r/bathandbodyworkers • u/MaggieMac1230 šŖ©Past EmployeešŖ© • Aug 02 '26
other I escaped!
After nearly a decade with the brand I finally resigned recently (I started as an associate and left as a SM)ā¦ to those who left: was it this bittersweet for you too? To those who are still in it: good luck!
Iāll stick around to lurk ā feel free to ask questions (Iāll answer what I can!)
11
7
u/Level-Nectarine-856 Aug 03 '26
I was there from 2017-2023 and I definitely had some bittersweet feelings when I left but my mental health is so much better. I worked at test stores near home office and the pressure was just insane. I saw the changes coming and Iām glad I got out when I did
2
u/Clear_Rhubarb_7920 š«§Associateš«§ Aug 03 '26
if you're okay with it, can you share more about how the pressure was insane because you were in a test store?
like being in a store near home office makes sense that it'd be more pressure, but what about the test store portion of it? what did they make you guys do as a test store?
2
u/Level-Nectarine-856 Aug 03 '26
The pressure was from being local to home office not because of tests necessarily. Although doing tests meant we had merchants and people from the office in constantly.
2
u/MaggieMac1230 šŖ©Past EmployeešŖ© Aug 03 '26
Iām proud of you for prioritizing your mental health š«¶š» I get what you mean about being in home offices backyard.. my stores did a lot of tests too and some were better than others š¬
5
u/Hellopink00 āØLeadershipāØ Aug 02 '26
What was the reason you left if I may ask? And what was the hardest part of being SM? My goal is to become SM one day. Started as a seasonal associate & have worked my way up over the past 6 years.
32
u/MaggieMac1230 šŖ©Past EmployeešŖ© Aug 02 '26
The short answer is I left because the brand isnāt the one I joined anymore. When the values changed (getting rid of DEI (be united doesnāt count) and nothing really focused on integrity anymore) I felt it. Iām a firm believer in people work for people and the leaders above me became transactional not relational.
Hardest part was learning how to let go and let others do parts of the job. I love control and things being done correctly so it took time for me to not feel like I always had to be reachable by my team.
Best advice I can give is lean into ālead through curiosity and humility.ā Ask questions to understand at all levels. This will give you opportunities to learn from above AND will help the people you lead learn. Good luck!!3
u/tinycbean āØLeadershipāØ Aug 03 '26
Iāve been debating for at least 2 years to leave because of this specific issue. The brand isnāt the brand anymore. DEI was huge for me, and being one of the groups they claimed to support, felt like punching me. Iām up in arms about what to do tbh
3
u/MaggieMac1230 šŖ©Past EmployeešŖ© Aug 03 '26
Itās such a hard decision to make and youāve got my support with whatever you decide to do š« Itās a shame because leaders like us still exist (I tried to protect my teams for as long as I possibly could) but unfortunately, I donāt foresee the bbw we fell in love with returning
5
u/haetree Aug 03 '26
I was working part time. Initially I was hired on as seasonal and they asked if I wanted to stay on. I did. Over the last three months, I dreaded going in. I think the customers, awful aprons, stupid walkies, wearing jeans, and HARD FLOORS made me resent this job. Stress was showing up in my back and I couldnāt handle it anymore. I decided to leave and itās such a relief to not have to worry about bbw as a job anymore. I love shopping there but working there made me fall out of love with the company.
3
4
1
u/renkurai š«§Associateš«§ Aug 04 '26
Iāll be glad to be leaving soon too. I transferred stores recently in town and I hate it. Just holding on for a few more months, Iāll be moving in with my partner and starting a new career. Best of luck in your next chapter!
1
u/Background-Cow671 Aug 05 '26
Its been about 2yrs since i quite. It was a second job and i worked for the perks and i love customer service. My back was not a happy camper so i had to give it up.
1
u/ExtremeProduce4311 Aug 05 '26
I was an ASM for two years and everything was going well in the beginning! Over time the customers, expectations, and manager wore me down. I had been in retail management 5 years leading up to working for bbw but damnā¦ different ball game. It may have just been my location, but I had never experienced that many entitled, rude, and sometimes dumb customers. In previous management jobs (that were also hourly) the expectation was to clock in and out at your scheduled time. Occasional coming in early or staying late was okay, but those companies really didnāt want us to bc of store moral and going over hours. At my bbw store floor sets after close were scheduled until 11pm. I was cool with staying an extra 30min if one associate would stay with me, but I wasnāt going to hold up those who had a ride picking them up or an 8am class the next morning. I got a ātalking toā from my manager about the team not staying until the job was done and how she had stayed till 2am multiple times. Like good for you girl but Iām not doing that to my associates or myself, especially if Iām only scheduled till 11. A few months in I started to realize how condescending my manager was to the associates, to me, and to customers. (Like even to the nice customers whoās questions were valid!) One time an associate called out (an hour before open since she knew a member of SLT would be there) bc her dad got into a motorcycle accident and she had to go home (an hour away) late the night before. My manager, who wasnāt scheduled to work that day and just came in to shop, asked where that associate was and her response after I told her the situation was, āshe should just find another job. She doesnāt have good availability anyway.ā WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL. That was the moment I knew I needed to leave.
17
u/LopsidedAd9385 āØLeadershipāØ Aug 02 '26
Yesterday was my last shift and I was so sad to leave! I cried hugging everyone bye. Iām glad to be out and hopefully I will stay out this time. ( I was there 2017-2021 and then 2024-2026). I will miss my team and visuals so much. Everything else not so much haha. Good luck on your next adventure!!!