Thread regarding The Hudson's Bay Company layoffs

Keep safe Ridgewood ... Not closing yet in Bergan County .. I UNBELIEVABLE

All Bergen County malls must close starting from 11 am on March 17, per County Executive James Tedesco. It’s to prevent the virus from spreading, and the closure is indefinite, until it’s safe to reopen. There is an article on NorthJersey.com. I guess people are going to get phone calls tomorrow or maybe they got them earlier today??? If not, call and confirm!!

Willowbrook Mall in nearby Passaic County will also be closed. Sending good thoughts to the GM there and all of our fellow LT associates, both selling and non-selling.

Stay safe, Ridgewood! I hope to see you all of you on the flip side! A great big virtual hug to each of my wonderful Lord & Taylor family members, both past and present!! You guys always made every day a great day at Ridgewood!! Hopefully we will have many more!!

L&T never did not will they EVER care about their employees. The store should be closed at this point. Their last ditch efforts to try and scrounge a sale is pathetic . The store is filthy and w/ the measly 5 hrs they give housekeeping Nothing is getting cleaned. Great move to have an event this Saturday w/ people all in one spot for a trend show 👎🏽 Social distancing obviously did t happen 🤢

Bring in wipes from home all! We are not in a good situation as Bergen has most cases of NJ. Wipe everything don’t trust someone else has. Prayers none of us get sick

During these difficult times, what does lord and Taylor do? Fire all its part time employees. Thanks lord and Taylor for showing your true colors. You don’t give a damn about people. People are suffering right now and you are making it worse. Shame on you.

When it’s really slow, even during the day because there is a pandemic or for whatever reason, the store can send part-timers home to try to hopefully avoid future layoffs. Explain that way. Obviously make sure there is still enough coverage.

Anything being done in the store as for as housekeeping and sanitising during this pandemic? Having events during this time not a wise move.

Sometimes really old school service is a good solution to keep in mind in modern times. For instance Von Maur and what they are trying to do.

A month ago customer came from a different area and stated service in store has really gone downhill. They said they were looking for an item from a mailing. They said they were told we didn’t have it and it couldn’t be ordered. The mailing didn’t have an item number to autolocate. Customer left without purchasing item.

Maybe there were some modern and even good old fashioned ways to help this customer—look up the item number on website and then auto locate. Call a store with larger stock for SKU. Take customer info down, research it, setup time for customer to come in to order. They came specifically to buy from the store, not online. The point is not maybe not many are aware of different ways that may still work in a pinch.

Back in November there was an article on NJ.com where some PR person from HBC stated that both Lord & Taylors in Paramus were open for business.
Anyway there used to be a comments section on the site and several people noted they liked Ridgewood because it was old school. Probably talking about the positive experience of shopping there and maybe the service.

Rotate merch on slow pads

People work at Ridgewood for different reasons. Some work retail as a career. Others work to supplement their income, while others work to get out of the house. Some people just love working with their customers and their coworkers. It’s not always about a paycheck at the end of the day for everyone. So, thanking someone costs very little and it can mean a lot to someone at the end of the day.

The managers are there because there is a staff and vice versa. It’s obvious and some people want to pretend they are really bored with this site, or they want to pretend like they want to shut people down. But they keep reading and reading so maybe they find some value in what people are saying.

If managers are having a hard time and think people can’t understand what they are going through, then call other managers. Call Westchester, call Willowbrook.

😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴

Is the store closed yet

Everyone has a right to an opinion and a right to voice their concerns on a public forum. No should try to censor someone else and say stop posting, especially when those who are saying it, the managers themselves, seem to be posting and adding an incredible amount of fuel to the situation on purpose. People will talk regardless. The thing to do is to let things blow over, cool down.

People are upset about what happened. A lot of people were blindsided, and some people may be angry. That is okay. Anger is an emotion like any other, and it’s natural to be angry at times just as it’s natural to feel happy or sad. Calling someone angry is just acknowledging that they are human. That’s not a big deal.

If managers need to address things on a website in order to talk to workers, that shows a real breakdown in communication by managers with all staff. So, try talking to everyone. Everyone is waiting.

Wow we should thank you for having a job?

Our thank you should be our pay check?

This is the new management that we have at Ridgewood.

