In my 7+ years there were numerous red flags, but I never paid much attention to them until I left.
-Swarovski manufactures, markets and sells all of their product. Because of this Swarovski is behind on the essence of modern retailers. Stores have a large selection, and usually department stores have a smaller selection that they choose to sell. Department stores are free to discount to their liking. Swarovski does not participate in promotional sales unless the product is retiring. Because of this, you are constantly competing with department stores.
-Black Friday is always a mess. Two years ago we ran our very first Black Friday promotion-- buy one get one 50% off. It was a huge hit and our most successful BF ever. Online ran 25% off so it was very similar. Last year we ran the same promotion, except on cyber Monday Swarovski online sold everything 50% off, while stores offered no discount. We were not allowed to price adjust or honor online pricing to accommodate upset customers.
-The company recently restructured and there are now 3 people doing a job that 1 person used to do in every department.
-The changed were VERY expensive and have not paid off-- most corporate employees are concerned with losing their jobs.
-Management is very hesitant to promote within.
-The pay gap from city to city is unreal. An assistant manager in one city might make 18-19$ an hour, while an assistant ten miles away at a higher volume store may only make 14$.
-Raises come in max increments of 14%-- this isn't a normal annual raise but if you have an employee who is promoted they get 14% at a time until they get to the salary desired. This is very frustrating for some employees as often those who are promoted to managers may be paid less than their assistant managers until their pay increase goes in to full effect.
-The dress code guideline objectifies women's bodies and suggest the type of clothing you should wear if you're a woman of certain size-- it does not do the same for men.
-There are two types of stores: franchises and corporate-- systems are not compatible and clients often get upset with different return policies.
-Image is the most important. Your nails can only be certain colors, and women must wear make up per dress code.
