Art Van Furniture - Art Van Advice From Former Employee
I used to work at Art Van. I was fired two weeks after I finished the worst training program I have ever been through. I was told during my interview that AV was looking to change their reputation and wanted people that were friendly and would represent them in a new light. What ***.
They knew when I started I did not have any sales background but felt with my personality they could give me the tools to become successful. I was also told the "coaches" on the floor were there to help, and I should figure 5 to 6 months before I started seeing any sort of commission, and that I would not be judged before that time. They have a draw and a 100% commission structure. The average commission, if you get one, is about 2% because of their constant sales.
The "coaches" on the floor could care less about helping you to be successful. Their main purpose is to intimidate you and kick you in the teeth. If they do decide to help you, they will not stand behind or remember any decisions they made. Their primary job is to make you look and feel like an ***.
I was hounded my first week on the sales floor for poor sales. Instead of helping me to start figuring out sales strategies, I was told to bring in a seasoned sales person to close the deal....a TO. Sorry, but seasoned sales people do not want to close your deals and will tell you straight up. However, if they have a customer that really isn't interested in something, they will ask you to TO for them. That allows them back in line for a new customer and your time is spent running around the store trying to help someone who is not going to buy anything. The number one cardinal rule is to never let someone out of the store without the name of two sales people and you better not give them your card.
I read a lot of the complaints on this site about the poor quality of their furniture. I did learn a lot about furniture construction in training. Let me say this...stay out of the Clearance Center. Anything you purchase in there is going to fall apart, warranty or not. It's straight up junk.
Take a couple of extra dollars and stay on the main floor. The manufacturers represented on the main floor are all USA and those items are made in the USA.
Wood products, I don't care if you buy them from Ethan Allen, etc., all of those products are made in Asian countries. The US has strict environmental guidelines for the finishes, etc., and there are very few manufacturers in the US because of the cost of trying to produce environmentally safe products is cost prohibitive.
The crazy sales. When you look at any of their price tags...there is a dollar amount at the very top of the tag. It says something like actual retail price and the big number in the middle is what the product is being sold for at AV. When there is a half off sale...they use the very first number and not the middle number. I was embarrassed a few times by people who were purchasing specific set pieces and would come in thinking they were going to get a deal only to find out it was really only around 10% or so. I really never knew what to say about that...made me feel like a crook.
Fabric protection....firm believer in this product. Forgo the warranty for the extra money spent on fabric protection. It really does work. I purchased several fabric chairs from another furniture retailer that did not provide this....after a year, the chairs look terrible. I paid about $500 per chair. What a waste of money. Our old AV chair in the garage with fabric protection looks brand new compared to these chairs.
If you are thinking about joining AV as an employee...it is a rotten place to work. The hours suck, the managers aren't managers, the customers are rude (but, AV earned that problem), the other sales people are liars and thieves, and the sparkly lights they promise with the dollars that could be earned on commission won't happen. (There was a loan shark in the store I worked in....most of the people who worked there owed him their paychecks at the end of the month...if that tells you anything.)
If the Store Director doesn't like something about the order you placed, mistake, didn't post a note, or anything else possible about that particular order, your commission is taken away and he gets it. The commission payout structure reminds me of a Ponzi scheme...everyone above you gets a bigger take than what you are left with....AND,
The biggest thing to mention in order to make any sort of decent living...you need to sell at least $100,000 a month. If you are honest and have integrity this will be tough to do in this economy.
If you're thinking about buying furniture...stay out of the Clearance Center. It's all junk and you won't be happy.
Best advice when going into AV, if you have to, get on your cell phone and call someone you haven't talked with in a while....that drives them nuts, but, it will give you peace of mind that you won't be bothered. There are some decent sales people in these places who are really just trying to make an honest living...not all of them are crooks...but, many of them are....I hope this helps, it sured helped me.
Location: Saint Louis, Missouri
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Comments
Lance Fielder at the Ann Arbor Art Van Furniture is a liar and a thief. He literally tried to overcharge us $100, and did not remove the extra charge until I asked him to remove it...
TWICE.
The guy is an absolute ***. LANCE FIELDER - ANN ARBOR ART VAN.
I just got canned, I couldn't explain it better. I also had sales that disappeared.
I was used for the holiday all the rules change as they go nasty Managment.
Destroys all of your motivation, when I Med big sale up to 7or 8 thousand dollars I was abused for not giving half my deal to a club member. I was destrought and humiliated.
As a veteran sale person. It was there challenge to beat me down.
I worked at Art Van for over a year. The sales floor in the Portage Mi store is like the Mafia.
They have the old Sales people that have been there for years that will walk all over you. The worst one's Robert who walks with a limp and gets many sales out of this. But he will harass all the new employees. And there is Mike who will TO a sale to you so you can do his dirly work .
Which frees him up to go back out on the sales floor to get a new customer to sell to. Just an fyi they make all there money off the add on's they sell you. Fabric protection is the only one worth burying. most of the leather is bonded leather.
which is ***. I tell everyone not to shop there. They let there mafia gang control the floor .
If you complain to management . Nothing will be done.
I have leather over three years old and it looks just as beautiful as the day it was delivered. You should have just toughened up and plowed through the seasoned bull dogs
CJ, You are one of the lucky ones who got some good leather. Not all is good at Art Van.
Well I did try to tough it out as you call it..
been through all the tough I was going to take. It was not worth it as the management took care of there so called seasoned bull dogs. After I proved I was ripped off of a 500.00 commission and management did nothing. I was done and this is just a small part of it.
I did not want to work for a company that would do that.
Also to all you shoppers and do not like the sales people attacking you when you walk in the door .. this is what we are told in training. When someone walks in the door they are walking in our house and we do not allow guests to walk around our house without being chaperoned.
If a sales person does give a guest some space to look you will have all the other sales people bothering the guest. You can be standing six feet away the seasoned Bull Dogs will hassle the guest.
I found a new job with a wonderful company and although I have bought lots of furniture from Art Van in the past I will never step in there door again or will anyone I can talk to. Horrible company!
Sounds like you worked with me at Grand Rapids. I was terminated because I wasn't a good fit. BS I was let go because I wouldn't harass the guest, I TO it to someone who didn't have heart and would harass guest.
Arkansas dude, I know exactly what you are talking about. This TO stuff is ***.
All it does is make the newbies work for the seasoned sales people.
And I am sure you were ripped off on commission money also. The best thing they did for you was terminate you before you wasted any more time with this company.