Working at Nordstrom in San Diego, CA: 4 Employee Job Reviews by Real Employee working in San Diego, CA Area

"Nordstrom is by far one of the best companies to work for! I recently got hired as a sales associate after college and I am very happy with the experience I have had. Nordstrom is all about customer service, which is something I am passionate about. Beyond what we do for customers, I admire what we do for each other. Nordstrom is a company that hires within, the support from peers gets you to the next level and I think it is very inspiring. The company leaders show support for all of us, even without knowing us."

"My experience with the company has overall been disappointing."

What do you like about working at Nordstrom?

"There are good opportunities for growth should you decide to pursue them."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Smile and talk a lot about serving the customer. They also love to hear that you would like to grow with the company."

What don't you like about working at Nordstrom?

"Having had a broad experience with this company and its return policy (Sales, Management) I would have to say that Nordstrom does not necessarily provide the ideal environment for commission based selling. They allow customers to walk all over their employees. Even if the customer screams and curses at you someone will come and apologize to them. The return policy is absolutely ridiculous; they will literally except ANYTHING and give cash back, regardless of the method of payment used at the time of purchase. A large percentage of what you sell will get returned, a lot of it being used merchandise that people are simply done using. Customers are aware of this and take advantage of it completely. That would be fine if it weren't for the fact that all of the commission you earned while taking the time to help these people is then taken back from you when they return it. The fact that they give cash back leads to a lot of fraudulent purchases (stolen credit cards, giftcards, etc.), sometimes amounting to thousands of dollars, which is also deducted from the employee's earnings when it gets returned for cash. I have seen employees spend a lot of time working through these transactions, only for the purchases to be returned for cash soon after. In this way, Nordstrom has befriended the criminals, becoming the bank for their thievery. Employees are extremely discouraged by the lack of support with this matter and because of this, it can be extremely difficult to make sales goals. Additionally, they make it very difficult to retain health benefits as you are required to work a certain amount of hours despite the fact that they do not always provide those hours. If you are lucky enough to receive enough hours, you'd better be sure to sell a lot or they will fire you without hesitation. I have known people who have worked for the company or ten+ years who have gotten fired for as little as one month of not meeting sales expectations. Managers are also extremely underpaid for the amount of expectations put on them. Because most of the department managers are on a fixed salary, the upper management takes full advantage and expects you to work well over a forty hour week. Forget about spending time with friends or family, and be prepared to work nights and weekends. Don't expect much compensation."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Be fair and treat ALL employees equally. Be sure to coach your teams to put in an equal amount of work and follow through. Be more supportive of your employees."

"Given knowledge and experience working with customers on a daily basis."

What do you like about working at Nordstrom?

"I like interacting with people, giving excellent customer service, face-to-face contact, succeeding in goals, and working in a team-oriented environment."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Know your place, do it the Nordstrom way, and succeed in your goals."

What don't you like about working at Nordstrom?

"I dislike the benefits, their return policy, and the way the system is set up for new people."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"My suggestions are: manage concisely, schedule better for the sales team, organization, better communication, and setting examples."

"It was a very good learning experience."

What do you like about working at Nordstrom?

"I like the excellent customer service, great benefits, and good pay."

What don't you like about working at Nordstrom?

"I dislike the very low advancement opportunities."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Keep doing a great job, and keep up the Nordstrom customer service way."