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Forever 21 review: employer ethics 24

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1:21 am EDT
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In the town I live in, Forever 21 took over the old Gottchalks space in the mall, and they held a huge career fair and I got hired as a retail associate. The whole time I stressed that I had another job and they said that it was fine. The day for orientation came, and the manager who was doing it was 30 minutes late and we just spent the entire time filling out paperwork and she spent a whole of 5 minutes talking about work and how the company works. Bad sign #1

Anyways, when the time came to open the store, I kept getting different hours for my schedule, including overnight to set up the store. Bad signs #2 and 3. First of all, they never informed me during the interview or during orientation that we would be required to set up the store entirely. Secondly, when I informed the manager who contacted me that I couldn't work one day because I had to work at my other job, she seemed very angry, and said that there was no other shift I could work to make up for it (yeah right). Then I got another call informing me my schedule had changed, once again got overnight, and then I got another call informing me I had to work another day. Bad signs #4, 5, and 6. I told this manager (I talked to three different managers, by the way) that I was 100% unavailable to work Wednesday and thursday since I was going to be out of town, and he said that it was fine. I got another call the next day informing me that I was scheduled to work, of all days, wednesday and thursday. I told this manager (the third one by now) that I told the other manager I was unavailable those two days, and she said that since I put "open" on my availability, I had to work. She just didn't understand that I was going to be out of town and requested the days off. Bad signs #7 and 8.

So I started arguing with her a bit, asking if they could work around my other work schedule (the job I already had upon applying), reasoning that my manager does the schedule 2 weeks in advance and she said that they don't work around other schedules. Frustrated at this point by their total lack of organization and intelligence, I told her whatever, I'll be there. Bad sign #9.

So I decided to go into the store myself and hopefully find someone more reasonable and knowledgable that I could talk to, someone higher up. And unfortunately, that didn't happen. I talked to an older woman who was busy doing paperwork and tried to be as nice as possible, stating that I am getting frustrated because my schedule keeps changing and I have another job that they won't work around, and she told me flat-out "We don't work around other schedules. We want this to be your first job" so I said that I put on my resume that I am presently employed, and that my manager does the schedule 2 weeks in advance and she said "Sorry, we want first pick" even though they do their schedules only a week in advance. Ridiculous. Bad sign #11

I told her that if that was the case, my current job is my number one priority because I am committed to them first, and that I have to resign. She looked at me and said "So you're resigning?" DUH! She then wrote my name down on a piece of paper and said Ok then! She just didn't give a crap that someone just quit. Bad sign #12

It didn't end there. The next day, I got a call asking if I was going to show up for my next shift. I said "Seriously? You're asking me if I'm going to my next shift? I quit yesterday." I was so livid, and she had no idea that I quit. Bad sign #13.

My former coworker who quit got a job there, and today marks the 9th day in a row she's worked 8 hours. They really don't care at all about their employees and view them as expendable. Don't work there, and only do if you're desperate. Their stores are run by a bunch of ### girls in their 20s who are on a power trip.

Update by Anonymous
Aug 30, 2009 11:47 pm EDT

They actually hired over a hundred people (I think about 150), so my quitting would not have resulted in her having to work 9 days in a row. I am seeking another job (or rather, was) because I need more money. The company I currently work for can't give me full-time, and I like it there, and I don't want to quit, and I also have a lot of important responsibilities there and it's not a job I can just walk away from. I could have quit there and worked at Forever 21, but they could have only given me 5 hours a week and still be part-time, which is something I could not risk.

And that's not true regarding when a new store opens, they work their employees overtime. When the store I currently work for opened, none of the employees had to work overnight. The company hired a crew to set up the store. It would have been more ethical of Forever 21 to inform me that they needed me to work overnight, and it would have been more ethical of them to tell me before they hired me that they don't work around other work schedules.

And it's not that I didn't want to work overnight, I couldn't. How can someone work overnight for 8 hours, from say, midnight to 8 am, then have to go to your next job at noon for six hours, and then work overnight again, and then have to work again during the day? No one can do that. I wouldn't have been able to sleep.

@ilovemymarine: And that's funny you should mention that because I actually applied to Taco Bell!

Update by Anonymous
Sep 25, 2009 1:18 pm EDT

@Killa:

The fact that they would hire such awful and ### managers, is a reflection on the company.

And my friend who worked there said that at one point, she worked 7 days in a row, 8 hours a day and didn't get paid overtime.

