Clarks Employee Reviews
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When I worked at Clark’s it was for a temp position during one of their busiest times. Honestly, the management were lovely. They were especially helpful when I was suffering with my mental health, to which I will always be grateful as they made everything easier for me so I could manage. At the time I was working part-time but the money was enough for me to manage on. The moral was friendly but competitive (in a positive way, we all worked together and were constantly praised by each other). Overall the best work environment I have ever worked in.
Pros
Good management, good staff moral, positive and encouraging environment
Cons
Not sure
Une très belle experience de travail avec une formidable équipe et une direction toujours à l'écoute.
Pros
Ambiance et collègues
Cons
Pas de primes
Absolutely loved the team that I worked with here. The environment is always good. It gets hectic once in a while but is managed pretty well by the management team. The manager is very considerate and kind. Enjoyed my time working here!
Pros
Flexible rota
Cons
Occasional late finishes
Pushy expecting you to sell 2 pairs shoes doesnt always work as they are all about profit and shoe care yeah there polite but its for a reason how much money can i make out of you. If you pulled up a sale pair and it was cheaper than what they was looking at they will tell you off.
Clarks is a great place to work that allows you to flexibly work/study around it. All the staff I worked with are friendly and we all worked as a good team. This is a fantastic job that is payed fairly and allows you to meet new people every day. Also its difficult to find a retail job like this where the management is actually good so definitely worth it.
Pros
Fair pay, good management, flexible around studies
Cons
Peak times like back to school can be really busy
I worked at clarks for almost 4 years and it was my first job. I did enjoy my time but that was due to the people I worked with, not so much the company. The company have far too high expectations for a brand that has stronger competitors on the high street nowadays which make it much harder to sell to customers and reach the ridiculous targets they set. It’s your fault if you don’t sell enough shoe care or get enough multisales etc even though there was very little footfall and you can’t be blamed for a customer not wanting to buy every single time. It was difficult to stay motivated in that sort of environment when you knew you were trying your hardest but it still wasn’t good enough. It’s a good first time job but for a slow paced environment it’s too stressful long term.
Pros
Hourly rate, friendly colleagues
Cons
Lack of hours, unrealistic targets, slow paced, stressful
I worked with Clark’s a good amount of time, admittedly I learned a lot during my time at Clark’s and I do feel proud to have worked in my store with my team however I can’t say I’m proud to have worked for Clark’s as an employer. During my time at Clark’s there seemed to be constant issues with management and store maintenance much of which went largely disregarded. As a small store it felt as though the health and safety of store staff would usually be put secondary to cost of repair. ncentive have become rare, less desirable and unachievable over recent years. As a member of management team you can’t really on the help of your area manager, as they are usually absent or uninterested. As for job security last year we were bluntly told our store was not up for closure. Our store closed this December.
Pros
Free shoes
Cons
As above
The whole company is sinking and it takes its toll on its Instore employees. The communication between head office and individual stores was so poor meaning there were always last minute changes to in-store displays, policies etc. Pay was pathetic for the standard they expect. Upper management always had politics which made no sense because everyone wanted power but no one wanted to actually do the work. Management had severe favouritism to the point the relationship between the manager and another staff member started to look inappropriate. For a part time job, if you can put up with it, it's fine. You'll suffer a lot but sometimes there's a lack of better option. Just don't let yourself get taken advantage off.
Pros
33% discount
Cons
Workplace culture, company attitude, employee treatment
Staff are very friendly and working there was fun. The job itself was very rewarding and good for those who enjoy customer based retail work. The shifts were long but went quickly because they was always something to do
Pros
Supportive colleagues
Cons
Lots of stairs in the back-difficult for anyone who struggles with them
worked here many years part time, and they were flexible. But over the years, extra pay on bank Holidays taken away and breaks. Busy outlet and it got to stage where they wanted you to do more with less staff. Training in store I was in was pretty much leave you to it and pick it up. So kids measure for shoes went downhill.
Pros
Good holiday
Cons
more work with less staff
Typical day would be serving customers by measuring children’s feet accurately, checking stock, bringing out alternatives and fitting the correct shoes/size. If on adults you should approach them and make conversation in regards to the different shoes, check any stock, bring down an alternative 2nd pair and try to upsell. Hardest part of the job would be the daily targets, each staff member would be set targets that they are expected to reach by the end of each shift. For example, £100 an hour so 4 hour shift would be £400, 3% shoecare and 30% multisales. You would have a scorecard to track your progress and if you didn’t hit these targets, management would pressure you into a reason as to why. I have had a few different management teams, whom all have ran the shop and dealt with situations very differently! Some not the best, it just seems the power gets to their head. The sort of management who just sit in the stock room/back all day. Whereas you get other managers who are fully involved in the shop floor/selling, care for staff, handle situations extremely well. Only work here if you can cope well under pressure, during back to school seasons it gets very very busy and stressful, you can have 20+ customers waiting to be served, all watching you deal with other customers.
