management trainee

deputy manager

supervisor

store manager

manager

Schuh

Schuh is a very fast paced environment that caters to all audiences, but mainly the younger audience. Targets are expected of staff - sometimes they can be rather high and hard to reach and staff are frequently assessed on their performance. Competitiveness between staff sales is encouraged.
Each sale has to hit certain criteria and link selling is expected - this works well at times and other times people are not interested, management can add pressure to staff when certain amounts of link items are not sold by individuals.
During my time I learned a lot about retail, customer service and merchandising. It forced me to become more confident in approaching people (you are assessed on this by mamagement).
It is a very active job and you must have the ability to run up and down to collect stock and be able to read codes to find the stock, depending on the sale you may end up bringing out one box of shoes, other times you end up bringing out 5+ boxes for a customer.
The work place is very young and therefore can be young minded, the management team at my store in particular were older but had young mindsets which made the overall store feel very much like a school yard. At times it could be a gossipy place to work and rumours could spread causing friction between the staff. It does lack professionalism but encourages individuality.
There are opportunities to progress, I was fortunate enough to look into progression before deciding it was not for me, however this was not openly offered to me. I had heard about other staff members seeking this training and seemingly had to force management to give me a chance. This isn't for lack of effort, there was a lot of favouritism in my particular store, which led management to chat frequently with specific staff members and be seemingly friendlier with the ones they liked the most.
The main reason for leaving was the repetitive nature of the job, although you are encouraged to personalise and build report with customers, there are still points that become almost scripted, being a full time team member at the time this became mundane repeating the same things 30 times a shift 5 days a week, and also seeking a work environment that has a more professional approach to work.
A side note to my review: during my time in my position I suffered with my mental health and was not confident enough at the time to openly discuss this in depth with management. I was very down for a few weeks in the workplace and was pulled up for this, the manager at the time blamed my demeanour on being jealous of another employee that had secured a higher position that I wasn't interested in. When I then told the manager about my MH decline I was shown a poster with a helpline number and was told to call it if I wanted but they couldn't make me do this. There were no further follow ups on my MH, and no further catch ups on my overall wellbeing. At this time I did not feel adequately supported.
To summarise, Schuh is a good starting block for young people, it pays fairly and is a fast paced but sociable environment. Those that choose to progress within the company may need to highlight this to management if it is not openly offered and be aware that it is a very physical job. You do not sit down until end of shift or lunch and will be on your feet 4-8 hours of the day.

So the young 17 year old me , after many tries applied and succeed to get the job as a sales advisor in a new schuh store that was about to open. The so called training wasn't actual training , it was just a booklet for you to read without any real guidance or explanation. I wasn't meant to work on the day of the shop opening, but as you know from the reviews " the management is terrible at dealing with last minute shift cancellations or the opposite ". So I was called and told that I "HAD" to go , no "sorry for this last minute call or anything ". I was really panicky because despite reading the books given to me , they gave me no real shop floor training, and worst of all it was the day of shop opening. Out of probably 15 sales advisors that day, 4 or maybe 5 knew how to deal with finding the shoes on the stock room. The rest were wondering around, sweating, and panicking like crazy. ( it was a really AWFUL atmosphere). Anyway, the management are run by most 25-30 year olds who are incredibly unprofessional,  childlike and abusive. They protray this idea before you work there , " ask me anything we don't bite, you're new etc". Oh boy if you get anything wrong or even place the shoe in a different pose THEY DON'T LIKE,  they will drag you to the side and start to be nasty to you.If you fancy running to find shoes in less than "100 seconds" between the shop floor and the specific stock room floor , and yes the 100 seconds isn't an exaggeration and dealing with abusive managers and two faced coworkers, whilst dealing with regular customers , then this job is for you. A coworker of mine , during a very very dead day in the shop, noticed her shoe laces were undone. There was only 2 customers on the other side of the shop, the rest were sale advisors and 2 managers. She very quickly sat on one of the small shoe couches ( were you try the shoes or sit to wait ) , to tie her shoes. The manager on the floor literally pointed at her and shouted " GET UP!!". Another thing I noticed was that, your own coworkers are greedy and betray you. When a customer decides they want to buy the shoe , you place your " worker code " on the side of the shoe box, so the person at the cashier can put it in the system ( during the day a piece of paper near the managers room gets updated to show how much each person has sold in terms of money).  Anyhow, I caught the person at the till not even putting my code in , ofc embarrassed she claimed she was " tired and made mistake " ( this happened 2 more times.. ) also suprise suprise this person somehow was either top or 2nd place on earnings. So a summary

