retail sales associate

Sussan

I had a good time working for the 2IC, she was lovely and always helped when I needed. Customers were usually great. I learned all the stock and how to do orders, stock refills and styling tips. Other co-workers were absolutely lovely and would make me want to come in on off hours just to see them.

I worked six months with the 2IC of the store, hardly seeing the manager. I then got rostered on with the manager, I lasted two shifts.

Firstly, she had specific ways of doing things. In itself it's fine,  but when I was trained by someone else, I am not going to do everything EXACTLY how you do it. When I did something a different way she would ask "Why did you do that? Did you not get trained?". 

Forget about asking any questions, I was always shot down. "Didn't you learn that in high school?", "What, you don't know that?", "You should know how to do this without being shown."  She would without fail always sigh when asked a question, and you could literally see her looking you up and down judging you. She made me really not care about the job.

She made employees and customers uncomfortable. Even other stores would avoid her.

I left after I got a call from another store asking for an item for a customer. I processed the order for them, put the item aside and told the store yes it's all done it will be sent shortly.

She reprimands me for doing (my job) and tells me to call the store back and LIE, saying to tell them that we actually don't have the item and that they need to ring a different store for it. 

This was just so we didn't lose a sale.

To top it off, I put in my two weeks notice. (even though I didn't have to as a casual, but I had 15 hours of shifts in the next two weeks so I didn't want to bother them by finding a replacement).

She tells me okay, that's fine, and accepts my two weeks. The day of my next shift, she tells me don't worry about coming in for the remaining shifts, and cuts all the hours. She was also very weird about the discount card that I never used. She made it out like I treasured it when I  rarely found an item I personally liked enough to buy. The shirts I did buy were overpriced even at a discount and were destroyed in  two washes.

Very unprofessional all round.

Title: A Nightmare in the Workplace

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Working at this place has been an absolute nightmare. From the moment I started, it felt like stepping into a living nightmare . I'd strongly advise anyone considering a job here to think twice before signing any contracts.

First off, the management is absolutely dreadful. They have no clue how to effectively communicate with employees or manage a team. They constantly play favorites, leaving others feeling undervalued and ignored. It is impossible to get them to address any concerns or provide the necessary support to succeed in the role.

The work environment is toxic and demoralizing. There is an ongoing culture of backstabbing and gossip, with colleagues constantly trying to undermine each other for their own gain. The lack of trust and respect among coworkers is profound and creates a hostile atmosphere that makes it nearly unbearable to come to work each day.

The workload is unmanageable and unrealistic. The company consistently overworks its employees, expecting them to do the job of two or three people without any additional compensation or recognition. Balancing this unreasonable workload with personal life is nearly impossible, leading to burnout and severely impacting mental and physical well-being.

Career growth and development opportunities are virtually non-existent. The company is more focused on cutting costs than investing in employee growth. There is no room for advancement, and management shows no interest in supporting employees' professional aspirations.

Additionally, the compensation is far below industry standards. The low pay combined with the toxic work environment creates an incredibly dissatisfying experience. It's demotivating to work so hard and receive such meager compensation in return.

In summary, this place is a complete disaster. The ineffective management, toxic work environment, excessive workload, lack of growth opportunities, and low compensation make it an unbearable place to work. Save yourself the agony and look elsewhere for a job. You deserve better.

I have so many fond memories! everyone worked cohesively and the team environment was supportive and understanding. lots of encouragement from team members and management. i learnt the fundementals of fashion and styling and how to treat VIP guests, as well as technicalities of stock control. 

starting as a casual during uni (before covid), my manager was flexible and understanding and always gave me a shift or two during the week. During covid the communication was fantastic so we always knew where we stood. I was made part time with small hours, that would regularly be flexed up to 20+ hours a week which i loved, but those hours were never made permanent so i never knew when those 20 hour weeks would be. Due to this i found another job and dropped down to casual, and even then my manager made sure i was working one or two shifts a week with sussan. 

