sales associate

brand manager

store manager

staffing manager

department manager

Victorias Secret

I worked here for around 2 years in Leeds. I started as a temp and eventually became permanent after 2 months. 

Pros - 
Everyone was female aged around 17-35 it’s a great place to make new friends and there’s genuinely nice people to work with.
Pre Pandemic we used to get Gratis (Free items) every month from full bra sets to perfumes.
If you focus on being a seller there is chance for career progression.
The majority of being a sales associate is selling on the shop floor, being on the tills, tidying the store, tagging items in the back and stock related jobs in the stockroom. So it’s a fairly easy job. 

Cons -
The management. When writing this I’m aware several of the previous managers have left however some are still at the Leeds store. The managers like to play favourites and the clear miscommunication between management and associates is one of the main reasons I left VS. The brand managers like to give the jobs they are supposed to be doing themselves, for the associates to do and like to hide in their office instead of being on the shop floor. Associates are told we can only bring water upstairs onto the shop floor to drink throughout the shift, whilst they bring in iced lattes and smoothies etc and parade around. The management mainly just care about numbers, they each have their own ‘section’ of the day e.g 2pm-4pm and in that time the associates sales are supposed to surpass the number of sales from the previous year. So the associates put in all the hard work up selling items to reach the target, yet the manager of that section will take all the credit and get a good note on their file, when they have done nothing but stand there. Most of management are hot and cold one morning they will be all smiling, chatty and trying to uplift you for the day then the next day they will be moody not talk to you and only appear if there’s a problem on the shop floor. Many of these problems have been brought up to HR but I’m unaware of the outcomes since leaving the store. 

If you are wanting to be permanent full time eventually you won’t get it. The maximum they will probably give you is around 28hrs and that’s after you have been there for years. They only give around 4-5 permanent associates 40 hours a week contracted (the ones who have been there the longest). 

Christmas time is chaos, around 30+ associates are hired as Christmas temps to work alongside the 30 members of the permanent team and even with all these people there’s still not enough help on the shop floor. The store gets extremely messy and busy and you are under a lot of pressure getting the queue down at the tills. Customers can be very demanding and rude just like in any retail job but at Christmas they really take it to another level. 

The staff room. It’s tiny and dirty, there’s only 3 tables and it gets very full during lunch breaks when there are temps. There’s also a dirty microwave that no one cleans and stinks. 

Uniform Bias. When I started I got told off for wearing certain items (the uniform is smart black/white clothing with smart closed toe shoes) yet managers turn up in converse and flip flops. 

Overall for the colleagues I worked with and the friends I’ve made I would recommend working here but only temporary. I had some really good memories at VS. If you’re thinking of applying honestly go for it and just get to know people, you will be made permanent if you do your job well, get along with everyone and don’t cause any drama or be late etc. 

A typical day here involved 'briefs' before each and every shift filled with fake enthusiasm from each and every member of the management team - you have to force yourself to fake smile the entire time. These briefs are to do nothing but force each individual to drive up sales as well as discuss money hungry tactics to beat these targets.
Followed by trips down to the sales floor to begin another day of pestering customers to remember what your name is.
Management do not care about you as an individual however just see you as a money making machine.
At times it also feels like you're back at school. Each person has a file - and they take lateness very seriously - you will receive a file note for even being 1 minute late past your shift. However depending on how much you're liked, these notes will be excused. 3 or more will result in you being dismissed from your job - which you will only know of right before you begin a shift. Doesn't matter if you travel an entire hour to get to work, these people do not care and will tell you before you being your shift that you are fired.
Work place culture is very money orientated and those that are celebrated and mentioned are those who have made the most money for the company.
The only enjoyable aspect was the generous staff discount of 30% and monthly gratis - 
The people in general are all miserable and management are the absolute worst. A few think they have authority and love coaching sellers to feel better about themselves - when in reality they have no idea how intense it is to be a seller, hit targets and ensure customers remember your name so you receive your commission.
Senior sellers will also steal your customers as they are able to travel onto different floors whereas standard sellers remain in the same place. Senior sellers are also able to activate on tills and many ring all the sales in their own names even if other people have helped these customers. Which is wrong. Management are fully aware of all this however disregard these little things as they see senior sellers as those who make most of the profit for the company. AGAIN - all that is considered here is money money money. 
Do not make the mistake of trusting anyone in management, they are all fake and snakey and most do not like each other anyways.
Do not apply here if you do not have thick skin because this place will honestly give you mental health problems.
You will end up staying for the money, and that only. In the process you will 100% lose yourself and your mental stability. 
Minimum you can also work here is 32 hours- they have no care whether you're a student or not. You will be worked like a dog and spoken to like a money making object.
Working here caused me to lose weight, my hair to fall out and i became depressed too. 
Worst place I have come across in my life - management here have a massive part to play in this.