Pros
Good pay, free shoes throughout year, discount card
Cons
No set rota, a lot of pressure, unrealistic targets each day, some management members are unfair
The job could be quite stressful at times, 1 hour break for a 9 hour shift was a bit disappointing. The staff were friendly enough but there were 1 or 2 who weren't as welcoming as others and didn't seem to like the thought of new staff joining. Managers were helpful but seemed unapproachable at times and seemed to pass the training onto existing team members instead of doing the training themselves. At times it felt unwelcoming but people have those days. Pay was very good and I made a few friends whilst working there. Environment was pleasant and most customers were a delight to help out. Overall, I did enjoy my time there.
Pros
Good Pay, Friendly Staff and Customers.
Cons
Long Hours, Slightly Short Breaks.
DO NOT WORK HERE !! I would not advise anyone to work here, first of all the manager constantly swears and calls you names , speaks to you like rubbish ,Shouts at you in front of customers , so much stress to meet targets never get credit for anything you do right ,always changes rotas without you knowing .
Pros
Free shoes
Cons
Awful manager, not long enough breaks, so stressful
New manager caused the whole team great distress. Workers have to work as if they are working on commission. Managers are rarely satisfied with any employee's work. Constant fear that if you do not sell enough shoes (as well as up selling other products) then you will get into trouble. From my experience, I believe that the managers are obsessed with their own success and care little about their employees. Employee care is terrible, after a short run at my local store I came out the side feeling exhausted and belittled by the way I was treated. I have worked at several other stores similar to this one but never faced such poor treatment. I guess Clarks do this in order to stay successful, but it is a very toxic workplace to work in, especially bigger stores in cities.
Pros
The pay is alright.
Cons
Managers overwork staff and set unattainable goals
Didn’t think I’d be the patient type with kids especially, but the training is really extensive and helpful and the job is genuinely enjoyable and really rewarding.
Pros
Shift patterns are very doable and usually flexible
Cons
Only certain number of hours available
Job itself is not too bad and your team in the store can make it be a better experience. But the organisation as a whole is a mess.Firstly if you work in store you will be blamed for company/store underperformance. List of your faults will be rather long:People come to browse and not to buy? - Your faultConversion and footfall low? - Your faultSame old shoes with the higher prices, which is not selling due to lack of innovation? - Your faultUnderstaffed? - Your faultCustomer didn’t leave the review? - Your faultI could go on and on, but you get the idea. Every bad decision made in HQ is pushed back on store workers.Targets are unrealistic, HQ wants one thing and area manager the other.Overall all AM are slick to get into Regional Managers back pocket and stay in the good book, which is not a surprise as she’s not very nice person. As a result you and your poor staff will be getting random figures, which aren’t achievable due to current retail landscape. But for Clarks “Covid is not an excuse” again it’s your fault, simply not good enough at your job. Be prepared to spend loads of time dealing with outdated business approach, spending years on pointless paperwork, which gets thrown without anyone looking at it. But you have to do it because it’s a proof for AM that you doing something? Anything? - Instead of tackling reality you will be writing down your conversion figures on piece of paper, which are click away on the pc.Stores aren’t equal - if you working in the smaller city or town you won’t matter as everything is about Top 60. This approach is visible in hours - more...
Pros
Your own team
Cons
Head office, Transformation process, Atmosphere
awful place, management is worse, constantly harassing you to do stuff all the time, especially when there is nothing to do. You have targets you have to meet which can literally be impossible at times.
I worked at clarks for 3 years. It was like a little family and I always felt respected and welcomed from day one! The only reason I left was due to my commitments changing and therefore I needed a job more suited to the hours I could do. I wish I could go back!
Pros
Staff discount
Cons
Periods where it’s not busy
I was only on a 8 hour contract and it was split into 4 hour shifts over 2 days I often wasn’t able to leave till 10-20 minutes after finishing my shift but only got paid for the contracted hours Even with overtime I was only usually put on 4 hour shifts I got put “on call” at least once a week meaning if they call me I have to go in so had to keep that day free this is completely poor for a 8 hour contract they expect full time availability for a part time jobI was only a temporary employer which ended up with me getting minimum wage while long term staff got paid a lot more than me for the same jobI did enjoyed working with most the people which was one of the only good thing but how it was organised was terrible with targets that are unrealistic when they had lower stock so often couldn’t sell much and have to fill in the targets at the end of your shift quite often when you already finished
I was working over the back to school rush which is stressful for everyone there. But the staff were nice and understood how busy it was. The main issue are the customers who can be quite rude. The staff were all friendly though.
Pros
Nice collegues
Cons
Customers can be awful during back to school
Clarks is a really good starting job with grate staff and team member, the salary is good and the people are welcoming and good to get along with, the management team is very hot on the job and they get you involved in a lot and push you to be a better you