Update by Anonymous
Mar 04, 2010 1:32 am EST

@NEntwistle79

I never got an orientation book. The woman (or rather, girl) who conducted our orientation was 15 minutes late and forgot them. Why should I be on time if she wasn't?

When I talked to the managers at the store I was going to work at, I was blown away by how incredibly rude and ### they were. Just disgustingly rude.

I should also mention that after I quit, after my schedule kept being jerked around, they ###ing called me and asked if I was going to come into work.

I was blown away by how idiotic they were. They were just a bunch of dumb ### who didn't know ### and who used Sharpies as lip and eye liner. EW!

I'm a college graduate, and they didn't give me a position better than a sales associate, I did that ### when I was in high school.

Update by Anonymous
Feb 06, 2011 2:27 am EST

That is strange! Especially for a corporate position where she'd most likely be working in an office, or in a store and not on the sales floor.

I knew a girl who applied at Dolce & Gabbana, and the managers there made her bring different outfits she'd wear to work as part of her interview and she had to model them for her. Apparently they also had a weight requirement as well.

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24 comments
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forever 21 sucks
Northridge, US
Feb 23, 2013 12:00 am EST

Working at Forever 21 is a nightmare. I believed that it would be such a fun job, and I would enjoy my tI'me there. But then I realized that they're such money hungry savages. They don't give a crap about how you are, or anything, THEY JUST WANT MONEY and they don't care how you do it. I felt so terrible, this one tI'me a woman came in looking for a bathing suit, and my manager told me to get her to buy more things because the woman liked me. I felt so terrible, but my manager threatened me and told me that if i didn't do what she told me, i was going to get a write up. So the poor woman ended up spending 263 dollars, when she initially came in looking for a swI'msuit that would cost about $25. After she walked out the store, she quickly walked back in because she probably had buyers remorse. I saw her look at the receipt and i guess she saw that we don't do refunds. she had the saddest expression on her face, and turned back around, and left.
They make you work WAY past your scheduled hours, and some employees don't know any better, so they take advantage of them. They often make employees clock out then continue cleaning. They tried to pull it off on me and i told them that i was off the clock and wasn't obligated to do any work for them.
They never respect your availability. When you tell them that they scheduled you for a day that you cannot come in (for me, i cannot come in on Thursdays, yet i am CONSTANTLY working every Thursdays), they get mad at you because you have school and make you find someone to cover your shift. I'm sorry BUT THIS IS YOUR FAULT. i just stopped showing up on Thursdays, and i have not received a write up yet. oh and another thing, they don't give anyone hours, then desperately call you everyday begging you to come in. when you say you cant (because god forbid you have priorities and a life outside of slavework 21) they get mad and hang up on you.
You get such little pay for doing bit** work. i'm sorry. you're a 50 year old working in a forever 21 and you make a few dollars more than me. STFU you're not so high and mighty.
i can say so much about this company it's ridiculous. when you close, they make you clock out and clock back in before and after midnight, so they can avoid giving you OT. they say it's to reduce the work when they fix the tI'me clock, but it's not.

i remember when i started working there around black friday, i told them that i was guaranteed two lunches because i was working more than 10 hours. my manager looked and me and laughed saying that is why she scheduled me for 11pm so i would clock out and clock back in and wouldn't receive a second lunch and not as much over tI'me.
they're just a shady company with horrible tactics. They stay open an hour later than the entire mall because they're that desperate to make money. The district manager made us stay open until 10 pm on christmas eve. what the hell. we all have families to go to. i couldn't make it in tI'me to visit my family and i was so upset. i can't wait to put in my one week (and that's me being nice about it)
tomorrow. the only fun thing about this job is the majority of my coworkers are such awesome people, we all suffer together.

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thankyoukindly
Evans City, US
May 01, 2012 8:18 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

@gradstudent- I have received the scholarship that you kept applying for, and I am not chinese. Just saying.

