During my three year tenure at Nordstrom, I learned many valuable lessons and experienced some shocking customers. Nordstrom employees are paid a commission of all the sales they make — and it sometimes brings out an ugly competitiveness amongst floor associates.
Many employees aggressively court customers in pricey departments of the store in hopes of hooking a customer and their commission before other colleagues. Nordstrom sets daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals that all employees are expected to meet.
When managers suspect an employee may be missing their marks, they set up mandatory mini-training sessions on how they can better approach his or her sales.
In the past, employees looking to steal their co-workers sales and commission glory have attempted to reverse payment transactions. Once a previous transaction is reversed, the rogue associate can personally ring the customer up a second time and receive credit for the purchase.
Upper-management loved the idea of every customer leaving the store with a Nordstom debit or credit card. I was expected to have a minimum of two new opened customer accounts per month. Depending on the department you were in, however, management wanted that number per week. One of my favorite parts of working for Nordstrom was interacting with customers — but difficult shoppers always stuck out like sore thumbs. Some customers expected doors to open for them, employees to wait on them hand and foot and even used the term "sales associate" as an insult.
My least favorite customer of all time was a Russian woman who screamed at me for failing to provide a Roberto Cavalli hanger to drape her Roberto Cavalli coat on. As she left the store she wished me good luck in my new job — it was my third day on the sales floor.
From day one at Nordstrom you are initiated into the company from many different training platforms. Whether it's through how to handle a shoplifter, to understanding product knowledge, the company gives its employees the tools and information they need to succeed. In training sessions Nordstrom really emphasizes personal judgment. Although the company has a special relationship with its corporate headquarters in Seattle, Nordstrom's dedication to go beyond a simple business presence exists just about everywhere it has store locations.
Between donations of time and money to charities as well as a commitment to sustainable environmental practices, human rights, and community support, Nordstrom is committed to keeping a sterling reputation in all phases of its business.
Foolish bottom line Among retail companies, it's hard to find a better combination of positive traits than you see in Nordstrom. Between keeping shareholders, customers, and employees happy, Nordstrom is a model for others in the industry to follow and truly belongs among the best companies in America.
Click here to read about the rest of The 25 Best Companies in America. Discounted offers are only available to new members. Stock Advisor will renew at the then current list price. Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close. Investing Best Accounts. Stock Market Basics. Stock Market. Industries to Invest In. Getting Started. Planning for Retirement. Loved it a lot! Would highly recommend this job to anyone!
Very much encourages promoting within the company! Works with school schedule very well! The work environment at Nordstrom was pretty good and provided many opportunities for its contractors as well as permanent employees.
A highly recommended client to work with. It's fast paced, competitive, always changing. The culture is what makes this company and is enjoyable. Rate your recent company Share your experience to help others. Nordstrom was founded on strong customer service principles that I believe have been overshadowed by today's "need" for technological advancement.
Good hearted people have now been replaced with machines and computers leaving very little room for customer service to thrive. Unfortunately, during my stay at Nordstrom, I saw many wonderful position dissolve entirely and many unhappy, frustrated customers begging for things to go back to how they were. I learned a lot about sales, how to guide clients and follow up properly. But I also struggled with the way the management team handled most if not all of their events and interactions with customers daily.
The customer was no long the priority and had to take a back seat to the constant scramble for Nordstrom "culture" to grow, which in turn, caused less profit and more denial.
The music changed from classy to trashy. The brands we began to carry were pushing so hard to be "trendier" that we lost our best clients. Overall, I liked my job, a lot! Pros Good sales experience. Cons Atmosphere in general.
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