Where do I begin with this company?
In a nutshell, I have NEVER worked for an organization that had such utter contempt for its own employees. From top to bottom, this company has made it crystal-clear that the people running their stores and profit centers simply do not matter, period. This is BY FAR the most spirit-crushing, soul-sucking job I've ever held.
But first, about the company itself.
Aaron's is a lease-to-own business. It leases inferior quality furniture, bedrooms, appliances, and electronics to a largely uneducated, impulsive, and low-income clientele with no, little, or bad credit. The merchandise is leased over a period of time (mostly for two years), whilst the unsuspecting customer is being fleeced, akin to those instant cash scams. For example, a customer leases a bedroom set for twenty-four months. The actual retail price is $2,000, but after paying $150 per month for 24 months, the customer will eventually pays $1600 MORE for otherwise cheap merchandise made in Vietnam, Mexico, or Malaysia. "Do the math" is the company's slogan. Apparently, people don't do the math. Sometimes the customer understands what they're signing-up for, most of the time they don't or simply don't care.
Aaron's, on the other hand, just wants its money. The company doesn't concern itself with the socio-economic construct of its poor ethnic minority clients. They just want what little money these suckers have. I cannot understand how upper-echelon executives at Aaron's can sleep at night or live with themselves. It's amoral. An argument can be made that some of these people are decidedly racist, too. I know for a fact that I personally work for a dyed-n-the-wool racist (and I'm white).
So now that you know what the business of Aaron's is all about, the rest pertains to why you should avoid using this company as a prospective employer at all costs. Don't walk away, but RUN.
• SALARY
There's an old quote: "You pay peanuts, you get monkeys." Aaron's never got that memo. It doesn't matter if you're a seasoned and educated professional, you'll be extremely fortunate to see thirteen bucks per hour, even with the title of Sales Manager or Customer Accounts Manager. General Managers usually start at $50,000 per year; there are shift supervisors at Taco Bell who make that much. Ergo, if you want to get paid a decent salary, look elsewhere. Although Aaron's makes hundreds of millions in earnings, it never trickles down to its employees. Baker's Square restaurants start their manager-trainees at $65,000 per year; ditto Aldi Food Stores.
SCHEDULE
Aaron's likes to inexplicably fancy itself to big-box stores like Target, Best Buy, Walmart, etc. It's not, trust me. (You should see these people around Christmas time. It's a veritable joke.) That said, the lease-to-own business operates under "normal" retail hours: 10 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, until 8 p.m. on Friday, and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Employees are required to work these horribly long hours of ten, eleven, and twelve-hour shifts, well into the night. The ideal hours should be Monday through Saturday from 11:00-5:00. (If you're in the collections department, be ready to work from 8 a.m. through 9 p.m.)
Your entire day is shot.
If you have a spouse and kids, you can forget about spending any quality time with them. You'll NEVER get two consecutive days off. Indeed, you may get Sunday off, but the company mandates that you work on Monday. For some reason, Monday is one of those days that Regional Managers get all psychotic about. And if you want to take a vacation, half of the calendar year is blacked-out as "non-vacation" periods. They make a gargantuan deal if you submit a vacation request. It's like pulling teeth from a lion.
So, forget about those drum lessons that you've always yearned for. You will never go to your boy's Cub Scout events. Yeah, you'll probably miss your daughter's first Holy Communion, too. Funerals, weddings, and any other family functions are pretty much verboten without some kind of threat or intimidation. This job is ONLY for single losers who really have absolutely no social life outside of work.
So now you have a job with excessively long hours and very little pay.
CULTURE
Again, I have never worked for an organization with more contempt of its employees than Aaron's. It's not just the long, ridiculous hours or the little pay, but how they actually treat the worker. The company does not care one iota about your personal life outside of work, your kids, family obligations, or any of that. You are an indentured servant to the company and nothing else. They'll work you to death, demand that you carry heavy objects, move large furniture, clean bedbug-infested couches, pile-on marketing and administrative duties, and not pay you one red cent more; they toss nickels around like manhole covers. I can imagine that only eighteenth century slaves had it worse. But it doesn't end there.
If you're a male Sales Manager making $12.75 per hour, there will be a female Sales Manager earning the same rate, BUT will not be forced to do the heavy lifting. For instance, if a Product Technician (a fancy way of saying "delivery guy") doesn't show up for work, the female Sales Manager will NEVER go on that delivery, although they're required to do so (per the job description). The male SM will have to go. Clearly, there's a huge double-standard on this job.
And speaking of sales, the bonus program is laughably unrealistic, consistently unattainable, and a mere pittance. The carrot is dangling on an eight-mile pole. This is one cheap company with tiny arms and deep pockets.
Oh, and the sales associates are dishonest and lazy, in that, they will steal your sales to make themselves look better in the rankings, All of that hard work you you put into drawing a customer is all for naught if you're on a lunch break, temporarily unavailable, or have the day off. The people who work for Aaron's are not very bright; they remind me of carney folk. Almost creepy, like a cult. Don't expect any meaningful conversations with these people, particularly if they're "lifers". I wouldn't trust them as far as I could spit on them.
Regional Vice-Presidents treat Regional Managers like dirt, who treat General Managers likewise, whom in turn, will treat employees even worse. I've never encountered a more unprofessional, hostile, intimidating, threatening, sexist, and racist environment in my many years of working. It's no wonder why the turnover rate is so high.
In the end, it's all about the numbers. You can succeed, but it won't be enough for this ungrateful organization. They want numbers crunched, but also blood, sweat, and tears to boot. This is a company with a "What have you done for me in the past nanosecond?" mentality. They don't care how good you are or your successful track record. You'll never be acknowledged for your strong work ethic, integrity, or any other intangible. It's only about how you drive the numbers. I've personally witnessed General Managers lie, cheat, and steal to achieve those numbers at the behest of their Regional Managers, right on up to the Regional VP. The numbers are mostly lies and fabrications created by the intimidation tactics from the top on down. GM's make it up on the next month's sheet and continue to kick the can down the road until they get caught, which they won't. This is why they hire so many reprobates from Rent-a-Center, a company with little to no integrity whatsoever.
If you're seriously considering a job with this company, work just enough not to get fired. (Don't worry, you won't get fired. Aaron's doesn't fire anyone unless you deliberately damage their precious cheap furniture.) There are plenty of places to hide: restroom, parking lot, car, or break room. Utilize them, you know, as I do now. Complain of back problems if they want you to unload a truck. Remember, they won't pay you; they don't care about you; they'll treat you like dirt. Ya may as well use the company for the health insurance and nothing else. This is what I do now. I actually volunteer to go on deliveries just to get out of answering phones fielding stupid complaints or listening to my overbearing, threatening, juvenile, and racist GM. Besides, we take our time and milk the clock so when we arrive back at the store, it's time to go home! Apparently, every delivery man does the same thing. That's where I got the idea from. I have no regrets about it, considering how poorly we're treated.
CAREER VALUE
If you're smart, industrious, productive, and ambitious, you will never get promoted. They only promote people who treat their Regional Managers like gods. Merit does not matter. Just know where the good hiding places are within the store.
IN SUM
If you want to be micromanaged by people who threaten and slave-drive you, then this is the job for you. If you have no social life or a family, then you're perfect for this job. If you have no conscience, take this job.
For the rest of you, I IMPLORE you to NOT accept a position of employment with this company. These are awful people to work for. They'll never have your back, unless they stab it.
