Nordstrom Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Nordstrom part-time for less than a year

Pros – In charge of your own pay
Great for college students

Cons – Competition amongst employees but this can be good for motivation

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Nordstrom part-time for less than a year

Pros – You always get to meet new people who come into the store. There are a lot of employees which makes working at such a large company nicer because you get to know people in different departments.

Cons – The hours are long. It is really hard to have a flexible schedule. During sales you are working ridiculous hours. You are never allowed to sit.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Nordstrom full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – There are lots of opportunities to move up. They promote from within, so if you are mobile and motivated you can go far.

Cons – There isn't a lot of work life balance in merchandising jobs. There wasn't a lot of specific corporate messaging on what a balanced work/life looks like, so it's left up to individual manager interpretation. A lot of balance is dependent on who you work directly for.

Advice to Senior Management – Look at the scope of jobs by factors beyond volume-- travel, complexity (ie. # of depts, classifications etc..., suppliers, employees) The more you can streamline each role, the more successful people, and in the end, results will be.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Nordstrom full-time for less than a year

Pros – For a summer job, I was very pleased with working at Nordstrom. They were very accommodating of my needs as far as my timeframe. I was happy that I was able to work full-time and their compensation is pretty competitive. Working for commission meant that I was in control of how much money I made. Also, the job was far more interesting and engaging than other retail positions at other companies.

Cons – Some managers were incompetent and blamed the problems on the employees instead of fixing things themselves. They claim that they only promote from within but mobility is not as easy as it sounds.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Nordstrom full-time for less than a year

Pros – You control your own paycheck.

Cons – Extremely competitive employees from each department

Advice to Senior Management – Be flexible with your employees and don't overstaff departments

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Nordstrom full-time

Pros – Management is very supported. They want you to do well and most will go out of their way to help you succeed.

Cons – A lot of petty issues in most departments. New people often steal sales unintentionally. Not a lot of direction on what your job entails, they kind of just stick you out on the floor after register training and let you figure it out on your own.

Advice to Senior Management – Stop playing favorites.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Nordstrom full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Great company to work for especially for college graduates. Working on the sales floor is an excellent opportunity to get into sales. Everyone at every level is constantly challenged to seek ways to improve customer service and to always ensure the customer is having a great shopping experience.

Getting into management is a very good way to learn important business and leadership skills. There can be a lot of turnover in management but it seems because it's people wanting a title vs. wanting to grow as a leader and help develop others.

Overall leadership of the company is great. You will be taught some very tough lessons but you will learn a great deal. I couldn't think of a better way to grow my professional skill set.

Cons – Overall pay in the store level is not great in comparison to other sales industries, but the pay seems on the higher end for retail. People can make good money on the sales floor. The benefits are very nice so the overall value is decent.

In general, the training for managers could be a lot stronger in terms of preparing department managers for other roles. Training for managers is very focus on in store level and enough people struggle in roles in corporate offices. But not a significant issue that makes it a problem.

Sales training on the floor is supposed to be in depth and to ensure new salespeople are ready to succeed. Not every department manager gives the same effort in developing a team. New employees have to be eager, self-motivated, be able to learn from constructive criticism and continue to find ways to improve performance.

Advice to Senior Management – Along with comments from the pros and cons section, the company could be better if there was a stronger connection from merchandise managers and the store level. The family, company executives and regional managers on the store level and great leaders and really focus on developing people. The merchandise managers and buy teams, across all divisions, do not have the same focus. Many people complain the merchandise teams are focused on their own bonus and pay and do not communicate the same passion for developing people.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Nordstrom full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Competitive pay, very good HR structure and employee support, employees are empowered to use their best judgement.

Cons – Hours can be demanding during peak shopping times of year and during sales.

Advice to Senior Management – Remember the importance of empowering your employees to use their best judgement. Don't overwork crew. Customer service emphasis needs to flow through to how company treats employees. Treat employees well equals happy/satisfied employee equals job satisfication. All of which makes for an employee who is not only qualified to give great customer service but one who is supported and enabled to do so.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Nordstrom full-time for more than a year

Pros – Great people, culture and work life balance.

Cons – Slow to get work done and meetings always start late

Advice to Senior Management – Have a strategic vision in mind so that everyone is aligned

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Nordstrom full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – When I worked there you could learn a lot, and make a lot, if you know how to sell. It could get competitive, but if you have a great manager to learn from they will set the tone. You get out what you put in.

Cons – The company seems to be changing from what I see, it's less about the best customer interaction and more money driven than ever. If you aren't a top performer, and or young, you're not what they want. That breeds a very toxic environment.

Advice to Senior Management – Remember what this company was founded on, and don't invest in slimy, shark associates. They are natural sellers but turning them into managers doesn't mean they can teach that to others.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend