after working for Alfred Angelo for a short time, i can verify that the complaints here are warranted and very accurate. i was hired in February, along with a large group of women. the training was practically non-existent. i've worked in high end retail for nearly 10 years, and i've never felt so unsure of myself and uncomfortable relaying information to customers. i like to be able to feel confident in what i'm selling to a customer- that all the information i'm giving them is true and without exceptions. the training i received didn't include the fine details, and i felt as if i looked completely incompetent, having to constantly refer to a manager for answers... and after asking the manager, having her snap at me for not being able to answer the questions myself. Kim Benny was our district manager, and she is as unpleasant as the previous reviews indicate. she tries to be intimidating to her pion employees, frequently reminding us that if we don't SELL SELL SELL, we will be quickly and easily replaced. the constant threat of being fired for not meeting sales goals certainly did not make for high overall employee morale. in fact, i often had migraines and nightmares about work, and felt anxiety the moment i entered the parking lot. after finally getting on a roll with my sales, i was soon reminded that the "amazing" commission i would make would not be added to my paycheck until after the item came into the store and was picked up by the customer, which often takes 3-6 months. i was hired in February, worked the "busy" season, and by the time July rolled around, things had slowed down. anyone who has worked retail for any amount of time knows that summer is the slow season. if you are a summer bride, your gown was most likely purchased earlier in the year, and not as many brides have fall and winter weddings. so of COURSE sales were down. instead of understanding the concept of the "retail summer slump", the employees were being blamed for poor sales. we were asked to push the sales harder, and to call brides (whether they purchased that day or not) 3 times in 14 days, to ask if they'd like to come back for another appointment. now, if i was a bride and i'd just emptied my bank account on a $1500 dress, and my stylist called me back a few days later asking to come in soon and perhaps purchase that $300 veil i just couldn't afford, i'd probably tell her to F right off. and in many cases, that's exactly what the brides told me to do. i felt ridiculously uncomfortable, calling people 3 times in 14 days...it felt like harassment. after sales didn't pick up, the entire staff was informed via phone that we were ALL being laid off. that sales were so bad, there was not enough money to keep the store staffed. that seemed ridiculous to me, considering what a large company Alfred Angelo is. and with that, the commission we had all earned did not go on our final paycheck. so therefore, when we actually WERE having great sales earlier in the season, all the commission we earned was moot, as those dresses were still on order and had not yet been shipped to the store or picked up by the customer. it seems to me that being fired at that time was a strategic move on the part of the company. they got to pocket the approx $800+ commission earned per employee.
while Alfred Angelo does have some beautiful wedding and bridesmaid dresses, i cannot in good faith tell recently engaged friends and family to shop there. not only was my experience working there abysmal, the way i told to treat customers (i.e.- like walking $ signs...no literally, i was told think this way) is disgusting and goes against my personal beliefs.