Hobby Lobby closed after less than 2 years

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Re: Hobby Lobby closed after less than 2 years

Post by storewanderer »

norcalriteaidclerk wrote: September 4th, 2022, 8:36 pm Their political angles are just one reason why that they are one of the few retail that I wish would just go under and go away.I find it blasphemous that they took over the old birdcage Toys-r-us.

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Don't they have one in Roseville at Douglas too? I am surprised they can support locations so close together.

They know their customer and the value system of their customers. I find it interesting they have been somewhat successful in CA. I did not think they would do well in CA, but in some of these more moderate political climates they do just fine. Their stores really do have a somewhat odd atmosphere and feeling. They get in some very odd religious merchandise and just mix it in with the other sets, for seasonal and such. Granted Christmas, Easter, this stuff in theory "fits" in, but most major retailers do not sell stuff that is so openly religious anymore or if they do it is hidden in a book rack or something.

They aren't very demanding to work for but are not known to pay high wages. Their store management is not overworked either. The employees move at a comfortable pace that seems more like a library than a store.
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Re: Hobby Lobby closed after less than 2 years

Post by ClownLoach »

storewanderer wrote: September 5th, 2022, 12:31 am
norcalriteaidclerk wrote: September 4th, 2022, 8:36 pm Their political angles are just one reason why that they are one of the few retail that I wish would just go under and go away.I find it blasphemous that they took over the old birdcage Toys-r-us.

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They aren't very demanding to work for but are not known to pay high wages. Their store management is not overworked either. The employees move at a comfortable pace that seems more like a library than a store.
They are one of the most brutal retailers to work for. The Store Manager and Assistant Manager are expected to work a 55 hour workweek (60 hours/week and 6 days during the holiday season which they consider to basically start in June when they get Christmas trees) including 3 bell to bell shifts per week. If the work doesn't get done by the employees then the salaried management will be left to pick up the slack. I've seen all the salaried managers buried in freight on Saturday, trying to put away product while still wearing the mandated long sleeve dress shirts. And although they are closed to customers on Sunday that does not mean that they are not working Sundays... If the work doesn't get done by closing Saturday then they do schedule involuntary Sunday shifts to catch up. I have personally observed Hobby Lobby employees working on Sunday at least 3 times - they turn off the lights entirely in the first third of the store and use minimal lights in the rest of the building so they appear to be closed.

I am very surprised they have not faced major class action lawsuits in California where salaried managers are required to spend the majority of their time doing "management work" which excludes ringing up customers on the register, unloading trucks, stocking merchandise etc. Retailers that have lost these lawsuits have been forced to retroactively reclassify the salaried manager as hourly - resulting in massive payouts as suddenly they are owed back overtime pay (their salary is considered in these verdicts to be reclassified as based on 40 hours/week, so if they were forced to work 60 hours that's 20 hours/week of overtime owed plus potential double time in CA).
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Re: Hobby Lobby closed after less than 2 years

Post by norcalriteaidclerk »

storewanderer wrote:
norcalriteaidclerk wrote: September 4th, 2022, 8:36 pm Their political angles are just one reason why that they are one of the few retail that I wish would just go under and go away.I find it blasphemous that they took over the old birdcage Toys-r-us.

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Don't they have one in Roseville at Douglas too? I am surprised they can support locations so close together.

They know their customer and the value system of their customers. I find it interesting they have been somewhat successful in CA. I did not think they would do well in CA, but in some of these more moderate political climates they do just fine. Their stores really do have a somewhat odd atmosphere and feeling. They get in some very odd religious merchandise and just mix it in with the other sets, for seasonal and such. Granted Christmas, Easter, this stuff in theory "fits" in, but most major retailers do not sell stuff that is so openly religious anymore or if they do it is hidden in a book rack or something.