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tb11
, US
Jul 14, 2011 9:46 am EDT

Forever 21 was my first job. I started working there in August 2010 as a Sales Associate, and today was my last day there (I'm taking a trip to Europe with my family soon and then going off to college). Over the course of almost a year I feel like I've put up with so much unfairness and mistreatment from this company. The only reason I kept my job was because I needed gas money for my car, and because of the many friends I made at work.
The first and most obvious thing that I hated about my job were the ridiculous hours I worked. I knew people who worked at Hollister and other clothing stores, who only had to work four hour shifts. But at Forever 21, shifts were at least 9 hours long on the weekends, plus the time we spent cleaning the store after closing. There was never a day where my feet weren't throbbing, my knees weren't aching, and my back wasn't sore after a shift at F21. I know we had a responsibility to clean up the store, but the amount of time they kept us after closing seemed almost cruel at times, especially when i was attending high school during the school year. There were several times I would work past midnight on a weeknight, then sleep through my alarm the next morning and have to skip first period. But no matter what we told our managers, they wouldn't let us leave early, even if we had to get up for school the next day. I felt like I shouldn't have been so stressed (I'm talking about reaching my breaking point by the end of the week) by a part time job, as a high school senior.
The second thing I hated about my job were the managers. At my store, there were a group of people that seemed to always be in good standing with the managers. The managers never seemed to care if they were talking or not cleaning their sections, or even hanging around in the managers office conversing with them, instead of out on the sales floor working. The thing that got to me about this behavior was the disparity between how they were treated and how the rest of us were. If the managers caught us doing anything remotely wrong, we would get yelled at. But if the managers' favorites did those same things? Not a word was said to them. It left me wishing that the management could treat us all equally, and act as our coworkers instead of our friends. After all, we were there to work, not to socialize. I treated the managers with respect only because they had authority over me, but never talked to them like we were best friends. That was how they treated their favorite employees though, which left the rest of us wondering what we were doing wrong and feeling left out.
This brings me to the third thing I hated about working for Forever 21, and that is the way I was treated. Back in February, I was cleaning a large section at the front of the store. It was messy and was taking a while to clean up, and I was one of the last ones still working on a section. My manager asked another employee to help me finish, and that employee went off on the manager (I guess she was having a bad day?). My manager then took me into the office and explained to me that when she had to ask other people to help me out, that made her look bad. She then WROTE ME UP for not cleaning fast enough. I realize now I shouldn't have signed the form, because it was completely unfair, as there were three other employees who weren't done with their sections either. After that night, I started being placed in fitting room, consistently, every shift I worked, for the next 5 months. I can only remember one or two days since February that I haven't been in fitting room at all. Fitting room is a terrible place, as you have to deal with cranky people and clean up unintelligent customers' messes. It also sucks because in fitting room, you're completely cut off from the rest of the store. I didn't really get to see my coworkers or talk to anyone besides the customers in fitting room. Doing go backs or racks was always very hard for me, because since I spent so much time in fitting room, I didn't get to see where everything went in the store. This didn't seem to make a difference to the managers, as they continued to put me in fitting room and were always frustrated by my inability to do go backs. It was like they couldn't put two and two together. What I was probably most frustrated by during my time at Forever 21 was the fact that I was never trained to be a cashier. By the end of the 11 months I spent there, I didn't know anyone who had been working there as long as I had or longer who wasn't a cashier, and the managers were training people on register who had only been working there for weeks. I couldn't understand why I was never trained to be a cashier. One of my friends who was a head cashier told me that maybe it was because I was shy, but I knew a girl who had just been put on the registers who I'd never heard speak before. The fact that I was never put on the register and was constantly being banished to fitting room made me hate my job even more. I knew I wasn't the managers' favorite, but to be singled out as the one who was always in the fitting room and never allowed to operate a cash register?
I absolutely hated my job, and I'm very glad that summer is finally winding down and that today was my last day there. If I can help it, I will never work there again.

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mpkline
, US
Apr 21, 2011 12:16 am EDT

DON'T work at forever 21, you will want to kill yourself! It is beyond awful and the managers don't give a crap about their employers. They will never give you time off and when they make a mistake with your schedule they expect you just to run off and fix it. I have never had so much stress from a job in my life. I quit 2 weeks ago!

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anyoumous
, US
Mar 09, 2011 4:07 pm EST

I've been working for forever 21 for a couple of months now. When I first started everything was just fine. I thought it would stay that way also. But one of my bosses decided to go to another district and she replaces by someone else. He is so unfair and all he does is favorite people. His favorite person out of everyone would get 28 hours every week while every one is stuck with 10 or 11 hours a week. Thats a bad pay check right there. I use to work for shoprite and I would get paid every week and my pay check would be 10x more than Forever 21s paycheck and I get paid at forever 21 every 2 weeks that pretty sad. Every one trys to tell our other boss but all she says is that its drama and to drop it. She just doesnt care. But every one is being miss treated which is wrong. He should be firedd! ! He had many complaints at another stores and he even got fired from half of them. Doesnt that show that he isnt a good boss. I work in the one in Toms River NJ ! Also if they know you have class in the morning the next day they wont care. They will keep you there until they want to send you home. Im sorry but I dont feel like working at Forever 21 for the rest of my life. Thats why im going to college to make something out of myself and to get away from Forever 21