The hours are inconsistent.
You're only allowed a break every 6 hours
No extra pay during bank holiday
Your uniform consists of a cotton tshirt and a pair of jeans , your shoes are expected to be bought there.
You have 3 chances to pass your assessment as a new worker, if you fail you contract even if it's for 1 more month is terminated.
Managers are extremely lazy and abusive.
Booking holidays are extremely difficult even weeks in advance.
The amazing discount card you "eventually " receive only happens after you ask for it a gazillion times.


Work here if

You have no other choice
You have no other career aspirations but to work up in that company 
You enjoy retail

its really bad how the staff were treated. very clique groups and if someone was not In any group of friendship or wasn't close to any of the senior sales or staff they were pressured, bullied or frowned upon. other staff would judged you as you from the minute you walked in to the minute you left the building. 

 staff that just did there job (like myself) were looked down upon and singled out as we didn't make friends because we came to do a job nit to make friends at work. staff were either arrogant or rude and the ones that stayed quiet (like myself) looked depressed and sick from being there. the only time I was happy when my poor manager came back from her holiday and I slapped my resignation letter on the desk. I feel for her because she only found out after the culprits left that I was tormented and bullied the whole time I was there.

workplace culture is mediocre at best if you was part of a social group. unlike myself who had to work three jobs to make ends meet, was taunted and considered boring because I didn't speak to anyone, I did a job and went home. Its not that I didn't want to I just didn't have time to, travelling to another job to get the money I needed. 

I was outcaste and made fun off by other staff members as well making the whole experience so much more sick. and working hours was okay i guess you did your standard and if you wanted overtime you hopefully got it before someone else did as it was a 'who could type to quickest' which sometimes unfair. although in reverse when nobody wanted hours staff like myself who were already working in another job or had studies were forced to do hours that either took away precious study time or overlapped work commitment from another jobs and not taking note that sometimes that hours couldn't of been done. 

overall there was no enjoyable part of the job and i actually grew quiet sick being there it had drained me and lapsed into depression and anxiety.  the depression of being there and it made me feel sad and anxiety because i was so scared and worried who was going to pick on me next and what was going to be said to me next i would panic before going into work and my heart race a bit as i was so worried what staff would say. 

oh before i left on my last shift i got told by my senior sales team member that my standers were rubbish and that i was terrible at sales (such as moral booster).

Spent a good few years at Schuh Church Street. Store is falling to bits in the back and there's mould everywhere, toilets are absolutely disgusting and don't get me started on the staff room. Staff are always getting taken on with 3 hour contracts, per week, so they don't have to give out hours all the time or lunches. Took me years to move on from a 4 hour a week contract. 

New managers are always introduced into the shop because they take on internally so once you get used to one managers ways, you then have to instantly change to the way another manager works because of the high turn over, and this happens constantly. Management are very unprofessional, talking about private issues to staff and other members of management, even the regional bosses will talk about you behind your back!

Don't get given any tasks so once you start using your initiative to keep yourself busy, management take advantage of that and have you doing all the shop duties whilst the rest of the staff stand on the shop floor talking, and you're not getting paid any extra.

Don't expect to enjoy your hour lunch without someone calling you from downstairs to 'come onto the shop floor because we're too busy'.

You have to go by a strict service check list where management watch you like a hawk and 'score you' out of 101%.... If you get under a specific percentage, you get a warning. So much pressure to sell 'multies' which are add ons, so you're told you have to try and sell more than what the customer wants which is so uncomfortable and embarrassing when trying to force sell to customers. If you don't sell a certain amount of shoes, they'll let you know about it and its plastered on a screen for everyone to see.