They aren't very demanding to work for but are not known to pay high wages. Their store management is not overworked either. The employees move at a comfortable pace that seems more like a library than a store.
Roseville Douglas was a former Mervyns.Most of the latter's local locations (upon bankruptcy and demise)went to Kohl's (Citrus Heights, Sacramento Arden,and Rancho Cordova the latter which has since closed)which has a new build store elsewhere in Roseville.The Sacramento Arden Hobby Lobby is in a former circuit city space which coincidentally shares a center with a Mervyns turned Kohl's.Don't know what happened to Florin Towne center(one of the last new Mervyns stores).

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Re: Hobby Lobby closed after less than 2 years

Post by storewanderer »

ClownLoach wrote: September 5th, 2022, 11:16 am

They are one of the most brutal retailers to work for. The Store Manager and Assistant Manager are expected to work a 55 hour workweek (60 hours/week and 6 days during the holiday season which they consider to basically start in June when they get Christmas trees) including 3 bell to bell shifts per week. If the work doesn't get done by the employees then the salaried management will be left to pick up the slack. I've seen all the salaried managers buried in freight on Saturday, trying to put away product while still wearing the mandated long sleeve dress shirts. And although they are closed to customers on Sunday that does not mean that they are not working Sundays... If the work doesn't get done by closing Saturday then they do schedule involuntary Sunday shifts to catch up. I have personally observed Hobby Lobby employees working on Sunday at least 3 times - they turn off the lights entirely in the first third of the store and use minimal lights in the rest of the building so they appear to be closed.

I am very surprised they have not faced major class action lawsuits in California where salaried managers are required to spend the majority of their time doing "management work" which excludes ringing up customers on the register, unloading trucks, stocking merchandise etc. Retailers that have lost these lawsuits have been forced to retroactively reclassify the salaried manager as hourly - resulting in massive payouts as suddenly they are owed back overtime pay (their salary is considered in these verdicts to be reclassified as based on 40 hours/week, so if they were forced to work 60 hours that's 20 hours/week of overtime owed plus potential double time in CA).
CA is their second highest store count state (TX is next) so if what is happening as you describe is happening throughout the state it could cause them some serious problems. If it is a problem with a specific cluster of stores then that is definitely an issue with upper management not overseeing things properly. Similar to what I have experienced with Aldi in SoCal I think these retailers from outside CA tend to enter CA and then get people running things who do not operate the stores the way the rest of the chain is operated or the way the company intends them to be operated.

Evidently the store management in Reno schedules enough employees to get the job done so they do not have to do what you are describing. They seem to have it very easy. The store is very well staffed but the employees do not work with any sense of urgency (similar to JoAnn but maybe even a bit more lackluster; better sense of urgency at Michaels). They are only open 9-8; closed Sunday; tomorrow is Labor Day and they are only open 9-5:30. I've never seen management running a cash register (they need them, the lines are so slow) in Reno.

I have seen people working in the store on Sunday too though. Lights were all on and cars out front.
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Re: Hobby Lobby closed after less than 2 years

Post by storewanderer »

norcalriteaidclerk wrote: September 5th, 2022, 12:03 pm
They aren't very demanding to work for but are not known to pay high wages. Their store management is not overworked either. The employees move at a comfortable pace that seems more like a library than a store.
Roseville Douglas was a former Mervyns.Most of the latter's local locations (upon bankruptcy and demise)went to Kohl's (Citrus Heights, Sacramento Arden,and Rancho Cordova the latter which has since closed)which has a new build store elsewhere in Roseville.The Sacramento Arden Hobby Lobby is in a former circuit city space which coincidentally shares a center with a Mervyns turned Kohl's.Don't know what happened to Florin Towne center(one of the last new Mervyns stores).

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[/quote]

Reno also had one of the last new Mervyn's too built next to the Reno Target in the late 90's. Gottschalks was looking to take the building over after they lost their Reno store, but of course they went under shortly after Mervyn's. That is now half a racing place and half a Falla's that has opened and closed multiple times. Falla's did not do anything to their side. Falla's is currently closed.
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