The pay was great, there was a pay rise every 6 months or so (by a percent or two, but it all adds up!), and your pay goes up every year on the anniversary of your start date- so after five years, you could be on nearly €16 an hour. Plus you get a lot of hours each week, so you won't be without cash!
Four weeks paid holiday leave on permanent contracts, plus Christmas bonus at the end of November.
The work isn't hard, it's just the customers, constant mess and some of the managers that you've to deal with. Training is comprehensive, and if you're ever stuck, you can always ask someone. Some managers are lovely, others are on a complete power trip, which you'll notice very quickly and learn how to avoid. HR are fine, just don't annoy them, they get annoyed easily...
Have a thick skin, because you'll need it with a lot of the customers! Don't take any of the comments or insults to heart, plus you'll learn soon enough to not care about what they say.
Very messy, all the time- especially during the summer months and around Christmastime. Don't panic if a table doesn't get fully folded, or if there's still clearing to do at the end of the night- it'll get done tomorrow.
Staff are great, people are usually always friendly and helpful.
Don't have too many lates on temporary contracts! No matter how good you are, if you're late more than twice, you're gone. And no sick calls, either. Can't ask for a Saturday off on temp. contract, no matter what the occasion is (obviously n
ProsThe pay. The hours. The colleagues.
ConsLong hours. Could be working 6 days, or even 7 or 8, in a row. You'll find that, after a while, it'll feel like you never leave the place...
•Good wages for the retail industry.
•Great leeway for needing time off and quite lenient and understanding if you are genuinely ill.
•Hard work is genuinely appreciated by managers. But you end up picking up others slack and getting grief from those staff for showing them up. So basically don’t work too quickly if you want to fit in.
•Great opportunities to progress in store. I’ve known staff to go from retail assistants to supervisors to managers.
•Most staff are friendly but because it’s a big store there is also lots of grievances and gossip.
•I learned a lot about fashion, merchandising, good customer service among a lot of other skills.
• I’ve worked both part time and full time positions so I do feel that full time staff get preferential treatment and more respect than the part time staff.
•The actual work can be very physical when drawing stock putting it out. Heavy boxes, stripping plastic and often moving stock to keep a fresh look.
• But the evening work consists of tidying stock which can be very monotonous and drag out the time.
•The tills are fine and gives you a break and a chance to rest your feet since they have seats.
•Fitting-rooms are a nightmare though, the system isn’t followed properly so adds to confusion and irate customers. Also they are very busy and you can’t count the clothes properly when people are leaving because the stock is rolled up in balls and thrown at you when the customer is leaving. And it’s hard to not sound rude while a
Learnt about manual handling, communication and working in a fast-paced environment. I worked as part of a team (received instructions by managers on the floor, coordinated with them and other sales assistants) kept assigned area presentable (kept the floor clean, tables tidy, rails clear) and interacted with customers (offered assistance to customers, gave them directions or helped them find items), altered replenished stock on the floor when necessary.
The managers and HR department were very good and hands-on for the most part (a few of them were rude, inconsiderate, utterly uninterested in the employees they supervised, and overall terrible). All fellow sales assistants were friendly, helpful and willing to work well together.
The only problem I personally had was communication with managers about how I was doing my job. If I wasn't working fast enough at one display, or paying enough attention to one table or if they had a question about my work; they wouldn't just outright tell me so I could immediately answer their questions or fix a flaw. They would wait weeks later to tell me in an assessment. That always seemed futile to me.
I enjoyed it when I helped a customer. When I had a display perfectly organised. When I could tell a manager that my area was clear and controlled enough that I could assist in another area. When I replenished all my necessary stock. I enjoyed interacting with my colleagues and working with them.
Most of the management in this store are absolutely awful. Some floor managers belittle staff openly in front of customers and colleagues as well as to eachother when they think they are out of earshot. They have favourites among their staff with some being allowed to spend the day chatting while others are constantly being checked on and given extra work to pick up the slack.
Emails to HR about roster requests often don't get answered and only after the more emails or having to go into the store and ask in person are rosters changed. Staff are left waiting outside on early mornings when no manager is rostered to start because of mix ups or because the managers don't arrive until 10 minutes before clock in. You are often be told to do different things by different managers because they don't let eachother know what they have their staff doing. The stockroom is so full of stock that it's very easy to trip or fall over something and unless you get injured it's just forgotten about and no report filled out. There is a real culture of fear of what management will do if anything is reported. This is made worse by the fact that there is no union representative for the shop.
