Good company to work for? (employees, applying, owner, american express)

[GAisGreat]

Just changed careers...new career is commission based. Work from home, fairly flexible schedule. Thinking about getting a part-time/full-time 2nd job. Just to keep some extra money coming in while I get going in my new career.

Trying to think ahead if I do this...
-I want a company that say for whatever reason I decide to turn it into a long-term, and/or career postion it would be a great company to be with
-The obvious things...best pay, best benefits, are there any perks, say discounts, stock plans, etc.
-Overall environemnt, known to be great places to work, vs. miserable, high turnover work force
-Company that still has a future, one that is still on a good track for future growth and stability, get in fairly early enough to ride the wave up while they grow, grow, and grow

Here are some I'm thinking of applying with:
Whole Foods
Macy's
Nordstrom's
World Market
Starbucks
Caribou Coffee
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Bed, Bath, & Beyond
Publix
Crate & Barrel
Dillard's
Ralph Lauren
Marriott
Trader Joe's
Target
...

Anybody ever worked for any of these companies? Any experiences? Heard any stories? Friends who worked there? etc...Know of any better places?...

[south2nd]

Ugh, stay away from Whole Foods. Before they became a publicly traded company, they were pretty great to work for. It has completely changed. They have eliminated most of the programs that made them different. The associates are not treated well, the pay is low, and the the atmosphere is very clique-ish and cutthroat. I would not recommend it unless you hate yourself.

[Brent85]

Try R.R. Donnelly, based in Chicago. Their the largest printing/publishing company, and it's doing well.

[GAisGreat]

Originally Posted by south2nd

Ugh, stay away from Whole Foods. Before they became a publicly traded company, they were pretty great to work for. It has completely changed. They have eliminated most of the programs that made them different. The associates are not treated well, the pay is low, and the the atmosphere is very clique-ish and cutthroat. I would not recommend it unless you hate yourself.

I kinda wondered that about Whole Foods. I shop there when I can(afford it), and I got that same feeling with the employees. I also applied for a couple very entry level positions with one of there stores and within 24hrs had rejection emails for all the positions. The only possible reason I could think of is that I put I wanted $10.50/hr to start. So I guess you just confirmed some of my suspiciouns about them

[SmerkyGrl]

I hear Starbucks pays crap but its benefits and perks are pretty decent. TBH though, I'd stay the hell away from retail, period. No one deserves that kind of abuse from customers and the hours are terrible.

[awsun1980]

I work for Target as my 2nd job & for the most part, it's a fun part-time job for me. And a good company to work for. If you're just looking for some extra $, I would recommend Target.

[SummerBabe]

Originally Posted by GAisGreat

Just changed careers...new career is commission based. Work from home, fairly flexible schedule. Thinking about getting a part-time/full-time 2nd job. Just to keep some extra money coming in while I get going in my new career.

Trying to think ahead if I do this...
-I want a company that say for whatever reason I decide to turn it into a long-term, and/or career postion it would be a great company to be with
-The obvious things...best pay, best benefits, are there any perks, say discounts, stock plans, etc.
-Overall environemnt, known to be great places to work, vs. miserable, high turnover work force
-Company that still has a future, one that is still on a good track for future growth and stability, get in fairly early enough to ride the wave up while they grow, grow, and grow

Here are some I'm thinking of applying with:
Whole Foods
Macy's
Nordstrom's
World Market
Starbucks
Caribou Coffee
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Bed, Bath, & Beyond
Publix
Crate & Barrel
Dillard's
Ralph Lauren
Marriott
Trader Joe's
Target
...

Anybody ever worked for any of these companies? Any experiences? Heard any stories? Friends who worked there? etc...Know of any better places?...

American Express
Goldman Sachs
Morgan Stanley
Lehman Bros
Google
Wegmans
Whole Foods

Are some companies that come to mind. However, I'm not sure if they are in neck of the woods.

[b75]

Yes Whole Foods has changed its business model wrspct how it treats their employees. It just isn't something that is as publicly well known yet.

[missannie]

A friend of mine was going to be a manager at Caribou, and the pay was only $8.00 per hour. She thought it was a mistake and obviously did not take the job. It makes you wonder how much non-managers are making. Not a good place to work.

[Pike117]

Dont work for Caribou. I worked there for nearly 4 years, and was a Shift supervisor for 3 of those years, doing anything and everything that job had to offer. The pay was terrible, but worse was the corperate side of things. They're a VERY cheap company, and they dont think twice about fireing people, (I left with my two weeks.) I've seen them get rid of great managers and staff members for stupid things such as not using a step ladder to grab materials of the shelf, (which are about 7 feet high at most.) The funny thing is that they never used to be that way untill the original owners sold the company. Back in the day, it actually was a good job to work for as an extra gig. Now, things have completely changed, and unless you'd like to deal with bitchy customers, bitchy managment, and scrubbing the entire floor for 7.50 an hour, I would stay away from this job.
(To elaborate, I left the company on very good terms, and I'm not someone who's bitching about a job they've got fired at. I've just seen them do shasty things to many people, and there is absolutly no acknowledgment for people that do hard work. They're used to be, but now they have the attitude that If you do some EXTRA good work for them, it has to be standard. And trust me, they'll ***** at you if it isn't, its a very lose-lose situation.)