This is the new management with such big egos that can’t believe that employees don’t like them.

If you treat your employees the way this post was written then I hope Corporate reads this post.

I hope Corporate reads the post about how we should just close the store down.

Give the store manager a chance. The manager who doesn’t talk to employees let alone to a customers.

Maybe a smile on your face when you walk the floor would help morale.
Maybe an acknowledgement of your hard work would be nice.

Stop saying we are angry.
Stop saying the store should close.
Stop walking around and see something is wrong and do nothing about it.
If you see something needs fixing and you see we are understaffed, it’s ok to fold or pick something up.
This was done 20 years ago.

Guess what that created when employees saw it?
It’s called respect! That’s what we had 20 years ago both by management and by employees.

Never would we have heard be thankful you have a job!

No matter what this management does this store will survive
Our customers believe in us.

Corporate needs to get involved and do something about this management.

Stop telling us to end this thread.

I believe in this store even if you don’t.

Some of you are full of anger. If the store meets objectives it will stay open. You get thanked for your work every Friday, your paycheck. Do you thank management for the opportunity to work? Why be thanked for doing you job. Come on. If you have such a problem with certain managers there are official ways to voice complaints. Other then that grow up. Treat all nicely and lend a helping hand.

Wow. Did the store manager admit to walking around and seeing people doing nothing? Then he did nothing about it as the store manager? Left it for his higher ups to handle.

Installing a service desk doesn’t automatically create service. Associates need coaching to be next-level associates. That should always be happening. We have good, hardworking associates but the company changed hands a few times. People got hired different times, everyone got different training. No one wants to talk about that.

Some have clients, customers coming from out of state, taking down numbers if something comes in.

It would be nice if executive managers knew everyone by name. They’ve been at the store for a year, or over. Some people say they never talked to the executive managers. That’s sad, makes you feel your efforts don’t matter.

Let’s address the fact that Again this thread needs to end!
We know there is no service
We know there is horrible merchandise
We Know the place is going to close!
The end

Let’s address the working as a team.

This is coming from management talking to the few employees that are left.

• The few employees that are left that are giving 110% of there time. We are under staffed and over work.

Let’s address the statement of give the store management a chance?

• Let’s start with management saying hello to the your employees that are left.

It’s ok we don’t bite. We like to be acknowledged even if it just a hello by using our name and a thank you at the end of the night.

Do you even know our names?

We get it from the supervisors but it would matter more if the store manager and operation managers would say it.

How about a hello when they came into our departments?

How about at closing? Tell us how the store did. Even if we had a bad day. Like we did 20 years ago. They acknowledge our hard work back then.

Keep your employees informed about how the business is doing?
Like we did 20 years.

Thank you corporate for reading these posts and stopping the announcements that the store is closing and pushing the customers out the door.

• All that we need now is to move your employees from departments that are slow and move them to areas that are busy, like the good old days.

Days when management saw the business and addressed the situation that was happening.

Yes that was 20 years ago when business was good and service mattered.

• Now that the internet is the way of life, why should we come into the store?

It’s for the service stupid.
Service is what you don’t get with the internet.

• Bring the customer back into the store for something they don’t get elsewhere!

Yes we need to change from 20 years ago, But at the end of the day “Why does a customer come though the Lord & Taylor doors”?

It’s for the service that they receive!

I see hope in Ridgewood if we change from 20 years ago.

Need working tools. Registers stop working when a little busy, can’t look up returns sometimes, autolocate looks up wrong items. Unhappy customers.

It’s interesting to read... It sounds like the GM is even posting?

When is this thread going to end 🤷🏻‍♀️ Doesn’t matter what change has been implemented Lord and Taylor has no future except for its real estate to be sold . It has been on a downward spiral ever since HBC bought it and there is NO coming back from that.

The nature of things is to always change. There is no doubt about that, and no one is against change if it puts the business of the store first.

However, some of the changes taking place are to address things that should have never happened and were happening for a very long time. It’s well known that we did have certain people making closing announcements 30 minutes prior to the store closing. We had some people in positions of authority speaking to customers in a raised voice that the store was closed and that customers really needed to go home. It seems it’s only been recently with these postings by everyone that these issues are now being addressed.