A typical day at work revolves around being pushed to make customers buy. Sales are heavily monitored and you are made to feel terrible if people you have helped do not remember your name at the cash wrap. Obvious retail tasks apply, pushing stock, customer service etc. When taken on by Victoria's Secret you will be told it is all about 'her experience'. I for a fact have come to find this to be untrue. 

I have learned that after my experience at Victorias Secret I will never work in retail again as it has put me off for life. There is no chance for progression and it seems to be that to work your way up you have to be 'in' with management. 

Management is lacklustre to say the least. You are told one thing then a few days later that doesn't apply. Shifts are messy, often ending up with no weekends at all (not even the odd one and I am very aware this is retail) and shifts are given so you will work for 8.5 hours and get a half hour break rather than the extra 30 minutes of work giving you an hours break. Staffing is very low and they will do anything to cut hours to save money.

Co-workers are the best thing about the job. From my time at Victorias Secret though, I have seen many promising people leave due to low moral and lack of opportunity and the remaining people that used to be enthusiastic slowly wither and wilt away.

The hardest part of the job is actually wanting to be there and trying to rack your brains for a reason why you are still there and have lasted so long. The money isn't bad for retail but, the way you are spoken to and the stress put upon you is not worth it.

The most enjoyable part of the job is walking out the door (usually after you've been put on 4 late shifts in a row finishing at 10pm) and having a rare day off away from it all. 

This is my personal opinion and isn't an attack on the brand or company. It is just a review that i hope will guide you in the right direction in a career move that you may end up regretting.

I used to greatly enjoy my job however it has constant changing management leading to a ever changing system, shifts used to be well organised and planned with a good scheduled weekly rota, now shifts are constantly being changed last minute including hours, going from working 30-40 some weeks to sometimes going as little as 8, making it incredibly hard to predict and pay can be very up and down, especially as you either get a good pay but not a healthy work-life balance such as doing multiple all day shifts leaving you no time or having basically no hours getting you in for one or two seeming pointless shifts a week, which can be frustrating, especially as most of the time you are just stood around with little to do, with no assigned job or task especially on quiet days. As well management can be super bipolar, such as some days being fun and supportive as we have multiple managers (making it incredibly difficult to get one set of rules and being told two different things by managers). Some days can be super fun and energetic and some days will take it out on staff if the store is struggling or a manager is having a bad personal day, making it a very unstable environment to be in. The fellow associate are great most of the time but it is also impossible to get shifts swapped and management can be bad for talking about associates personal problems with other associates. Also you can have unpleasant interactions with customers such as borderline harassment as it is mainly female staff, which nothing is done about even if they make you extremely uncomfortable. It is a fun job on good days and you will make great friends but the management is something to be wary of as their opinion of you can change in a day which definitely has a follow on effort. Also minimum wage of 8 hours of standing, busyness + night shifts which are slow and often involve heavy lifting, not fun. 

VS is both a very rewarding job as well as demanding, each day you have targets to reach which is expected of everyone even if the store is quiet, if you are a very shy person this job is not for you, you are expected to approach customers and sell sell sell anything from bras to perfume. The store expects a very high standard which you have to constantly tidy as well as serving customers. You also have to stay behind 1 hour each day if you are on the late shift to ensure the store is tidy and clean for the next day. Expect long hours, night shifts, 6am starts. VS does provide staff with discounts and something called gratis which you can get items for even cheaper and even free which is always a bonus. I loved working here for the staff and the pros to the long but you have to expect no social life as you are expected to work weekends and late. The most enjoyable part of the job is 'most' customers you actually connect with them especially in the fitting rooms and it is very rewarding to see that you have made someone comfortable and happy. The hardest part of the job is any time around Christmas, the targets are higher the shop is busier, you have to be on top of everything as the store can get really messy (boxing day) Sale takes a lot of upkeep and you can find yourself just going round in circles which can be very frustrating. 
VS also only offer 4 hour contracts so one week you could be working 40 and the next 4, i was always awkward hours such as 6-10pm which meant you are waiting around all day.

I was working 40 hours a week on a 4 hour contract. It was very solitary - in the back of the shop unboxing merchandise and tagging them for hours and hours. It would be much less stressful if the other people working there spoke to you, but it was very cliquey. 

Multiple 14 hour night shifts which involved incredibly strenuous activities (moving entire fixtures around, shifting crates.) Then the day after you'd be expected to come in at 5am. I once had a week that had 2x 5am starts, then 2x 6am starts, one after the other, then two night shifts. It takes me 1hr 30mins to get there, too. One week it got to the point where I was crying with tiredness. 

