Made For Retail Reviews

Where to start? Here are the highlights: - No trust from ownership or management in their staff - micromanage is the name of the game and it's their way or the highway (literally, Hwy 36 is right there and you're welcome to use it to drive right on by) - There is no work/life balance - you show up when they say you can and you leave when the office closes for the night. Some don't know how to be efficient in their work and are there until 8pm so expect late nights & weekends to meet deadlines - They don't listen to their customers and blindly keep marching to the beat of their own drum, to their own detriment. They keep losing business and have "no idea why" - Owners are a hysterical nightmare; when they decide to grace you with their presence it's like Stalin has returned. They are out of touch with their business and hire people to serve as their hit men. Use them and lose them is their motto. - Don't have opinions or ideas of your own, don't rock the boat. Don't be an independent thinker. You might have a fighting chance then. - Ethics are questionable, they are not above pushing suppliers for information on the competition (including pricing) to claw their way to the top - There is poor communication on a good day and a lot of time wasted in redundant meetings that have no productive outcome. They think changing their process over and over (and over and over) is the solution - it's not, and that just hinders the 'magic' of Product Development from happening. - They have no focus except on the bottom line. Their strong suit was stationery (that's how the company originally started) and they can't understand now why glass & ceramics aren't lucrative mediums for their designs. They have no idea why things cost what they do. Pricing things to customers was approached as throwing a dart at the wall and seeing what the customer is willing to pay, and if that cost is too high dumb the product down enough to meet that price point and then be shocked when they aren't awarded the business. HINT: If you're selling me on the concept of a Faberge egg but after redesign and cost 'negotiations' end up presenting me with a Reynolds wrap foil covered turd don't be surprised that I don't want to buy it in the end.

Working at Made For Retail is a nightmare. No true leadership and poor upper management results in a lot of wasted time sitting in meetings. No one knows what the business priorities are at all. There is a constantly changing process and like the previous review stated, the support functions are constantly cleaning up everyone elses messes. A handful of very motivated people are keeping the business from dying and getting nothing but more work piled on them and upper managers do nothing to support their staff. Two recent additions to the company have resulted in a loss of business and an increase in work for everyone in PD&D. Internal fear of the owners and managers and reaction to competitors and client requests drives most business decisions. You work hard and get no reward. Getting a raise is impossible and there is no opportunity for growth. 10 to 12 hour days are not just the norm, they are expected of everyone except management. Made For Retails reputation in town is terrible. Good luck finding a job once you sign the noncompete agreement. No one wants to hire anyone from Made For Retail once they see it.