The issue is we need more customers coming into the store in order to buy. That was the business 20 years ago and that’s still the business today. It would be great if the issue could be easily solved by picking up a couple of dresses or a shoe.

The service desk program rollout took too long. The rollout started in May or June 2019 and now 10 months later coming together. Between May and now, the rollout put workers and customers in an uncertain limbo.

10 and 20 years ago retail was a different landscape. All managers and associates need to change with the times. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is insanity.
Each ASM have favorited certain people over the years, for what ever the reason.
Ridgewood needed drastic changes!! Change is always hard but necessary. For example, visual she is on floor all day, let’s you know where things are. New store manager had been in operations, give him a chance. He was put in Ridgewood for reason. Decisions to cut staff come from the top. Do you really think he wanted to cut people. Put yourself in his position, walking around the store to see groups of employees having personal conversation instead of working. There is always something to do. If your department has nothing to do help in another. If you see a dress on the floor pick it up, shoe knocked down pick it up.
For far to long the minimal amount of work occurred and look where that got Ridgewood. If you have time to lean you have time to clean.
The Gossip tree needs to stop. No one knows what others are really dealing with. Instead of talking smack be and act like a professional adult! Support each other, work as a team. Put your best foot forward and give 100% in all you do.

Le Tote is relying on HBC to guide business at Lord & Taylor, and they should rethink that. They need to get more involved in their investment.

Le Tote should look at Baker’s deals. He sold the flagship store to WeWorks, a company that he has ties to. Now WeWorks is trying to sell the place to Amazon. Pretty convenient!

The layoffs were mostly based on salary and length of service. Top managers know that it had little to do with being top talent or not.

Most of shoes was let go. That department was a full commission area, and recently they were put on hourly based on their commission earnings. So, many were making more than 100 percent above the average associate in the store. Most of the third floor was let go. On average the length of service was 30 years for each associate who was let go.

The ASMs who were laid off were hired by the regional manager 10 to 20 years ago. Both ASMs headed large departments for many years. These ASMs worked in tandem with the regional who was then GM of Ridgewood to bring in the most money that the store ever saw. Great leadership brought out the best in everyone to envision a result and collaborate to make it real. Teamwork makes the dream work, as the then top managers used to say.

The current top managers don’t seem to want to hear at all from associates, customers, managers, supervisors. I heard they have an open door policy, but their door is literally shut. There is a passcode lock to get into the executive suite area. If you see them around, they look away from you. The store used to be a much friendlier place to work.

They, and Lord & Taylor, just want to pay people less. That’s why they laid everyone off and are just looking for young people. Their want ad says they are looking for the “next generation” of workers. That’s just discrimination against older, experienced workers. If top managers are looking to fill open slots with this “next generation,” it would make sense to say one reason behind people getting laid off had to with being from this older generation.

It’s hard to find a retail job now after the holiday season. I am sure open slots are full now with seasonals that stayed on to take permanent jobs.

The post about the store manager making comments about the CEO of L&T being Asian and taller and saying the the director of stores dresses like a frat boy is very unprofessional. This manager needs some sensitivity training before they a have a lawsuit for these comments.
Not surprised by the new management behavior.
How old are these people in charge?

Thank you for reply! When you are 70+ it becomes very difficult to find work. I really think the state would get involved if more are left go, as no warning.

In answer to the below the director of stores was due in one afternoon. From what I understand the manager told a group of associates to call him when the director came in. I heard that the manager described the director of stores as a frat boy. He added that the director would be coming in with the new CEO of LT. He said the CEO was Asian and taller. Not sure what was exactly meant by those statements, but I heard some people got offended.

• Who would post negative things about the managers that were let go?
• Who would post things like they had favorites?
• managers that have worked for years under the old management where we cared about service and how the store looked.
• managers who would work 6 day weeks during visits, holidays and special events even when they were sick and shouldn’t be working.
• managers who did because they cared about the business and their employees.

Now we have new management who barely know the names of the remaining employees.
Obviously whoever wrote this doesn’t really know these managers.
They probably don’t even know the dedication of the employees that we laid off.
It’s very sad to see what this family oriented store has turned into thanks to the new management that is now there.
A store manager that walks away during a Prom event on Saturday before it was over.
Never even said a word to thank all the participants and everyone that came to see the show. This is the management we have now.
If this is what we have left then the customers will also walk away from this store.
Hopefully something will be done to change this new management.

