Heavily bureaucratic, toxic work environment, and obsessed with financial goals. (Nordstrom Direct) - Anonymous employee Nordstrom Employee Review

1.0
Nov 22, 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Employee discount if you are their customer.

Cons

The eCommerce division is still early in the maturity, which is unrecognized due to the more mature brick and mortar business. Oblivious of this is the product of a messy and amateurish operation. Huge lack of professionalism, integrity, embracing of expertise and talents, and employee competency, especially in management. Leadership is a joke. All energy spent daily on doing the best to avoid bureaucracy, cronyism, favoritism, and bullying. Nothing gets done because key position holders make decisions based on personal interests. They are unqualified, arrogant, passive-aggressive, and overtly exhibit demeanor of showing up for the title and their grossly overpaid paychecks while the underpaid and overworked talented professionals gain nothing but stress and disrespect. Their egos are inflamed, as is their fantasy of identity in glamorizing their performance and operations, happily taking the credit of all the hard and exceptional work that they did NOT do because they do not know how to do anything. A dictatorship business model in practice, the term "customer service" is abused internally, and the one rule to "use good judgement" is non-existent. So are standards, accountability, consistency, governance, and common sense. A toxic culture of lifers threatened by newbies as a result of hiring from within and very poor strategic planning and consideration of the people behind the head counts. They flaunt how much sales are generated, and tighten budget and drain workers. Those who had the enthusiasm and passion end up getting pushed so far that they are disengaged. Talented and qualified employees are bullied with intimidation for their expertise and experience. Lies and deception in their conduct from hiring through management, with ridiculous explanations that can only be described as offensive and insulting. Forget about growing and nurturing your career at this place. You are a fool to follow directions and instructions here. If you want to get ahead in this company, dig back to your days in high school of maneuvering through the cliques and bullies. I have learned nothing but how to identify the negatives of working at a company. A lot of unhappy, miserable, unappreciated, and disrespected employees. Those who fall outside of this group are clueless or contributors to the deep rooted problems, or maybe just plain lucky to have good supporting people. There needs to be more of them in key positions.

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5.0
May 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great benefits, team, and work/ life balance.

Cons

Growth is more reachable if you're in Seattle.

2.0
Jun 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent base pay, somewhat autonomous, great tip potential.

Cons

The company has changed for the worse since COVID. When I came back the mood of the entire store had shifted. Gone were the days of comradery, customer focus, and taking pride in a job well done. In its place there is a new culture of cutthroat sales, a severe decline in customer focus, and worst of all a new focus on profit over customer satisfaction. When I was told that the amount the store charged for a shoe shine was not enough to do the best job I could for a customer I knew things had gone downhill for the company. Not to mention I watch a manager prey on a mentally disabled person in order to secure a sale, when the person could not understand what was being offered. Sad that such a once great company is now just another greed ridden corporation.

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