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lalalam
, BA
Feb 19, 2011 12:33 am EST

I work for them now and its just as bad as everyone says. Im in Canada too so it should be better but nope its not. All the managers are airheads, they screwed up my paycheck. Only gave me 3 hours pay when it should have been 10 hours. They took my pay stub and have yet to give it back. Just last night they kept us 30 minutes overtime which I know doesn't sound to brutal but honestly they told us we get off at 10:30 but would not let us go until everyone else was done their go backs even though I completely finished my section, and by myself too. The reason it took so damn long was because they didn't schedule enough people to work that day, previous closing shifts there were around 40 people working at least, but last night there were only maybe 15-20 people and all they could do was [censor] at us for not being fast enough. Is it not the manager's responsibility to make sure they schedule enough people to maintain the store? When I went on my break there was nobody in my section at all, and I told the assistant manager before I left and he just said thats fine and left it a big fat mess for me to clean up when I got back. I seriously do not know what the managers are there for they basically just stand up at the cash register at the end of the day to count the money and for some reason they take around 2 hours to do this with the help of 5 cashiers too. All the while they scream at us to hurry up and that we are not allowed to leave no matter who is waiting outside late at night for you or what you have to do. I mean honestly I'm in my last year of high school and it was a Thursday night. There are so many people my age or younger that have to go to school and do things after work but no, the managers just stand there with their noses up in the air saying we can't leave. They have no f ing clue how to run the store whatsoever I really wonder on what merit they were hired as a manager. Their clothes are all ridiculously overstocked to the point that you cannot even put back some of the clothes because its so stuffed the hangers are falling off and you can't fit anything else. This is XXI btw so its a huge store.

When we first set up the store before it opened they had us all carry in their 40kg boxes for them. I'm a 5'6 girl like 55kg and you want me to lift like 80-90% of my own weight? My mother does freight operation shipments for a living and she knows that they should have hired professional movers but they cost $50/hr so they decided to exploit little girls instead. One girl injured her foot so badly they had to call paramedics and send her home. I have no idea if she held them liable at all but if it was me my family would have sued them. This is how Forever 21 makes all of their money, EXPLOITATION. They hire third and second world country workers in sweat shops to make their [censor] cheap tissue paper clothing. Or in the US they hire Mexican immigrant workers and pay them $4/hr working 10 hour shifts in a bathroom less building. Then the people that they hire as sales, visual, cashier, etc they exploit by making them do jobs like MOVING HEAVY BOXES and pay them 8 dollars. Last thing is their ridiculous threats of violations and termination. What kind of nazi policy is it to fire someone for clocking in 30 seconds late or early 3 separate times? That is absolutely not a legitimate reason to fire someone. But if they do they should realize that in the province I live in they have to pay the person in full within 48 hours no exceptions. It is on the official Canadian Government Labour Laws website. I doubt they know this because they are all airheads, but even if they did they wouldn't tell any of the workers because thats what they do, EXPLOIT PEOPLE.

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gradstudent
Oliverhurst, US
Feb 09, 2011 1:33 am EST

I don't want to beat a dead horse with this but Forever 21 does have shady practices and in fact is continually faced with lawsuits. I am a graduate student working in a nor cal store. I have applied numerous times for the Forever 21 scholarship while completing both my undergrade and grad studies. Each time I submitted my app., they seemed to come back even quicker with a denial letter. Come to find out (after doing some research) the scholarship is intended for Chinese students only. Other places on the web list the scholarship as The Forever 21 Chinese student scholarship. Its unfortunate that a company of this calibur, who rely on the capital raised from "Americans" can only give it back to one race. Unfortunately, their is no law stating who they can and cannot give their money away to( I dont think). It just shows their morale standing and ethical decision making. It makes me wonder how a man who started with nothing (Mr. Chang CEO) can say America is the land of opportunity when he himself is closing the door to anyone who is not like him (race).
It doesn t take long to find a lawsuit on the web involving F21. Mr. Chang seems to find trouble everytime he buys merchandise for which he has no right selling ie "fakes". I see clothes on a daily basis which do not have proper labeling. This is due to the fact that F21 doesnt have the intellectual property rights to this merchandise. Its only a matter of time before someone actually files a complaint only to find out that they just settled on the last intellectual property complaint. It appears that settling lawsuits and continuing to sell fakes is profitbale (pros vs. cons).
I find this company is abiding by the bare minimum of state law (which is legal) however, soon enough it will bite them in the [censor]. All your employees are important down to the janitor. This is how companies make their money. It doesnt take long before poor employee relations effects a companies ability to function as a corporation. Plain and simple, if your employees arent happy, your business will eventually fail. That being said, this company is a time bomb waiting to go off.

