B&M Retail reviews

Being spoken to like absolute dirt. When you are running a store, there is zero trust in you as a Store Manager. You are visited numerous times each week for about 10-15 minutes. What value does that add? The Mystery Shoppers - what other business gives a Mystery Shopper (a former failed Deputy or Store Manager) the power to rate your store and ruin your career? Their opinion is gospel and no matter what you say to defend yourself, it’s never good enough. Senior Management - Area Managers are following orders from above and those orders are sent out in the harshest of ways. The Regional Manager visits the store and expects to be respected and listened to, despite speaking to you like you’re dirt. They will humiliate you in front of your team and customers and still expect you to deliver and not answer back. My Regional Manager changed in the summer of last year and that’s when things really went down hill. No trust, no praise - just negativity all the time. Working Pattern - you’re not told this at interview but you are expected to work every Friday and Saturday and it you want these days off, they have to be booked as holiday. This only applies to Store Managers. Everyone else can have these as days off and not book them as holiday. Recently, you’re now expected to work most Sundays and a Monday, and if you try and take your two days off together, again more scorn from your Regional Manager. Store Managers are viewed as the lowest of the low in this business. Treated so poorly, never given a well done and always threatened with being dismissed or short serviced if what is delivered isn’t the magical 8/10. Store Manager labour turnover is so high and they just expect people to walk into the roles and take this. Like you should be thankful that they have you that job, so it gives them the right to treat you however they wish. Work / Life Balance - what is that? Always working over your contract and when you try and take time back, you are viewed in a negative light. Working ridiculous hours to deliver unrealistic expectations. I’d like to see the Senior Managers try to deliver themselves what they expect the teams in store to deliver. You could work a very long shift, all night and day, come back the next day have a visit and still be expected to deliver a great store when you’re hanging by a thread. They really just do not care about you. To them, you are just filling a gap in a rota. And it’s heartbreaking, giving everything you have and never feeling good enough. I’ve never in my life worked for a company where saying well done or thank you is so difficult from a Regional Manager. They set the culture in stores and they are the reason that so many people leave the business.

Firstly the training is poor and only 4 hours long which is made up of 3 hours reading and half an hour signing contracts. You are expected to know everything you are expected to do after the 30 minutes they spend showing you where fire exits and offices are. Being and ex-worker of B&M I have witnessed how terrible the management of the store are. They are very rarely present in between trips to Mcdonalds with friends they have employed - which is a good majority of the staff - which means everyone else is left to run the store themselves and are then disciplined if something goes wrong. Friends of the managers do little to no work, other than socialising, and get paid the same as the small amount who are left with the weight on their shoulders. You were only given a 30 minute break during a 9 hour shift and you were demonized for leaving the shop floor for 2 minutes to get a drink of water after dragging heavy pallets around and unloading heavy boxes. The threatening way in which the normal staff are spoken to is disgusting and degrading. There were a lot of double standards and some staff that did not get on well with friends of the managers were given false records of bad work habits, including myself. Workers are expected to work long hours for minimum wage and under 18s are kept in past 12 oclock to complete stock takes and are then expected to start a shift again at 7 oclock the next morning. Not only this, many missed last public transports as it was not completed before 10 oclock as promised and were expected to walk home. This surely must be a violation of health and safety and it is shocking how no other alternative to get home was offered by the store as it was their fault transport has been missed, especially for 16 and 17 year olds who could not afford expensive taxi fares home. Your hard work is never appreciated with over-time or praise and it was common for the managers to shout at staff in front of customers and other employees using vile language on the shop floor. The warehouse was infested by maggots and ants which were washed off of products to then be sold on the shop floor, and there was mould growing from inside couches which a few workers were asked to pick off and clean before it was then displayed as quality stock again an hour or so after. Overall it was a horrendous place to work and I am surprised I lasted the 8 weeks I did before walking. I will never purchase anything from the store as I have seen the way in which stock is carelessly handled and I would encourage anyone to stay clear of any job opportunities the place has to offer. I am surprised at how there can possibly be any rating higher than 2 stars regarding this company, but they reviews are most likely employed friends and family.