I would be back in a heart beat, the most enjoyable part of the job was the support from everyone. I just love the team and the company values and policies. I'm proud to say I've worked at Sussan!! Much love

I met some lovely people whilst working here, however the manager is incredibly unprofessional and rude. Nothing you do is ever appreciated, even if you try your absolute hardest. Just this year they have gone through multiple people because of their management style. They expect you to spend an arm and a leg buying their far too expensive clothing on a regular basis, even if you only work a few hours a week. To meet the manager's standards, you basically have to harass customers and treat them all as though they are theives. Don't bother asking for them to explain something more than once either, because you'll get yelled at for your trouble. Considering how expensive the clothes are, the discounts aren't very good either. The worst part is that the manager is extremely childish, petty and rude considering their age. It is impossible to get along with them and everyone working there has had many run ins with them. Definitely would not recommend even applying here. Find somewhere with a much more supportive and kind environment.

Sussan is a fast paced, exciting workplace to be apart of as I get to work with a range of customers of different ages, building positive relationships with them through fashion and styling. As I have been working there for approximately 2 and a half years, I have definitely developed a variety of skills and broadened my knowledge, allowing me to become more confident in myself and those around me. I have strong relationship ties with management where I have built strong bonds on a professional level, allowing for flexibility in the workplace. A challenge which I have come across in this workplace would be dealing with difficult customers however, through negotiating and hearing the customer out as well as working with management to communicate effectively, is the best way to come to a conclusion which best benefits the needs of all parties involved. Meeting new people and working with them by suggesting styling techniques as well as meeting the companys daily and weekly budgets and targets would be the most rewarding part of working for a company like Sussans.

The flexibility as a uni student was great and the management were nice enough. When I first started they were very generous with training and helping you grow but toward the end staff became expendable, they didn’t give casuals an option to be relocated only for the more senior staff was this an option. They kept rostering us on when there was literally only 2 racks of clothing left just because we were still on JobKeeper. 

Prior to JobKeeper shifts were sporadic and you’d need at least 2 jobs if you were trying to sustain a living only on casual wages. Area management definitely had favourites and never paid attention to casuals, when people from Head Office were expected to come we were given pep talks on things to talk to them about and what to say to please them.

The casual discount is appalling given how expensive the clothes were, and the clothes were very old fashioned so finding something else to wear was a big deal since you aren’t meant to wear clothes representing other brands.


As a fresh Graduate & Management professional my association with Sussan Corp (Australia) was that of a practical education. I think whatever values & professional ethics I have imbibed those all were taught to me by my first manager George. 

It was a firm engaged in retailing of ladies specific merchandise and a professional organization providing open office environment.

Usually my day begin with a to do list, prepared previous day while leaving office and considering overall weekly/monthly plans, which are eventually having a direct reference to project plan.

Learned team management, client relations, meeting quality delivery standards and on schedule.

As a manager I am more approachable, open for brilliant ideas and recognize value addition from all colleagues

Its team that matters, irrespective of age, religion, nationality, in a office environment.

No part of the job is hard enough to dilute my spirit of delivering.

Achieving smart results is most enjoyable, since it involves contribution from all

Under the right circumstances working at Sussans can be a wonderful. A change in Management (one that’s incompetent and doesn’t fit in) can quickly affect the culture and make going to work a challenge. Having gone from a lovely Manager to an ordinary one has been really difficult. Our current team of ladies are very supportive with each other which helps but doesn’t change the circumstances. Our new Manager doesn’t seem to know how to be a Manager and is incredibly lazy. They are a liability. We are also understaffed which doesn’t help. The company cuts costs wherever it can including  having enough staff to do the massive unmanageable and unrealistic workload. It affects employee stress levels, mental wellbeing and overall enthusiasm to go to work.  The majority of customers are lovely however some can be demanding very messy and at times rude. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Lovely Managers, great looking clothes. I was a Christmas casual in 2022. Lots of walking back and forth. Look after your feet, wear appropriate shoes


What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Walking back and forth when sizes were not on the floor.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very enjoyable, I enjoyed the walks and learning about the fabrics used in their clothes lines. Fun ladies.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Opening the shop, greeting the lovely customers and making them feel important, learning by watching the other staff (selling techniques).

I loved working in retail.
Working in the storeroom to unpack and store stock i enjoyed.
Display preparation and sales and service to customers.

I learned that all people see things differently but if you listen to them and offer them the right help they will walk away happy and are more likely to be returning customers.

Management listened and were very in tune with their staff and customers needs. 
Hard to find fault.

We got along pretty well although sometimes there was bit of competition that could make things awkward at times.

Difficulty with some customer interaction if they found fault.

Working with and helping people look and feel their best by offering good product service.
Having a really productive work day be it in the store room orin sales.

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