Aaron's Sales And Lease
Former Employee Explains Quotas, Long Hours and Turnover

I was recently employed by Aaron's for about 2 years. I have read all the other reports here and understand how and why most of these complaints are here.

#1 Aaron's promotes from within and fast-tracks most employees into management positions. This translates to a steady stream of new faces at stores. A customer can count on dealing with lots of new employees, as well as experienced employees from other stores who are not familiar with a given store's established customers.

#2 Sales employees are taught to sell. They have strict quotas and are routinely told they will be fired if quotas are not met. Also, because Aaron's sells a wide selection of furniture, electronics and appliances, most salespeople do not have the experience to fully understand all the products they sell. Salespeople are also routinely given wrong information about the products they sell, often being told that one product can do the same as others (for example, that all computers they sell can read and burn DVDs). So sometimes the salespeople give customers false information because they themselves are given false information.

#3 Employees who work collections for Aaron's are under extreme stress at all times. They always have to be on the lookout for customers who are trying to steal and are trained to assume the worst. Higher management trains them to be considerate and understanding of customers' situations, but employees are punished for being too nice to customers. I personally have been punished for granting permission for a customer to pay 19 days late because her son died and she had to pay funeral expenses. I personally visited her house on a day when family was there to grieve and therefore knew she was being truthful. This company does try to help customers obtain ownership, but employees are very misled about what they are allowed to do. Most management is very hypocritical and only concerned about the bottom line and how big their bonus checks can get. The only motivation offered is to keep your job.

For those who may not realize it, employees are required to work at least 50 hours a week, often much more. I often worked 55-60 hours per week. Add 1-hour lunches and an hour or so commute every day, and you can see why almost all employees of this company are under 35. It does not take long to burn out.

So, as an overall response to the complaints I have read here: be aware of the contracts you are signing. Ask questions. Talk to the managers who go over the paperwork. Also, most complaints should be directed at the store manager. They are the ones who are responsible for approving everything that happens there, whether that is allowing service to be performed, allowing a delivery to be made or allowing merchandise to be repossessed. From what I have seen, most employees want to do the right thing but are limited in the actions they are allowed to take.

Company: Aaron's Sales And Lease
Country: USA
State: Texas
City: Houston

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