I'm just graduating college, and was seeking some retail experience. I applied in-store. The store manager seemed like he didn't have time for me, which was a little strange. He handed me a paper application and told me to get it back to him by a certain time the next day. I showed up right on time--he asked a few general questions and told me that the company would get back to me if they were interested.
I interviewed with the district manager (DM) about two weeks later. The whole process was direct and to-the-point, which I liked. Following a second interview, which consisted of managerial situation-based questions, ("how would respond if an employee failed to_____" etc.) I was offered the position of shift manager. The whole process was fairly painless and quite direct.