Retail Sales Associate | Temecula, CA | May 29, 2021
You'll regret being born if you decide to work here... I'm serious.
Unfortunately I don't think there is enough space on my computer hard drive to write out all the negatives about this workplace... let me first start off by saying that I had worked at multiple Hobby Lobbies and the store in Temecula was truly the worst of it, I came from another store where I loved everything about it only to downgrade to this store. With it being the district store and bigger than most it was always a life and death struggle to work here. From management acting like working here was open heart surgery to constantly nit picking your work to the point of personal insults it soon became a place where you would get anxiety coming to work because you knew you would get reprimanded from your previous shifts on things you didn't do right to being blamed for things that weren't even involved in. Your coworkers are probably the only thing that will help you get through the day if it isn't some customer mad at you for you being sold out of an art supply it will be management being personal with you and a pure lack of boundaries or respect. I cannot tell you how many times I had seen employees treated unfairly to the point where it would become normal to see employees leaving the office crying. Most of the new employees that came for the seasonal roles would quit within either the same day or within the next week or so after being thrown in on truck day our hardest day to be seen if they could "weed out" the newbies. I can guarantee you after one day of working on the
ProsFellow coworkers
ConsThere are too many to name, just read the review....
Can be a fast paced work environment, only because of massive under staffing. Contradicting directions from Corporate level to store level.
Example; a typical Saturday morning... Manager or Co-Manager, a Framer and a cashier for the first 2 hours of opening.... Framer covered Fabrics/Framing/Art/Wearable Arts/Toys&Hobbies/Jewelry and Crafts.... basically the back half of the store!
Associates cannot provide excellent customer service AND complete busy work in allocated time.
Nice and sweet in your face, but backstabbing, gossip riddled co-workers, Closed Corporation (Family) Greed and excessive Micro management via middle managers.
Hobby Lobby does NOT follow their own company mission statement.
"We are committed to:
Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.
Offering our customers exceptional selection and value.
Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals, and nurture families.
Providing a return on the family’s investment, sharing the Lord’s blessings with our employees, and investing in our community."
I had researched the company a little and giving them the benefit of the doubt, I applied for a job at Hobby Lobby. I very much liked what Mr. Green wrote in his book, "More Than A Hobby", that enticed me to work for Hobby Lobby.
I have no doubt that when Mr. David
ProsNothing special
ConsMinimum wages is all they pay for Part Timers, no advancement.
I worked at hobby lobby for about 3 years. It was a good job until you realize that they have 90% busy work that doesn’t make a lot of sense at all to do. Preferences of store upkeep are based on the current district managers personal tastes and can change at the drop of a hat as soon as they’re replaced or move on. Once you become too self aware of the work you’re doing it’s game over. You’ll question the practicality of moving aisles up or condensing on a super busy Saturday etc. all which can easily land you in a bad standing with the management.
They teach you lots of safety rules of which none are abide by, and hardly ever taken seriously. Shoplifters are actually encouraged by the companies business practices and ridiculous placement of security cameras. Even if you see someone steal an item and you report it, they won’t do a single thing unless a member of management sees the individual pocket the product, and follows them around the store until they leave. And even then, they’re not allowed to apprehend them or accuse them without risk of being terminated. They send out a BOL at MOST to other stores and that’s that. Bottom line there is that you’re more likely to get in trouble/fired/scolded/written up.
The registers and inventory system are stuck in the dark ages. Nothing is scanned and all the prices are typed in by hand. You have to memorize what goes on sale by the ad signs that are switched out through the store each week. (Don’t even get me started o
I worked for the company for several years, only recently got full time and only because I changed locations. During hectic times, like holidays and inventory, managers tend to make their own plans but then expect you to make plans so you know what you're doing during the day, but then ignore the plans you've made and ignore the plans that THEY made, causing extra work by refusing to get other opinions. Also all co-managers are brought in from outside companies many of the ones I've met have been from like a Walmart, almost never from within the company and usually are made into store managers after about a year, especially in 2019 when the company built I think close to 100 stores within the year but couldn't give any store level employees a pay raise.
The company has gotten significantly cheaper in product quality and store supplies over the years. Stores are generally understaffed, especially outside of the holidays. And the company's cheapness has really shown during covid because the company's "preparation " includes using vinyl from the fabric department to section off the break room and refusing to use actual acrylic barriers at the registers and service counters like most other stores do. There's only been one raise in the last four years. The shirts that most employees are required to wear are entirely polyester and don't breathe, very cheaply made, very cheap quality and alternative options like aprons are entirely up to managers discretion at that store.