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ggpink
Los Angeles, US
Feb 02, 2011 7:32 pm EST

I understand that Forever 21 has shady hiring practices. My biggest issue is they have an age and race discrimination practice. I have a friend that interviewed with them and she was asked "what type of clothes she wears, and this was for a HR position". Rather strange question to ask, and technically against the law. If you are ever interviewed by Sandra G Downtown Los Angeles, BEWARE.

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meowzers
, US
Nov 09, 2010 6:07 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

@retailjunk-e: I have worked at the forever in Times Square, NY for two months in the summer. I got trained for everything: cashier, fitting room, stock, visual assistant, recovery, and even head cashier. Come time for August, I had to go back to school in upstate NY, Albany. Not only have I still not gotten my last paycheck from that store but it took them 2 months to finally transfer me to a forever close to my school. When it came time for my first day of work, I had to kill two racks that the worker before me left for me to do and was then told to move to another room and kill those racks. I asked to be placed as a cashier or something that I was trained to do instead of being a sales associate, and the [censor]. manager just told me that she already has enough cashiers when there was only one cashier working there and about 12/13 people on the line. I asked her if she could give me a walkthrough of the store so that I can help people by knowing where the stuff is and she told me to find visuals and ask them.

This [censor]. manager is so rude and I am appalled by her lack of professionalism. After two months of working in Times Square, I was getting trained for head cashier and have gotten stupendous recommendations from customers who ask me my name so they can tell a manager what a great job i did helping them find what they need. If that isn't good customer service then i dont know what is. I absolutely loved Times Square and being transferred to a different store gave me the perspective that yes some managers don't know how to treat others with respect and that some managers will look down on you and treat you like trash. All my past experiences in a bigger forever was thrown out the window. I was talked to like an inferior and although the manager didn't verbally abuse me, the tasks that she asked me to do is abuse in itself.

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retailjunk-e
, US
Sep 21, 2010 12:18 am EDT

I just wanted to throw my two cents into the barrel. I have logged over 8 years in retail, 6 in retail management and I have to say... It's not the company, it's the associates & managers. Forever 21 DOES give you everything you need as a manager to run a store... as long as you have experience and common sense to do so. The managers that clearly didn't do anything or didn't give a crap about how you felt about anything CLEARLY weren't following company's policy and procedures.

Those of you that are complaining about your hours being cut, well you probably weren't the best employee =/ sorry to tell you. Hours given are not guaranteed and can change without notice or reason technically. Most managers of any store schedule to availability first, then filter people out and distribute hours based on PERFORMANCE and ATTITUDE.

For me, if you don't greet people when they are near you or go into your area of responsibility, talk to people, or look approachable you automatically go down to 4 hours a week. If you are always walking in on time ready to work with a positive attitude, you will get TONS of hours, if you want. It's all about being professional. Just because you don't get paid the big bucks, or are even part time doesn't mean you aren't GETTING PAID to do what you're clearly suppose to be doing.

Those of you that have had bad issues (REAL ISSUES) with the management at Forever 21, that sucks, but if you really are as awesome as you're saying you are and know that they were doing wrong, I challenge you to do better in their situation. Nobody knows until you've been there. So please, stick it out, perform better and one day become their boss. Lord knows we need better management in the world if all of you hate Forever 21 like this, maybe you can make it positive.

BTW... Whoever said "She didn't bother to show up on time, why should I?" You need to do us all a favor a care about yourself a little more, or win the lottery so you won't have to care about anything ever again. Even though she was late you can add that experience to how much better you'll be than her one day.