It was honestly one of the worst run places I have ever worked and I am glad that I don't have to deal with the management there anymore.
Penneys, auf dem Europäischen Festland besser bekannt als Primark, ist eine schnellwachsende und dynamische Firma, die jungen Leuten die Chance zur Selbstverwirklichung im Einzelhandel bietet. Nach acht Jahren bei Primark kann man den Alltag als routiniert und durchstrukturiert bezeichnen, Abwechslung gibt es nur selten. Fachlich ist Weiterbildung innerhalb der Firma für diejenigen möglich, die ein Interesse an einer Karriere im Einzelhandel haben. Für mich war der Beruf ideal, da die Arbeitszeiten meinem Vollzeitstudium angepasst werden konnten. Die Firma zeigte sich hier immer flexibel. Gelernt habe ich viel Toleranz zu zeigen, vor allem gegenüber Management , denn oft kann es passieren, dass Vorgesetzte minderqualifiziert und weniger kompetent sind als die Angestellten. Die Angestellten machen diesen Job begehrenswert, denn mit ein wenig Glück findet man am Arbeitsplatz Freunde fürs Leben. Das schwierigste an dem Job ist es nicht dauerhaft die Motivation zu verlieren, da Arbeitseinteilung nicht immer effizient ist und beim Management individuell sehr viel Willkür herrscht. Am besten gefällt mit die Flexibilität der Firma, das Verständnis dafür, dass das Leben nicht linear verläuft.
Not sure what it’s like in other locations but this location was not an enjoyable Penney’s to work for, very unenjoyable for seasonal staff; clear favouritism from management between seasonal and permanent staff i.e some permanent staff get away with not pulling their weight, given easier tasks to do. Temporary staff got in a lot more trouble for stupid reasons such as being too chatty, then not being chatty enough, being 30 seconds late off your lunch etc. Doesn’t matter how hard working you are. Overheard management and many older members of staff insulting the abilities of seasonal workers, with some being reduced to tears by the comments made! Very over staffed which led to many people standing around with nothing to do, and very very little hours each week. No variety in what work you’re given, either sit at the tills all day or stand in the corner and fold t shirts. While being on tills I found myself up to my eyes with sales and a queue out the door while the permanent staff would huddle together behind the counter and have a chat amongst themselves. Only benefit is the staff discount that’s given once every now and again and 1 or 2 managers that would chat to you like a normal person. Great if you’re permanent not if you’re temporary!
Working in Penneys usually consisted of re-stocking shelves and making sure my department given is clean , tidy and looking respectable for the customer. Helping the customers with finding products or clothing items or any problems they may have. In Penneys I learned how to work on tills , how to use a stock room and the right way to handle stock , how to put stock away on floor and how to keep the floor safe and comfortable for the costumer , the main thing i learned while working in Penneys is brilliant customer service skills and a positive attitude towards working and the customer. Management in Penneys was good , everyone was treated fairly spoken to nicely and communication between the managers and floor staff was very good. Theres a brillaint sense of team work in Penneys and all the co-workers got on very well and had no problem helping each other out. The hardest part of working in Penneys was dealing with the overwhelming crowds during the Christmas months this got easier though as i got used to it. The most enjoyable part if working in Penneys was being able to work with such a nice team of people that are very helpful and caring.
ProsGood wage, a helpful company to work for.
ConsBig crowds, long hours, a lot of stock to stack.
Only reason for 1 star is there is no option for 0 stars . I would certainly not advise working for this company. Starting band 11.5 to 14 hours to be fully flexible from 7am to 10pm Sunday to Saturday, so basically you will get basic hours of 14 a week and during trough periods or overspending on their budgets you will get 12 hours. Hours split into 4 hour days. Occasionaly hours will increase ..They hire extra staff without giving out the extra hours to staff already there as if there is a band review you would be entitled to go up a band if you worked over your band for a long period so they hire temporary staff instead on the 1st band so making it impossible to go up a band.You will be phoned few times a week on days off asking you to come in with no notice given. Absolutely no flexibility for working parents but flexibility with students which they are now planning to remove flexibility for students also. And as for holiday pay what a joke the way they calculate it ! if I took 1 summer week one month and the second summer week a month later, the second week I might be lucky to come out with 4 hours pay.