If part-t
A typical day varied as you have to know all aspects as a full-time employee, from register, to fabric table, cutting fabric, pricing fabric, knowing what is and isn't on sale, typically working 5-6 days a week, off on Sunday's as the store is closed Sunday's. Store department test, where the district manager comes in once a month and checks each department form 3-5 random items that you're responsible for having. If not it can result in a write-up if constantly out of items it can result in termination again mainly for full-time employees who are department leads. Registers are dated. Patterns from the sewing department and reciepts for returns are the only things scanned everything else is manually entered in the register and rung up under the appropriate department that you're responsible for knowing. Random District Manager pop-up's are not fun. You're to have you vest on at all times. Trucks are unloaded by most employees on the shift, sometimes management helps, sometimes they don't. Customers will argue that things are on sale or not on sale, it is your responsibilty to know or have a idea of what is on sale and not on sale as sales change weekly. 30 minute lunches. Store zoning is key, a very big deal, most nights you will not leave until all merchandise from returns, put backs etc are put away in the appropriate home. Relays happen in every department year round, you're given set hours to complete relays, sometimes it takes longer than given sometimes it doesn't. Cu
ProsFamily like experience, opportunity to learn various departments
ConsManagment does not take responsibilty for anything unless its positive, peak season is mandatory hours 50+ a week, not optional. Favortism is played, no real seniority if management likes you they will work with you.
I was a General Manager for Hobby Lobby for almost fifteen years giving me a broad view of company operations rather than a limited snapshot. The financial strength of the company offers a career security that is rare in retail these days. Although the religious beliefs of those who own Hobby Lobby has been well known all along, I have personally never experienced or seen any litmus test of such sort or been made to feel uncomfortable relating to those beliefs. The biblical principles which the company touts as crucial to the success which it has enjoyed are universal and are just as closely associated to basic human relations skills. These principles requires management to carry themselves with integrity regarding all of their words, actions and interactions which empowers others and encourages them to “pay it forward”. The standards the company holds regarding store operations are very high but are in direct proportion to the contribution they make towards the continual success of the company. These expectations are challenging at best and overwhelming at worst given payroll considerations but most importantly reachable through belief in the self that you sold at the beginning and a steadfast belief in your team. Managers are compensated well for being accountable in these areas and the complete package as a whole represents itself very well within the retail industry. The success enjoyed at the store level would not have been possible if the support team at corporate had
Excellent Corporate Purpose with great pay and product line.
I enjoyed every day working for Hobby Lobby. I believe enjoying my work is a choice.
A typical day involved preparing framing area and organizing freight, tools, and samples according to corporate policy. Then reading notes from previous shifts followed by checking the schedule to see what is due out that day. Then it is best to visualize each order that is due out to see which is going to be the most difficult/time-consuming, which are going to be the quickest, and which have customers that are known for coming in early or without being given a call for completion of their work. Once the day is planned out, I proceed to the work I deem most important to complete before more staff come in to assist me. More difficult pieces are better done when another framer is available to cover the table and deal with new customers. The goal is to have all custom framing orders completed a day early of their scheduled pick up date, and all walk-in orders completed while the customer waits/shops. At the close of a day, everything must be cleaned, filed, and trash disposed of. Other duties include operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting the Wizard Automatic Mat Board Cutter, the air compressor, and filling out appropriate order forms for needed materials. Customer artworks are to be safely filed to protect from dust and moisture.
The customers were very diverse and I enjoyed the challenge of meeting or exceeding each of their individual expectations within the guidelines of corporate r
ProsPay is good compared to other similar stores, 15% Employee Discount, and guaranteed Sundays and some Holidays off.
ConsStore manager expects what hasn't been trained and micro-manages the obvious, a great deal of internal store-level discrimination, harsh unwarranted lashing out, denyal of full-time work against Christians, favoring people for full-time whose health insurance is already covered by their spouse
Pros: Worked for the Creative department as a "Craft Designer" for 27 months. The workload was easy, the work was easy, sounded like a fun and creative job. Rarely had to take work home. Salary was competitive, benefits were mediocre. No work incentives.
Cons: I'll start with the management. The management for the Creative Department seems to hide the fact that they're not qualified for their jobs by being intimidating, building up a wall of buddies beneath them that they can manipulate.
They promote people based on whether they have a good "smile," if they dress cute, and most importantly, that they never ask questions or seem defiant. They are not concerned about creating a better product, making the company better or creating efficiency.
The department is ran like a gang of buddies, and if you're "in" you can skyrocket in advancement. If you're "out," you will be treated like excrement.
You will be treated like a child, made to sit in assigned seating and if you talk to the people beside you, you will be moved.
You are given a tall desk because the manager doesn't like for you to sit down at your desk because it "looks" like you aren't working.
You aren't allowed to bring cupcakes to work and share with friends, someone may feel "left out."
You can't throw a baby shower for a friend on your lunch break, someone may feel "left out."
You have to inform your supervisor 2 days in advance if your husband wants to come have lunch with you.