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kjazzy22
, US
Sep 13, 2010 8:51 am EDT

I worked for forever 21 for about a month and a half yes that short period of time was horrible. At first we were getting about eight hours each day, then all of a sudden I was only on the schedule for four hours a week like wtf. They work your really hard and don't pay crap. Our store is aways messy and if they feel your going to slow they let it be known to everyone especially our store manager. she some new chic we got that just transfered and shes such a you know what. Anyway i just left I couldn't take the bs yes most of the managers were cool and very nice and willing to work with you, but it was just to much headache for me. So I totally agree with everything that is being said.

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Noslavelabor
dfsdgfsgb, US
Jul 29, 2010 11:18 pm EDT

Orlando Managers can kick brix with no shoes on. Everything on this page is true regarding disrespect n such. I was earning 13 an hour and was hired as a visual and then told i was a sales associate...sorry, ididnt bust my [censor] and get 2 fashion degrees to do "Go Bax" all day.

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Migato
Orlando, US
Jul 02, 2010 11:10 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I work at Forever 21 in Orlando. We get so many tourists en route to Disney World, its so annoying. 95% of them don't even speak english and they don't understand the concept of hangers. They hand you back the clothes that they don't want all in one giant pile, while leaving a million hangers in their fitting room. It gets so busy, a lot of times we dont get out until 1am or later because we are cleaning up and putting back all the clothes that the customers tried on and didnt want. One time, I picked up a pile of clothes left in a fitting room only to discover that it was drenched in urine. Yes, URINE! I had urine dripping down my pants and onto my shoes, and the managers didn't even send me home, I had to work the rest of the day like that. I have a Bachelor's Degree and I only get paid $8.75 to deal with all this crap. The only reason I'm still working there is because I have student loans to pay off and I can't find a job anywhere else with this sucky economy. If you are a customer complaining about the bad customer service, wondering why the employees are so rude or too busy to help...its because we are too busy cleaning up after YOUR mess! You try working their until 2am in the morning. I could go on and on.

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mezmerize503
little rock, US
May 02, 2010 6:04 pm EDT

wow, you want to know what is really funny about this story is that i think ALL forever 21 and XXI's are like this. My store I worked at was exactly the same. I hated it there. PLUS, they didn't pay me enough to deal with the constant BS I had to put up with.

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Jen
Los Angeles, US
Mar 12, 2010 9:30 pm EST

@NEntwistle79 -
Have you or anyone you know worked in a CA store? I hear they are pretty bad in the SoCal stores. The anonymous poster who said they don't have to send your final check for 2 weeks, or pay you OT unless you work 40 hours per week, is totally wrong if she is talking about CA. I do this kind of legal work for a living, and it does NOT work that way in CA. Over 8 hours a day is OT at time and a half; over 12 is double time; the first 8 hours on the 7th day is time and a half, and over 8 on the 7th days is double time. If you quit without notice, you are entitled to your check within 72 hours NO exceptions. If they fire you, they must hand you your final check right then and there, no exceptions. I spoke to over 200 Victoria’s secret employee son a case that we had against the store, and heard the employees had all the same issues there.

Someone should come forward for a lawsuit and get everyone's back pay. Otherwise, they will just keep treating people this way.

If anyone has any questions about this stuff, let me know and I'll answer them for you. Good luck!

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tlpalways
ph, US
Mar 01, 2010 3:30 am EST

oh and even with all my customer service experience I still only got paid minimum wage... so as far as getting paid for experience... they don't do that either. I'm just thankful that I'm done dealing with those slave drivers. haha

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tlpalways
ph, US
Mar 01, 2010 3:24 am EST

I completely agree, I worked there for about 4 months and also had issues with the way the managers treated their employees. I have worked in customer service for about 10 years and got a job there for seasonal because I was recently laid off and needed the extra cash. Though at first everyone was only getting like 13 hours, I could handle that, cause I didn't realize how unethical they could be. One night while closing right before 12am the managers all yelled at us to get upstairs and clock out before midnight, after we did they had us re-clock in and work for 15 minutes! I was shocked this had to be a illegal and it was just a loophole they took to get out of paying people that had been there since 4pm overtime. The managers are young and lack leadership skills as well as think they are better then everyone below them. Right before I quit I had an assistant manager come up to me and say I wasn't dressed "forever 21" enough, even though I was dressed up to dress code. Luckily I got the news that I was hired for another job the following week, so I let them know that I would work my last 2 shifts and would be resigning my position. Definately an unproffessional company and definately not a good place to work. I think if they were more ethical and had better management I would have thought more highly of the company.

