probably 8 or 9 at this point. I probably should have been counting.
We've just hired a new assistant manager who has come in and immediately made sweeping changes. She wants disciplinaries for those not achieving, she wants her store to be the best. As such, those not performing will not get the hours. So I've been cut down to 18. When I told my boss I would need to look for another job she said “good”.
I've hit my breaking point with this job. I love dressing people in wedding dresses and talking to them about their plans, I love seeing their faces light up when they find the one. But I can no longer justify the stress the targets put me under for £9.50 an hour and a disciplinary hanging over my head because I don't bully the brides into spending a grand on shite.
I'm out.