This was the most unprofessional experience I've ever had.
After applying online, I called my local store in Richmond VA a couple weeks later to check on the status of my application. After speaking to a manager there, she told me that they rarely if ever see any applications from a third party site such as Indeed or Careerbuilder. Her advice was to print the application and bring it in with my resume to talk to a manager on the spot. I let her know that i was on my way out of town, but I'd be back Sunday and asked her if i could come by and see her then. She said that would be fine, and we set up a time of between 3:00-3:30. Flash forward to Sunday- I've left my parents' home early so that i could be back in time to meet *****. Once I arrived back in town, I again called her to check that our previous time was okay. She said it was. So, I dressed nicely, printed my application and resume, and set off to meet her. I arrived at 3:15. The store was busy, but not what I personally would say was out of control busy. ***** however, was running around like a chicken with her head cut off. I casually said "if this isn't a good time...", to which she said "i am SLAMMED. let me get someone else to talk to you". My first problem: why tell me to come TWICE at that time if you thought you might be busy? I've been in management for 14+ years, and I know the up and down times of my store. I know when NOT to schedule even a casual interview. But, i dismissed it and followed her to meet the other person who would have time to talk. However, as it turns out, he (the store manager) didn't have time either. He came out of the back, glanced at my application and resume, and said he was really busy, and wanted to reschedule. Fine. So we set up a time for a couple days later at 10AM. Flash forward to my interview day. I showed up at 9:45AM, and captain ***** was on the phone up front. I let the manager near him know who i was and that i was here for an interview, and he assured me that ***** would only be a minute or two. I said that was no problem, and I moved to a less busy area- the wine section- that was still within clear sight of the phone call and the management office. 10AM came and went, and still I stood in the wine section waiting. At 10:05, ***** got off the phone and walked to the back. At 10:10, nothing. At 10:15, nothing. At 10:20, I decided that today wasn't a good day either, so I left. It was there that for some reason i was STILL willing to give them another shot. But, as I drove out of the parking lot, who did I see 5 stores away standing on the sidewalk talking on his cell phone? The captain who was now :25 past my scheduled interview time. Unbelievable. It was at THIS point that I decided that while this company may be great, this STORE most definitely is not. There's no way I could work for someone who had such little disregard for another person's time, or another person's schedule. Even the slightest amount of professionalism was nowhere to be found from the point I originally called on Friday to the point I drove out of the parking lot the following Tuesday. Work for that store? No way. I promptly withdrew my application, and coincidentally found a better job with better pay a week later.
