Hastings Entertainment reviews in Amarillo TX

Interesting product range, Quality Coffee House in many stores; Most locales have generally decent hardworking staff. (Shrinking) employee discount on product... ...it's a Job in these trying times--but I wouldn't wish it upon an enemy.

To put it quite simply, Upper Management is inflicting a Death of a Thousand Cuts on their own company, and are too self-satisfied and convinced of their perfection to see it. A frighteningly vertical, top-down micromismanaged Do-as-we-say-(until we change our minds)-not-as-we-do-or-else style, inchoate, angry and dismissive in execution. Revolving-door staffing almost from top to bottom, connoting a lack of continuity and direction. An overwhelming fetish for "The Metrics": Numbers over reality, EVEN when "Look and Feel" are supposedly what was being judged: during an executive store visit, a Clean, Neat, Well-Organized store (with lower than Plan sales) will always get a low rating, Stores with great Sales were held up as 'Perfect Stores'-even though you knew they sucked at Alpha(betization) and did'nt have all their End-caps up. Store Visits were experiences to avoid or endure; One set of visitors would have store Change This,and Fix That for reasons ranging from branding, to visibility...then the next set of visitors would insist 'that's all wrong, do it THIS way, where's the memo on this?' No communication on high, or accountability to those below. A wage freeze--on existing personnel--stretching into its 3rd year, breeding resentment of management, and new hires, who are making more starting than some veterans currently (It is rumored). Nearly non-existent, contradictory training, reinforcing a "employees are replaceable parts" feeling... In my 7 years as a Book Mgr., I served under 6 different Store Mgrs., 7 different District Mgrs., and countless associates. Scheduling & Staffing are bitter jokes; few 'Full'-timers get more than 30hrs/wk, part-timers half that or less. Foolish compromise of Customer Service, Staff Competence, and Security, dress in a filmy gauze of 'austerity': Many stores are getting robbed blind, the evidence via packaging and such everywhere, YET: 'Shrink'(Theft & loss)is laid squarely at the feet of staff, and yes we feel responsible in that we ARE NOT AROUND enough to deter potential thieves, But the most Humorless & Paranoid LP staff short of the KGB focus all attention on staff,--even in matters where they have no business--many seeming to be side-tracked C- manager wannabes. Don't work there--hastings does not deserve quality employees until they learn how train them with care, treat them with a modicum of respect, learn to trust them with everyday tasks, believe in and support them them when they try to repair faults, and reward them when they do succeed.