Carmen

Store Manager

“I fell in love with AllSaints about 13 years ago as a customer.”

• What does a good day look like in your role?

  Just depends on how you look at it! Walking away from a day knowing that you did your absolute best to achieve results, build your team and learn something new is always a good day.

• What does a challenging day look like in your role?

  A challenging day would be when you have a plan and the unexpected occurs which for some reason are the best days! From getting an unexpected shipment to having multiple call-outs, on top of it being an "office day". It all can happen but having a strong team to work through the process makes everything much easier. Utilising your teams strengths makes any challenging day seem like any other day.

• What do you get up to in a typical day/week?

  There is no typical day or week which is why I love it! I like that each day is packed with something different and you're always busy! Office days, visuals, shipment, training and selling with the team. You get to do it all! The best part of my job is working alongside my team. 

• What’s the best thing about working for AllSaints?

  Hands down the people! Coming in close behind, would be the clothing allowance! Being able to work alongside people that share the same passion for retail, wanting to be successful and push you to be the best version of yourself along with the free clothing! It doesn't get better. 

• What’s the most surprising or unexpected thing about working for us?

  The most unexpected thing for me is the level of support you get from the corporate team. I've never worked for a company that actually takes feedback willingly and adjusts accordingly to what you need to be successful and happy in your role. 

• Why AllSaints?

  I fell in love with AllSaints about 13 years ago as a customer! The collections were always amazing and so was the staff. It wasn't until later in life that I thought "I need to be a part of this!". I've actually interviewed for the store manager position twice before, always walking away thinking when it's meant to be it will happen! I can say that third time's a charm and I couldn't have seen my career going in any other way. I was meant to be here now!

• What’s not in the job description but something you’d tell a friend if they were looking to join the brand?

  This position is not for someone who doesn't want to work hard. This will be the most you will grow as a business manager and leader but also the most rewarding.

• Tell us about your journey with AllSaints so far.

  I have been with the brand for three years and it is by far the most challenging, supportive and fun career move I've made in my 18 years in retail.

  The first six months were all about adjustments. It was about learning everything we could and selling everything we could. I had a lot of support along the way from my peers and corporate partners, which I needed!

  Our first full year together was 2019. What a year it was! We were the top performing outlet in North America and it was the second best year since the location had opened. Such an achievement for everyone who worked in this location and a proud moment for me.

  Going in to our second year we were hit with the unexpected pandemic. Devastated to leave our "home" for a unknown amount of time we said "see you later" to our team. We kept in touch through Zoom calls just to hangout with each other through the screen and keep our spirits high.

  Once we were allowed to come back we jumped at the chance, in a place that we enjoyed with people we enjoyed to work with. I was able to bring my whole team back! That was wonderful as some companies were cutting positions and/or closing locations.

  Fast forward to now... We continue to do our best and we are so close to achieving our best year! 2020 didn't hold us back, it made us more resilient than before, ready for anything. We have grown as individuals but most importantly as a company that values the people working for us. I can't wait to see what my future looks like with AllSaints!