Schuh used to give fantastic yearly bonuses and now you don't get a thing. Very difficult to grow in the company, unless you tell them you're willing to move half way across the country, don't bother trying to get into management here.

The only good thing about working here was the people that you become friends with and 40% off full price items. Event days can be good e.g. student events.

Very flexible as you're likely to only get 4 or 5 hour shifts, which even as a student you can't live off of. The people you work with are mostly all lovely and you'll get on really well. However, the majority of managers you work with are insufferable, even if you exceed all your targets and are making the store stats look good, they aren't satisfied. Cliques are everywhere and they make day-to-day working very uncomfortable as you constantly feel unwelcome and that there is an atmosphere when you are just trying to do your job or eat your lunch, resulting in me dreading having my lunch breaks knowing that I would have to sit in uncomfortable silence for an hour and not feeling like I could eat due to the tension. There were times when I really enjoyed working here however management practice is not sustainable and they need a reality check considering 90% of the staff are students either still in secondary school or in college/uni.

I was inappropriately touched by another sales associate and I am somewhat okay with how it was resolved, however I feel that it could have been handled a lot better and that they faced no consequence or meaningful accountability.

In my personal experience, two of the management team weaponised my diagnosed mental illness against me and said it made me difficult to work with, despite consistently achieving results and even getting employee of the month. Other managers in store were lovely but they gave the impression that they were all stuck at the end of their job progression. 

In all senses this is a student job, and if you decide to climb the ladder you'll plateau at store manager and make it your life's mission to make a 17 year old uncomfortable with your weirdly-personal anecdotes about your failing love life and use it as an excuse to be nasty to your team.

I learned a lot being at Schuh. I was always looking to progress alongside my degree in order to add strength to my CV. The management team at both the Bullring store and the Touchwood team took that into consideration and really aided my development. At the solihull store the management expectations were high, I was asked not only to carry out the procedures set out in my contract but exceed them, which I was more than happy doing as I enjoy taking on a greater workload and learning more. 
I learned a variety of important skills there. Time management was one of the most key skills i picked up there. As a company they are very strict on their expectations of management there. I was frequently asked to arrive to work half an hour sometimes longer before my shift in order to ensure that everything was set up for the day ahead, I would also be expected to stay behind after my shift had finished. It was a good learning curve for myself as when I was a sales assistant i would generally start and finish my shift at the allotted times, so when moving into the management side of things i was forced to better plan my time.
The hardest part of the job was trying to deal with awkward customers, there is nothing harder then a customer trying to return an item when there are no faults with them after they have been used. It is important in this instance that you remain professional and not belittle the customer. instead you must ensure that you are listening to their side of the story and try to help them to come round to your point of view, or if not doing this just make it so the customer is satisfied with my own judgement.
The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting new people. I am a sociable person, so meeting new people both colleagues and customers was a big part of the job for me. I enjoy 1 on 1 interaction so this is one of things that led me into a retail in the first place.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of working at the company was definitely the people and the experiences I gained. The team made the workplace enjoyable and supportive, especially during busy shifts. I also had great opportunities to build my confidence, improve my communication skills, and gain valuable retail experience that will help me in future roles.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part of working at the company was being regularly reviewed and receiving performance feedback, especially when working towards sales targets. While it helped me improve and develop, it could sometimes feel stressful. Additionally, the busy, high-demand summer periods were also challenging, with long queues and constant customer flow, but they helped me build resilience and learn how to stay calm and efficient under pressure.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is fast-paced, energetic, and team-focused. During busy periods it can feel intense, but the team works closely together to support each other and keep things running smoothly. The culture encourages hitting targets, providing great customer service, and maintaining high store standards, while also creating a friendly and social atmosphere among staff.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day involved welcoming customers, helping them find the right footwear, checking stock in the back, and maintaining the presentation of the shop floor. The role was fast-paced, especially during busy periods, so teamwork was essential. I also focused on upselling by recommending additional products such as care kits or alternative styles, helping to enhance the customer experience while contributing towards store sales targets.

