Beware - Hourly Associate Ocean State Job Lot Employee Review

2.0
3 Jun 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

OSJL seems to be a great company to work for if you live close to their headquarters in Rhode Island. In a time where retail is seriously struggling, Job Lot is growing and opening stores every year. Improvements are constantly being made, be they technological, policy focused, etc. Associates have a generous 20% discount, with occasional 30% off shopping days. The part time benefits are nice compared to other retailers, and annual profit sharing is a nice surprise. There are many opportunities to move up in the company, as OSJL likes to promote from within. There are also various donation programs throughout the year that aim to benefit local communities.

Cons

Do not be fooled, most of the reviews on this website are from employees working in the corporate office. My experience working for OSJL has been very disappointing. My store has been open for three years, and so far, we have had a different manager each year. Under the current store manager morale has plummeted and the stores turnover rate has skyrocketed, which can’t be good for business. The workplace has turned toxic, everybody is constantly miserable and complaining about the store manager, even other store management. Half of the employees have complained MULTIPLE TIMES over the course of a year to HR, going as far as recording dates and times the manager has broken policy and bullied associates. Absolutely nothing has been done. Without the assistant managers the store would almost certainly have collapsed. They constantly fix the store managers mistakes, console disgruntled employees, and train employee after employee only to train even more when new hires quit. To make matters worse, one of the assistant managers is being transferred now, leaving the store short handed in terms of management, when we are already struggling with the lack of hourly associates. The district manager overseeing all the New Jersey stores is an embarrassment to OSJL and its values. There is a major lack of communication between him and store management (except for my store manager who has worked for him for other companies). The pay is not competitive, and the stores are dirty and cheap. The cash registers leave little to be desired, and the inventory management is atrocious. The company is definitely having some growing pains!

Explore other reviews about Ocean State Job Lot

5.0
17 Apr 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good hours and nice coworkers

Cons

an assortment of managers who dont communicate well

1.0
7 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

it is a decent overall gap job, you will be doing every role in the store and if it is dead you will be expected to multitask up front.

Cons

some of the management could be harsh on employees

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