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anonny
, US
Feb 18, 2010 9:25 pm EST

@NEntwistle79: Your F21 store must be the only F21 store that functions properly because the store I work, plus the surrounding stores are run like ###. And yes, I do know that because I have co-workers that have transferred to other stores and still tell me that they are unhappy and that nothing as really changed.

The handbook? Would have been nice if I had gotten one. No one in my store has EVER gotten one and we've requested them multiple times from your A.M's, S.M. AND D.M. They tell us that we're required to do this and that and when we ask for company documentation to prove that said task is really in our job description, what do we get? Usually, nothing. Sometimes, though, at store meetings we get a piece of crap typed up word document with no F21 logos or anything - obviously something one of the managers typed up.

My manager tells me "good job" all the time. About everything. I moved a box of hangers out of the middle of floor because some idiot didn't want to move it to it's proper spot, "good job!". Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she told me "good job!" after I washed my hands after sneezing. It's pretty much lost it's meaning. Our district manager on the other hand, rudest ### I've ever met. Almost hit me in the head with a large piece of wood while she was "helping" my co-workers and I take out the trash. Did she say sorry? Nope. All she said was "MOVE" as she swung the piece of wood up. Thanks.

Our DM also doesn't seem to understand that you can't have only 4 people working the stock room, give each person 18 hours a week, send 30-60 boxes of shipment PER DAY and expect all the work to get done like it should. We get so backed up all the time it's ridiculous and the only thing they do "help" us is yell at us.

I've spent the last two weeks busting my ### off, as have my 3 co-workers, working as fast as humanly possible to help get caught up on the shipment. We finally did earlier this week. What did they do? Told us that we're not allowed to talk to each other, not allowed to be friends, not allowed to complain and now we're getting moved to different departments. It's ### and if you couldn't tell, I'm pissed about it. And trust me, this is only a fraction of everything that's wrong with my store.

What's worse is that these are NOT isolated incidents. I hear similar complaints all the time by employees from other stores and quite frankly, something's got to give soon. Associates, visuals, and even managers have had it with the way F21 is running their stores and I wouldn't be surprised if some day soon a whole bunch of people are just going to quit, leaving whomever is left to pick up the pieces. And those who quit won't care. I know I sure won't.

So, yeah, maybe your store is "perfect", but a lot of stores AREN'T. Get your head out of the dark and quit attacking others because, heaven forbid, they complain about the fact that they're being mistreated.

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jaymi
Boston, US
Feb 14, 2010 12:49 am EST

@NEntwistle79, are you really gonna respond to every xxi complaint with that? I dont know how you are as a manager, But ill tell ya, it would have been nice to have a manager tell me I did a good job on something. But honestly.. telling your employees theres others that could have your job.. just isnt cool.. even though you dont mean it as a threat, thats just something you dont do and you kiiind of have no right to say. Managers always take advantage of their roles at one point.

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NEntwistle79
Newark, US
Feb 05, 2010 12:02 am EST

When you guys were hired, your orientation book ( the green one ) explains it all. YES, if u are over the age of 18, we can keep you there till 5 AM. YOU ARE GETTING PAID FOR IT. even if its $8 an hour. Did you bother asking for more? What is your expirience in retail? The more expirience you have .. the more you get paid. I am a Manager at a Forever 21. Im also a guy. I love doing what I do and working with the girls that work. NOT TO MENTION give them excellent praise when they do a fantastic job. You can't compair the company based on your store's review. we are MODs .. you are SALES ASSOCIATES.. you stand in the fitting rooms, count in the clothing .. clean up at night.. SHOVE ( like everyone else ) .. / We are a Private company... this means we go by state law .. which abides by having MINORS leave by 9:30 ( which we do not hire anymore ) .. there is no law in any state stating that you have to leave 2 hours after the store closes. Sorry for your bad expirience there, but not all managers are like that. We work around your scheduled private lives.. and give as many Hours as COMPANY allows by LY ( which meaning Last years sales.) .. if your store isn't making money expected during the week.. then you get no hours unfortunatly. Store Manager gets 45 hours. Then CO manager get 39 then ASMs get 37.5 as well as Visuals and Headcashiers and Accessorie specialists. ... then everyone gets the rest.

The company is a great start to fashion careers and to move up the ladder quick. Though yes at times it may seem like " craziness " we don't expect u guys to be Machine's. We hire because we see potential in people.. and we know they could do it. Like I tell my employees' ... " I have a stack of applications of people that want your job".. this is not a threat to them... but to just let them know that I choose them because I know they can do it.