Firstly, the hiring process was really easy, it was a quick online application and I got a phone call the same day to arrange an interview, I attended a group interview that same week with 2 other people and I got a phone back by the time I got home telling me I was successful. I started about a week later. 

The Work/Life balance is good. Managers in my store in particular are really understanding around other commitments including university/school, days available and unavailable, and can accommodate shifts around your availability. The online system YourSchuh is really good too where you can update your availability any time.

Salary is okay, a bit more than minimum wage so its okay for pocket money or as a part time job but its definitely not a livable wage, as someone who is 22 its definitely not enough to live off. I was promised on my interview a 20 hour contract but some weeks I would only get 4-12 hours, not sure why. 

Managers are friendly, they are easy to talk to if there's any problems and don't act 'superior' or look down on staff which I've experienced in other jobs.
However, the job itself has a lot of things you HAVE to remember to do with every customer or you WILL get pulled up about it by management (part of the 'BE BOLD') things like e-receipts, reusable bags, multi's, accessories (socks and crep protect) must be offered with every sale and it can be a lot to remember. 

Some days are quieter than others which is understandable, weekdays are mostly quiet and weekends are hectic, one thing I didn't like was other staff members asking you to get shoes for them which I'm still unsure if that's allowed or not...

The staff discount is amazing, 40%, 25% and 15% depending on how long you've worked there or the item you want to buy. 

I learned a lot while working there, the online training resources are really good and it's definitely more complex than any other retail job that i've had.

My typical day at work consists of many opportunities for customer sales and stock room management. Stock room management would include recovery of stock, customer orders, delivery and returns to the warehouse.When conducting a customer sale knowledge of the brand is important. It is also important that when retrieving a shoe for a customer that you are away for the shortest time possible which means you have to work at a fast pace. It would also involve putting through sales and handling large amounts of cash. 
I learned new communication skills in terms of customer service and I learned to overcome customer problems. 
The management within my workplace were very structured therefore making it easy to be aware of who deals with certain issues. There is a great focus on communication between managers and staff and this helped in my progress within the workplace as my performance was monitored and evaluated frequently. 
There was great support and communication between all staff members and we all worked together as a team to achieve a shared goal. This resulted in less involvement from management. 
The hardest part of the job is the busier times of year e.g. Christmas, back to school and summer. This involves taking on a much heavier workload than I would have on a normal day. At times I could be serving 4-5 customers at the one time. This means I had to be on top form from the start of my shift to the very end.
The most enjoyable part of my job was the friendly yet competitive work environment. Working together we stayed competitive against other stores yet kept a highly motivated and enthusiastic work ethic.

I was hired as a Christmas temp and signed a contract that promised to see me through to February. The contract turned out to be a cleverly worded zero hour, despite seeming to promise me a set amount of hours each week. I was asked constantly to come in with limited notice and had a number of shifts cancelled minutes before they were due to start, which accumulated to me having 3 weeks without work or pay. 

I was also promised benefits such as staff discount of up to 40% off shoes, however the management dithered in giving me my discount card, claiming they didn't have it yet meaning I didn't once get to take advantage of this. 

I also had an older member staff who was above me constantly making advances towards me both at work and online, which made me feel uncomfortable whenever we had to work together. 

There was a group in the management department and long term workers that made me and the other temps feel outcasted. It definitley felt as though there was a hierarchy within the members of staff. 

Despite my contract being 3 months, I, along with the other temps were let go a month before with no two week notice. It left me without a job and no income for a long time. It was on my last day that I noticed my discount card which the managers had been telling me they hadn't recieved on the side in their office. I asked if I could use it for my last shift that day and was told I was not allowed as I was not a member of staff any more, even with a month still left on my contract. I imagine the managers avoiding and not wanting to give me my entitled discount played a factor in me getting dropped early.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Management trainee 9 salaries reported	£27,723 per year
Deputy manager 4 salaries reported	£24,613 per year
Supervisor 2 salaries reported	£12.96 per hour
Store manager 3 salaries reported	£34,833 per year
Manager 3 salaries reported	£26,667 per year

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