I was FT and was let go. I was shocked as I never had a bad review. I am angry at the fact that I wasn’t given notice. There were enough let go that manager could have called in the state to help those being left go. If I had notice I still would have would have done my job to the best of my ability.
It shows manager doesn’t care about employee. The warm notice if filed would have helped those left go. Notice would give a head start in finding a new job, shows we respect you.
I was never given any copy of Le Totes changes to layoffs. If you change a policy you need to communicate it! Yes, I signed as I had no choice however, the courts may view this as duress and allow cases to go forward. If this next wave is with in 60 days of 2/13 it shows they were trying to avoid state law.
Let’s stop fighting with each other!
Yes, all managers have favored certain people, unfortunately it has now been done to them! Does anyone remember the rally where Eric read a discriminatory customer feedback? Did anyone take a picture of that? That would help some of us!
Also, could someone post his statements about looking like a typical frat boy in reference to a white male? I wasn’t present when this was said.
Please as I am having a problem finding work, probably due to age.
I wish those left all the best.
I never voiced any of my ideas to store manager as he was curt. I hope he reads these posts and starts dressing appropriate, treats customers with respect and acknowledgement how hard people work.

Manager have favorited some, yah so did the two who were left go. They both had pets. Pot meet kettle. Maybe, these two should have dealt with the issues in departments instead of letting it fester. Now what they have done to some in the past happened to them. 2018 cuts they did it.

These layoffs w/ managers were based on salary in 99.9 % of the cases. 20 plus years of work and dedication and L&T tells all of them their performance is the reason they are being let go 🤔😂 I think not

Who decides who is top talent ?
The store manger ultimately does.
So if this “ manager” has favorites they will overlook the incompetecies of the ones they like better and protect them.
I’ve seen it in action and it’s disgusting.

Obviously some should look up the meaning of discrimination. It’s not to often top talent is let go, one may consider themselves top talent, but if they were replaced days later then they were not top talent. Top talent deals with the problems in their department, not ignore them.
Each company looks at a person’s talent and decides what they are willing to pay for what is offered.
Some of the posts on this and other sites are mere personal attacks.
Top managers take action and are involved.

You want to use the word discrimination let’s talk about the top talent managers that were discriminated against only because they had years of service and made a decent salary. For that reason we fire them 🤔 and turn around days later and bring in a cheaper replacements. The same thing Could be said for certain associates who have been around for years . Why keep them when we can pay minimum wage. Better for those who were let go in this wave than to be left in the mess that Le Tote has created

No I don’t blame the associates for any of this. I was saying that if you have an idea speak up. Prior to the layoffs there were several who didn’t do much. I feel bad for those still there as they face uncertainty as the next wave will be end of March.
I think they will take out all full timers. Get rid of expensive dept manager. Now they are ads for night part time.

What about the people who are left? It’s not heaven for them. Clearly business is getting worse and worse no matter what amount of effort is put in by hourly LT workers. Do you blame them for that?

Clearly Ridgewood did not do well last year. Before the layoffs became the only option, maybe management should have explored ways to prevent the layoffs or to lessen the number of people getting laid off. I hope this helps other stores and Ridgewood in the future:

1. We could have closed at 8 pm on Thursdays, like Garden State. So, Monday through Thursday until 8pm.
2. We could have opened at 10:30 am instead of 10 am. The same people who can get to the store at 10 can probably make it for 10:30.
3. Asked full-timers, including ASMs, to take a pay cut to stay on or see if some full-timers would be willing to go part-time until things improved.
4. Gathered ideas to improve the store from associates and all other workers.
5. When it was clear that laying off people was the only solution, know the people that work for you and their stories. Try to be compassionate. Some people who were let go have long-term health issues or have family with special needs. Maybe should have tried to transfer those people to other stores.

That rumor about the layoffs might be true for Ridgewood.

In NJ there is a cap on how many people can get laid off by law in a month. You can lay up to a third of your workforce on a site without declaring it a “mass layoff.” A “mass layoff” involves 60 days’ notice to the municipal, the state, and the people getting laid off. It sound like the clock resets every month, so a company can get around declaring a “mass layoff” if they want by delaying some layoffs to the next month.