Dry Goods Interview Questions
& Process

This was a really long interview process, almost too long, with a lot of repetitive questions. They also made me do a background check, which isn't standard for retail. The in-person interview lasted an hour after a 30-minute phone screening. The questions were pretty typical, but it felt like they were trying to dig into whether I'd report issues to upper management. They asked about a time I had trouble with my boss, which was a weird question. The benefits are seriously lacking - low pay, no paid time off upfront (you have to accrue it slowly), minimal sick time (accrued and caps at 5 days), no holidays off between Thanksgiving and New Years, delayed 401K and health insurance eligibility (hitting the legal maximum wait time). The employee discount is also shockingly low for retail, only 20% plus an extra 20% at the end of the month, unlike the usual 50%. It seems like the company is just cheap and doesn't offer good incentives. The dress code is also super strict, like a public school, and you can only wear specific, expensive sneakers sold in-store. It felt like they wanted a certain employee "look." I was told the job is commission-based with personal reviews, which makes teamwork tough when you're competing for sales. The only good thing was being told it would be easy work. The people were nice, but the company feels outdated, like it's operating 30 years in the past. Better pay and benefits would make the strict dress code and commissions more bearable. They also have a "customer is always right" policy, which sounds like a recipe for entitled customers, especially with lenient return policies. Training is basically just shadowing someone. My interview itself was fine and professional, but the job wasn't for me, so I politely declined. I haven't heard back since.

They asked lots of questions off of a paper, wrote down my answers, and wasn't very conversational. They didn't seem particularly interested or enthusiastic. They asked if I had any questions. Told me that their two policies on customer service was 1. The customer is always right and 2. When in doubt, refer to number 1.

I got a call where they asked me about myself, my past jobs, and why I wanted this role. Then, I went in to meet the assistant manager. It was more of a chat than an interview, lasting about 30 minutes. She set up a meeting with the store manager for the next week. Both chats were pretty relaxed and positive. The two people I met were easy to talk to, making the whole interview experience really good. The store looked modern and casual. They talked about the company benefits in detail during the interview. It seems like a great place to work and a good way to start and move up in the company. Make sure you have plenty of examples from your past work or experiences ready.

I applied for the job, and then got a call to check if I was still interested. Then I had a quick 10-minute phone screen with some basic questions. After that, I was invited for an in-person interview which was panel-style. First, two women interviewed me for about 15 minutes, asking about the work environment and why I wanted to work there. Then they left, and I reviewed the job requirements. Once I was done, two more women came in and interviewed me for another 15 minutes. That was the end of the interview, and they said they'd let me know. It felt like a really thorough interview, with a lot of questions about different situations.