ProsWhen it's time to go home and fellow retail assistants
I thoroughly enjoy working as a Sales adviser in Pennys Letterkenny mainly due to the fact that the shop is extremely busy. The day begins by stocking the shop floor with new produce and existing items from the stock room. As the shop is so large its vital that each person works efficiently and rapidly without compromising the level of customer service. A single day could consist of stocking the shop floor, operating the tills, assisting customers in the fitting rooms and tidying and recovery of stock in the evening. Management in Pennys are generally friendly,work hard in their field and communicate well with staff. Continuous training in health and safety and customer service is mandatory for all staff in Penny's and actually benefits both the employees and customers,Working in Penny's enables me to work in a fast pace environment, surrounded my interesting people in a shop that sells up to date clothing. The best part of my day is on the morning when new items arrive and my least favorite part is dealing with a difficult customer.
ProsCompetitive salary, Christmas bonus and time and a half on Sundays and Bank holidays.
ConsSometimes the shop can be very noisy when a lot of children are in.
All about the money, Penneys is a great place to make money and it can be fun as a younger person with other young people but I wouldn't recommend moving up in the company, the management system is bizarre, they set you against each other in a not so friendly way and if your not dealing with toxic management your dealing with people who have working for penneys for 30 years and refuse to do anything besides what they have been doing for 30 years and they complain to the union if you even call them staff and they all hate each other as much as they hate management, you have to turn into a horrible person to make it anywhere in that company and I definitely wouldn't recommend if your not a c**t by nature,the inly saving grace is the young people who work there that are generally pleasant and happy to work but older staff slowly get into their heads and turn them toxic over time too, the money is good though , so I recommend doing your time there as management and then moving to a company that treats their management better.
No experience, initiative or work ethic needed...or wanted
I recently took a temporary 3 month Xmas contract with Penny's on Mary St. I worked in the stock room so cannot comment on any more than that.
It Started well but then talk of permanent work was mentioned by management...at the end only the staff who befriended managers were kept and most hard working staff who were to busy to befriend management were let go.
Very unfair recruitment system and inept HR research on staff performance.
Management was absent in my experience. I had 2 supervisors whom I encountered for approximately 30 seconds each morning when they sent staff to their allocated departments for the day. Apart from that they were hard to find and ineffective. Non-appreciative of initiative or work ethic.
A typical day involved working hard whilst watching managers and their staff buddy's chatting about various things such as the gym and shopping or football and so on. Rules are enforced on temps but no so much on permanent staff..
The hardest part of the job was all of the above, the work itself was actually very easy and the hours were manageable although they could be a bit random.
Co workers were all friendly and nice although not all hard working but then why would they when they're best pals with the management.
The most enjoyable part of the job was working with some interesting people from home and all over the world.
I can't say I learned anything from Penny's other than the fact that being a lickass will you get you a permanent
ProsCheap breakfast and lunch, better than min wage
ConsLunch was never any good
Questions and answers about Penneys
Why did you leave your job at Penneys?
Asked 21 Mar 2017
Belittld by certain managers in front of customers and other staff Members. One rule certain staff members that were able to get away with things. If your there more than 10 years your sorted with management and get nice hours, great time off, anything less and your the runt of the litter!
Answered 4 Oct 2019
I was treated so unfairly by management and because i didn’t feel the need to explain the fact i have dyspraxia in my interview i was accused of being a liar and put on probation
Answered 7 Sept 2019
How long after applying does penneys let you know if you have an interview
Asked 5 Dec 2017
I got a email after two hours of applying if I was free for a call got a call after two days they sent a virtual link for the interview.
Got a call after the interview that I passed and started induction training
Answered 23 May 2022
I applied Tuesday night and got a confirmation email the next day stating I have an interview the following Monday..
Answered 29 Sept 2021
How are the working hours at Penneys?
Asked 23 Mar 2017
I worked during the Christmas period, the hours I was receiving were generous and suited me as they worked round my college timetable. Occasionally I would be offered the chance to work extra hours if I wanted to.
Answered 11 Jul 2019
Terrible requesting hours are out of the question and no swaps or swoops as the called them for some reason
Answered 17 Jan 2018
How should you prepare for an interview at Penneys?
Asked 6 Mar 2018
Read up on the company's manufacturing site in the far east
Answered 11 Feb 2019
Show your personality, be polite, answer to the beat of your ability
Answered 19 Sept 2018
Are all retail assistant positions advertised as Tempory and then if they are happy with you, does your contract become permanent?
Asked 17 May 2017
Yes , i hope for permanent contract
Answered 11 Oct 2019
Yes , temporary is about 3 months then if they decide to keep you on it will become permanent