Water was not allowed on the shop floor or in the back room, which was very bad, as you would become dehydrated very quickly. Especially when you're on the till, when you don't have the chance to go to the break room for hours. 

Management was incredibly stressed out and unapproachable, would literally be barking orders at you to go faster. The worst part about it was that everyone that worked there seemed to be under some sort of spell - they acted like their life depended on whether or not this bra hung on the hanger right. 

Really unenjoyable, the pay was not worth it.

My advice to anyone who works here is to be more assertive, and to demand you need a drink when you become dehydrated, or if you are so tired your legs are shaking - that you need to sit down.

A typical shift at Victoria's Secret involved setting and checking daily and weekly targets, then connecting with customers on the shop floor in order to make sales. I learned about different techniques for selling, responding to different customers, and making them feel at ease. working at VS also required an extensive knowledge of the product. I struggled with the store management as there was a lot of pressure over reaching high targets, especially when the shop was very quiet. Even when the store was empty of customers, talking to other members of staff was discouraged, which prevented the feeling of being settled as part of a team and caused tension among the staff, especially when members of the management were around. Lots of the staff felt as though certain members of the management actively disliked them and that they were always doing something wrong, until they had a day where they did particularly well with sales, and the pressure eased a little. Lots of members of the team left in the time that I was there. The workplace would have had a lovely atmosphere to work in, but pressure from the management made it unpleasant. the hardest part of the job was meeting targets on quiet days. The most enjoyable part of the job was working with customers and helping to build their self confidence by taking them through the process of bra fittings and choosing different styles and designs

I sent an application early last December and I had an interview and was working within less than two weeks.I found the interview process to be really professional and fun. I enjoyed speaking to the supervisor. 

When I started working I went through my whole first shift in training and I found it very informative about what I had to do. However, when I actually started working I did find that I was lost and not really sure what to do to help out. Some of the older seasonal associates helped me out and I found them to be really really helpful. One girl taught me how to use the tills, then watched over me as I did it a couple times before going to another till. I would make a few mistakes on them at first but the managers were always very helpful and understanding of my mistakes and explained where I was going wrong. They were also very helpful with difficult customers. 

The pay was AMAZING, and I got lots of hours over Christmas which was fantastic. The shifts are long but because of all the sales, it was busy and I found that time went quick.

I think the worst part about the job was, the managers kind of throw you out onto the shop floor and expect you to know what to do, but lucky I had a lot of girls on my level who really helped me out.

Overall it was an amazing job and it's been great for me to experience the busy retail life. I loved it. Would recommend to anybody.

A typical day at work is being treated like a child. The environment is very toxic, constant gossiping. Worse for new starters, you will not be accepted and will be told to do other people’s work for them. 

The people who have been there for ages look out for each other but couldn’t care less about anyone who isn’t in their group. 

Management is so unprofessional, managers as well as assistant managers left during my brief time there as it is just such a toxic place to work. The customers are quite nice but you are pushed to sell, they do reviews every month where they watch how you interact with customers. 

Management and supervisors constantly gossiping, even about each other to sales associates. You are spoken to like a child, pay isn’t great, they don’t care about you as a person. All they care about is profit and blaming each other. They also don’t care if you’re unwell, people were made to come in if they called in sick. Also, beware that there are constant night shifts, which won’t be mentioned at your interview. Everyone is opted in to this unless below 18. 

Furthermore, most are on a 6 hour contract but expected to work a minimum of 20 hours. This is so they don’t have to give you full time benefits, very unethical. 

I wouldn’t recommend working here if you care about your mental health. 

My typical day at work would depend on if I was on an early start (6am); if I was to start at 6am, I would be on shipment processing to where I would spend most of my day in the stockrooms sorting through deliveries and helping re-stock the shop floor. Other times I would be on the shop floor assisting customers with excellent customer service and up-selling the company's products. 
I learned more skills about customer service and about the company's background to where it all started to where they are now. 
The management was fantastic, they listened to your needs and worked with your availability ensuring you always had the correct hours and that you were able to work them.
The co-workers I had were extremely helpful in always making sure you were comfortable and that you always knew what you were doing as well as being friendly and accepting into the group easily. 
The hardest part of the job was the overnight shifts, though I enjoyed them, the shifts messed with my sleeping pattern therefore making me sleep throughout the day and awake all night.
I loved being on the shop floor and selling first hand to customers as it allowed me to communicate with customers and provide the customer with the most memorable service to eventually return to the store.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Sales associate 3 salaries reported	£17,667 per year
Brand manager 3 salaries reported	£28,000 per year
Store manager 2 salaries reported	£29,529 per year
Staffing manager 1 salary reported	£32,500 per year
Department manager 1 salary reported	£36,405 per year

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