ProsCompetitive pay, easy work load
ConsManagement, HR is insincere, Stressful, Gossip, Catty, Insurance is expensive
Color theory, problem solving, creative enviornment
A work day started with a morning checklist of machine maintenance and turning the shop into production and beginning the day. Typically a single framer would open for the day and began to cut matting and assembling framing projects. As the day progressed consumers would come requiring design assistants with their framing projects ranging from basic readymade/custom frames and matting to the challenging shadowbox with multiple layers of matting, frames dimensional pieces; jersey's, pocket watches, baseball bats, guns, and much more. The day would continue some times with a mid-shift frame helping taking orders and the assembly process. Some days the foot traffic could get wild so a cool head was a necessity to make the day go smoothly. At the end of the day another maintenance check and thorough cleaning of the frame shop to get ready for the next day of business.
Through my years working with the company the design skills came naturally to me, but my comfort with consumers did not. There was a lot of self growth, I gained confidence in my communication skills with the general public while discussing their design options. As well as working with a team of framers that would not only be working on their orders but possibly an order or two that was taken by me and in return I would assemble an order they had taken.
Of the three locations of Hobby Lobby that I had worked in they all had something in common with uniquely creative framers working in the shops. Many were highly d
Working as a stockman at Hobby Lobby has a pretty consistent weekly pattern for the most part, there is a truck day each week (during seasonal, there may be extra demand on stock and will have to unload more trucks the following day). After the trucks are unloaded, stockman and other staff are to open up all the boxes from the truck and organize the products into their categories. Piecing together furniture is another task a stockman does, it's never difficult to construct (unless the manufacturer somehow miscalculates the placement for the bolts to enter in, making it almost impossible to build). You will also learn how to use a bailer, rearrange certain items in the isles, and carry out furniture, trees, other heavy objects for customers when your name is called. During seasonal times, there is more work to be completed, which does bring some stress to the staff. On the plus side however, the manager would offer extra hours for you during busier days around this time of the year.
Some employees are really nice and easy to work with, and there are others who are just borderline rude. Everyone typically sticks with whoever is in their profession (e.g. framing department people with other workers in framing department). Staff seems to talk about each other and customers behind each other's backs over petty nonsense, no matter what.
The manager is probably the most difficult to work with. He is great with management, efficiency & communication and ticks all the practical boxe
ProsConsistent work, great hours, good management.
ConsStaff culture, fast paced, draining.
Questions And Answers about Hobby Lobby
If you were in charge, what would you do to make Hobby Lobby a better place to work?
Asked Aug 28, 2018
I would be honest with my staff. Lying is not good when the company I'd supposed to be a Christian based business
Answered Jun 27, 2021
I would make sure voids and cancels wouldn't be the cashier's fault, not when 99% of the time is when customers change their minds. It takes too much time to start over and make other customers wait longer. Scanning should be a thing, cashier's wouldn't make so many mistakes and it only takes moments to scan something then to remember the department, price and if it's on sale. Makes customers much happier.
Answered Apr 9, 2021
What is the best part of working at Hobby Lobby?
Asked Nov 23, 2019
Employees are around my age so I made lots of friends
Answered Nov 27, 2020
Fast-paced environment, each day varies quite a bit from the others. Lots of interaction with people. Great job for social butterflies.
Answered Nov 25, 2020
What is the policy of how late can the managers keep you at work?
Asked Jul 14, 2016
At my store in Tennessee, we cannot be kept past 11:59 due to an incident where employees were kept after 1am and had to be back as early as 6-7am the next morning, which did not settle well with upper management.( which seems ridiculous to be there almost 6 hours after closing with no breaks or lunches, especially for those that only got a 15 minute break to begin with) If you are under 18, it is against the law to be out on the road after 10pm, or at least in TN. So there is also that. Our managers will get in big time trouble if a minor clocks out at even 10:01!
Hope this helps!
Answered Oct 27, 2019
The latest I've stayed is 1am. November to December it's not uncommon to stay until 11pm.
Answered Oct 18, 2019
What tips or advice would you give to someone interviewing at Hobby Lobby?
Asked Aug 2, 2018
I would say well dress on time be calm and be respectful to interviewer
Answered Jun 11, 2020
Be aware that the ads for employment are generally misleading. After taking a math test, and sitting for over an hour I was finally interviewed. The interviewer read off a list of canned questions. It was only at the end of the interview that it was revealed that they are only looking for temporary set up people at this time. Several people sitting close enough to hear got up and left. We talked outside and they felt the same way. Misleading.
Answered Feb 25, 2020
"What is the company culture like?"
Asked May 1, 2016
I have personally talked to these Hobby lobby drivers. Never not one time have I found a happy one. No joking. Most are miserable.
Answered Mar 1, 2019
In my experience the challenges you face frequently will be rude customers, customer theft, limited hours of work days through out the week, one day training as cashier, memorizing sales ads for that week, having to manually type prices or sales into the machine making lines back up and customers get angry on their wait, and staying long time after hours in prepping for store the next day when the store is messy.
As far as the perks and great things about this job in my experience I love working with a team of people all goal oriented and who are fun to work with, customers that were nice and thanked us for our services, manager is very understanding when it came to sick days and or vacation times and ever task that is asked of you is simple and easy to learn with time.
