General Manager - General Manager Old Navy Employee Review

1.0
28 Nov 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pay, PTO, and Career growth inside of stores if you are willing to put in the effort.

Cons

I worked at Old Navy for 15 years. Started as a seasonal associate and worked my way up to a General Manager. When I first started as a General Manager the job was exciting and fun. Over the years it has gotten worse and worse. Expectations are absolutely impossible given the payroll model and the sad thing is that the upper field knows it. You are chasing a million metrics which makes it impossible to ever feel successful in your role. Leadership structure inside of stores is not updated to fit the current needs of the business. If you happen to work in a market where upper field lives then don't ever expect to know what the current priority is because everyone has a different opinion on what's important. Leaders are not given time to do their actual roles and instead spend a majority of the day putting out fires (recovering, fitting room, registers, shipment, etc..) due to lack of payroll to schedule associates. Omni is a great tool to drive business but again it's another metric to chase. Your associates/leaders will spend all day chasing Omni with no time to provide real costumer service to people actually in the building. The company brags about being named a "great place to work" and I would say it is UNLESS you are a General Manager. Just filter the reviews on Glassdoor for General Manager and you will see the 2.5 stars that are given by this group. Career growth is available but frankly assistant managers don't want to become GMs because they see how terrible the job is. I would highly recommend that you do a lot of research on the company before accepting an offer. I spent 15 years with the company, had multiple promotions, increased sales in buildings by millions of dollars, and when it was all said and done barely got a goodbye from the company. At the end of the day they only want money and whatever it takes to get it. You will hear it on conference calls with the upper field, at leadership conferences, etc.. they will spend hours talking about how much money we are going to make and how we are going to crush the competition and how all these initiatives are going to make more money and we should feel so excited!! But the reality at the end of the day is that they forget about the leaders that are running these buildings. They are completely out of touch with the reality that GMs are living in.

Explore other reviews about Old Navy

5.0
8 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I’ve stayed with Old Navy through my entire undergrad and grad school experience. The best part about working here is how flexible they are with your schedule—they really work with you to make sure you can balance your shifts around classes and finals.

Cons

he holiday season is tough because Black Friday is now a mandatory 8-hour shift for everyone—no exceptions. Also, the attendance policy has become much stricter recently. They use a point system where you accumulate points for being even a minute late, which feels a bit extreme when you've been a loyal employee for years. It definitely makes the environment feel more rigid than it used to be.

2.0
26 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You might meet some lifelong friends! Long tenure if you are willing to give up everything to try to be a successful employee Good EAP program for short term intensive therapy…

Cons

Public criticism, condescending communication, inconsistent accountability, and fear-based management styles became increasingly common. Feedback often felt reactive rather than constructive, and many employees did not feel psychologically safe speaking openly about concerns. There was also a significant lack of consistency between leaders and stores. Expectations changed constantly, communication was often unclear, and favoritism sometimes impacted accountability and decision-making. Long-term employees who consistently stepped up during difficult periods often felt taken for granted rather than appreciated. Reporting to HR will get you no where. You will be gaslit if you choose to speak up.

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