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anonymous86
Baltimore, US
Jan 23, 2010 8:30 pm EST

this is the most ridiculous stuff ive ever heard about the store. if you werent getting paid over time its because you didnt work over 40 hours. make sure you clock in and clock out appropriately. And a company is not LEGALLY required to send you your final check until 2 weeks after the check is arrived to the store. if you want your last pay so bad... get off your ### and go get it. Really?! if not wait atleast 14 days for it to even leave the store... so you probably wouldnt get it until mid week of the 3rd week.

and standing around filing their nails? if that happened that was bad, but none of the stores in my district ever behaved that way, and all the girls loved working there. Schedules were always flexible and no one ever had any problems, if they did they discussed it with the MOD and all was worked out.

and when a store open its chaotic, theres a lot of employees... in the hundreds, the mgrs dont know you their trying to OPEN A NEW STORE and sometimes information falls between the cracks. get over it.

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blutengel
Littleton, US
Sep 14, 2009 4:23 pm EDT

They opened a newer store here in Colorado, and I have to agree. Not to mention, their pay system is ridiculous. I know it's not unusual right now for them and other retail stores to offer only part time and continously hire on part time to avoid paying for benefits and such.

My biggest thing with them, is their payroll. When I was hired on, I was hired on the cusp of their pay day. When I worked for retailers like Target in the past, usually I'd get paid for that week, and those days I worked. Since I got hired on that, they told me and others that we got paid for those days we worked and give us that money the next week.

Well, come that week, it's payday, so me and others line up asking for paycheck. They told us that our paychecks were sent to the other mall we trained at. But I had to pick at them for three days, got three different answers.

It hadn't been sent off, sent to the wrong store, and I wasn't in the system. The last answer was the last one I got, and I wanted to ask, "Why the hell didn't you guys tell me that the FIRST time?". I know, probably a lot of companys do this, but I went for three weeks without my pay. I didn't appreciate the run around, they could have told me, up front.

What finally made me quit is their treatment. Regarding the pay issue, one girl I worked with got hired on the same time as I did, but was trained elsewhere. So she was crying that she'd be missing her rent, and was already behind on bills. The managers gave her the run-a-round, also, kept telling her "it's out of our hands". And to hear that from employers is ridiculous. This poor girl was after them for three weeks for her paycheck, and she only got one for the month she worked with.

They are on a power trip. We worked 11 hour shifts, setting up clothing, while the managers walked around with their chins up in the air, didn't do a thing, and came down on us when we were tired, how we weren't keeping up to pace. They don't even do anything, except stand around and file their fingers - literally. They put you in areas, like the fitting room, without asking. Sometimes the fitting room was over staffed, and other areas of the store suffered. Then come closing, they wondered why we were so behind. And they get all snooty and defensive when you call them out on it. They don't listen, at all.

I quit two weeks and three days ago, right? So technically, I should have gotten my paycheck. I have NOT gotten my last check, at all. They've had two weeks to get on the ball, and I have not gotten it. It's not hard to take note, send it out. I'm out of money, and I'll be calling the Department of Labor on this store. Again.

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Killa
West Palm Beach, US
Sep 13, 2009 3:18 pm EDT

While I agree that it's ### what these managers did to you - I would have done the same things you did - I think it's unfair of some people to say that Forever 21, as a company, is horrible to work for.

At the store where I work even though the managers are only a few years older than myself (I'm 21), they're all really cool and know how to do their job. They are very lenient and willing to work with your schedule, whether it be a work or school schedule. I haven't had a problem with them yet.

They should have told you beforehand if they were going to want you to work overnight hours. Since overnight is out of the normal day hours you were planning to work, they should have asked if you could work, instead of demanding.

This is a case of incompetent managers, not a horrible company.

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ilovemymarine88
Georgetown, US
Aug 29, 2009 3:19 pm EDT

I agree 110% there a terrible company to work for. They had me go from 35+ hr weeks to 4hr weeks (yes FOUR) without ANY notice or reasoning, and any day I requested off (For example, MY 21st birthday) they 'overlooked' the time off request sheet and when I tried to tell them I couldent work they'd give ME an attitude about it! ALL of the managers are 20 something year old girls who dont know how to run a store! DO NOT EVER WORK FOR THIS COMPANY, EVEN IF YOUR DESPERATE! YOUR SERIOUSLY BETTER OFF WORKING AT TACO BELL!