Ascena Retail Group Inc.
reviews and complaints

This is really interesting. As a new hire 8 months ago, right before Ascena bought out Catherines from Charming Shoppes, I got paper checks initially. When we were notified of the payroll change, I didn't like the debit card idea, so I opted to input my direct deposit information on the workstation. No paper filing necessary so I am miffed that "they" "lost" your form 3 times. It's also not degrading to you to check your personal belongings as required after each shift. Did you ever watch the LP video? About 50% of the companies losses come from internal theft. As a member of management at my Catherine's, I know the importance of bag checks. Employees know the store far better than the customers and have more chances to walk away with merchandise. Cleay you have never been a member of management for a retail store otherwise you would recognize the importance. Submitting to these checks should have been outlined and discussed in your paperwork and prior to being hired. If you thought it degrading, why take the job and stick with it for nearly 4 months? In regards to working those few hours a few times a week, is this job not what you wanted? You said you wanted a PT job to make some extra spending money? At my store, PT associates rarely get above 4 hours per shift, and only a few shifts a week. Seems to be a company standard but again, why are you complaining about it? You wanted extra spending money. Every job I have interviewed for has discussed the schedule with me prior to my acceptance. My current position was no different. If you didn't agree with it, why accept? Managers are not supposed to be touching your personal belongings when doing bag checks. Either you are embellishing the story or the manager is guilty of doing that, in which case why did you not tell her to not touch your things, that you would move as necessary? I also have a hard time believing your comment about the packaging being full of starch and preservatives. In my 8 months of doing shipments almost every single week, none of us have ever had to vacate the store over supposed "starch and preservatives". I question the quality of some items received in regards to manufacturing, but I buy my clothing from Catherines and over 90% of everything I have purchased has been just fine. You are losing credibility fast. You seem to be too upset over this job that was supposed to for extra money. Why? I agree that some people work at Catherines locations that have no business holding the position they do, but there are people, like me, that do not deserve to be put in the same class as others simply for the fact that you didn't like certain policies and procedures. Catherine's is a good company and we do sell nice things, mostly overpriced in my opinion, yes, but we also ALWAYS have sales going on so you never pay the "sticker price".

I am 50 and have extensive work experience at and feel that if I was brought to the front of the store for the manager to go through my personal belongings it would happen only once. There are plenty of other employers who appreciate your work and know how to treat their employees. If a company can't pay you with check and treat you like at valued employee you shouldn't work there. A good indication of how a company treats their customers is to watch how they treat their employees.

Working does not revolve around you and every company has policies and procedures, you should have read through them.

You realize it's procedure to check EVERY employees belongings before they leave the store at the end of their shift? Or did you not read the policies handbook. Being a part-time employee means 25 hours or less, i work 3 hour shifts, but do work more than 2 days a week. Managers are told to watch how many labor hours they use, it's a company...people don't work for free and someone has to pay all of those people. My direct deposit was never lost, i got my first paycheck no problem. I think you're just clueless about working since you're only 19.