[icemanfred]

So i saw the banner for a local spirit halloween yesterday.
and like very year , i think , I should appply.

But since I have a full time job. I wonder how many shifts constitutes part time.

I did get as far as the online application. But stopped when they asked for a soc. security.
any job I have ever applied for online was always followed up with a written application. so I was hesitant to fill that out.
But I cant go further w/o it.

 

[Dark Tiki Studios]

If you go to GlassDoor.com, you can look-up employee reviews of their time working at Spirit.

http://www.glassdoor.com/GD/Reviews/Spirit-Halloween-Reviews-E296271_P2.htm?filter.employmentStatus=REGULAR&filter.employmentStatus=PART_TIME&filter.employmentStatus=UNKNOWN

I read through several pages worth of employee reviews. It appears that doing the initial store set-up is difficult, as well as packing the store back into a truck at the end of the season. Spirit also strictly requires all employees to work on Halloween (which automatically makes it a non-option to me). Other than a hectic pace close to Halloween (as you would expect), most employees thought it was a fun place to work, and they received 25% employee discounts.

 

[hellachris]

I worked full time in 2011 and part time (when I was a full time store manager) in 2012.

It's a fun job, in 2011 I was an assistant manager, in 2012 I already had a full time management job with another company so I could only do part time. Ultimately I had to quit after a month due to my full time job, but it was a fun time. Lots of stocking and helping customers. You get your discount, then on the day after halloween they stack another 50% off on top of your employee discount.

 

[doto]

I have a full time job but thought it would be fun and worked part time a few years ago. I met with the manager during their set-up. I got the job and submitted the online application afterwards. I utilized my Halloween obsession to my benefit and had a complete blast working with customers. I designed scenes, made suggestions, and sales rose. It was a blast, and with the sales numbers I was bale to generate by consulting on displays and scenes I soon had people asking for me specifically. I was able to take as many hours as I wanted, and was the first person called when someone cancelled a shift.

They knew my Halloween obsession before I started and it was agreed upon that I would not be working Halloween day. November first fell on a week-day so I was also not asked to work this day due to my full time job.

If you do apply make it clear that you are not doing it for the discount. This was one thing they were concerned with. I pointed out that I would have a 20% off coupon so the additional 5% was not worth the effort of applying for, and time spent working just to save $5.00 for every $100 spent.

 

[pumpkinhead86]

I've considered applying.

As for online apps and SS #...I always have done online applications but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't. ��

 

[Metalchic72]

So i saw the banner for a local spirit halloween yesterday.
and like very year , i think , I should appply.

But since I have a full time job. I wonder how many shifts constitutes part time.

I did get as far as the online application. But stopped when they asked for a soc. security.
any job I have ever applied for online was always followed up with a written application. so I was hesitant to fill that out.
But I cant go further w/o it.

Not a good place to work. First day of work was humiliating and disappointing. I was told to maintain dressing rooms, help customers, straightening merchandise and organizing which I did. I found empty packages on sales floor tucked behind other merchandise. I took them to manager like I thought I was supposed to. Was supposed to work a full day but they had me work only 2 hours. After my shift was over I went to the office and got my purse and coat. A manager was there no problem. When I walked to front of store by checkout to leave different manager made me do bag check in front of customers and employees, made me lift up my shirt to see if I had pockets in my pants. Then was asked to open coat, turn around and run my hand down back of coat. Also commented how I was wearing boots. I felt humiliated and embarrassed and violated to be searched in front of everyone. I didn't have anything on me other than the contents I had in my purse already. Was told someone would contact me when next scheduled day to work would be. Nobody called me. Probably won't get paid for the 2 hours I worked. Very unprofessional. Wasn't informed about a bag check policy nor did I think it would be done in front of everyone. Worst place to work. Unprofessional

 

[Wycked Spiryt]

That is a terrible way to be treated. It’s more like a criminal than an employee. Granted, employee theft does account for 42% of inventory shrinkage while shoplifting accounts for only 35%, on average.
Link to statistics: https://www.sheerid.com/25-jaw-dropping-stats-about-employee-fraud/
I’m not sure just how accurate these particular stats are but if one does a quick google search it is clear that employee theft is a huge problem.

Frankly, if I was treated in such a manner as you described by a place of employment, they needn’t bother phoning to tell me when I should return to work because I would immediately quit and report them to the labor board. No job is worth being treated like that without cause. My self respect is more valuable than a job. There are other places looking for employees, Spirit isn’t the only one.

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

We’ve had members on here that have worked at SH and Halloween City (Party City’s dedicated branch). I’ve never heard a complaint like that before. I’m sure it has a lot more to do with an individual store’s management.

I was fortunate to be buying a bulk of my halloween purchases over the years from I believe it was a franchise owner. Larry (not the HF original owner) owned/ran several stores and both he and his son were big halloween fans/supporters. I recall him saying he would purchase x amt of mdse each year. His son’s friends loved working there each year and everyone was electronics savvy so the displays were set up and ran. He would run early bird clearance sales with older discontinued items he had left over from prior years. I was looking for a prop, discontinued swamp witch I had seen on here that I really wanted, and when I mentioned I was looking for it, he told me to come back next week. He had one still in storage and I couldn’t have been happier. As I recall even sold it to me at a great price. When Halloween City moved in near his location, they had workers go up to all his customers going into his store and hand them fliers for HC, and then I think the third year talked the management of the building he always rented from to rent it to them instead. He decided to throw in the towel after that for the following year. His workers were upset and his long-time customers too. Big loss. And the real rub came when HC abandoned running stores in the area.

Clearly the store you went to work at wasn’t anything like his were. Sorry you were treated that way. I’m sure a lot of SH store work is clean up an straightening out product and costumes however. Especially after all the displays get set up.

 

[Cephus404]

I ran a Halloween City one year, long ago and yes, there was bag checks every time you left the building, no exceptions. Not pat downs or anything, but you had to show a member of management your bag to make sure you weren't stealing anything. That went for everyone. We had people from the corporate office coming in and they went through it too. It's company policy. Employees steal like nobody's business. I had one guy try to steal a pile of fog machines when he was taking out the trash. It's serious business.

 

[Metalchic72]

I wasn't stealing and I didn't take anything. Even if bag checks are policy they should be done more discreetly and not in front of customers. I've worked in other jobs where they did bag checks and they didn't do them in front of customers. I didn't have anything on me. I was clean. I still think it was inappropriate how they did it. It could have been done more professionally.

 

[DavyKnoles]

But stopped when they asked for a soc. security.
any job I have ever applied for online was always followed up with a written application. so I was hesitant to fill that out.
But I cant go further w/o it.

Every job I've applied for in the past 10 years has had an on-line application system and a social security requirement, and this includes businesses like Universal Studios and the Walt Disney Company. I worked part time at Spirit Halloween last Halloween season, and there was no follow-up paper application, just a one-on-one interview.

It was a kick to work there. And there was a 35 percent employee discount, which applied even to merchandise that was already discounted by the store management. Best yet, it applied to the half-off after Halloween sale, which meant that employees got an 85 percent discount on the day after Halloween. And I didn't work Halloween day. Wasn't even scheduled because we had such a large cast. Taking the store down and packing everything up was grueling, however.

Mostly, however, it was just fun. You interacted with a ton of people, all of them looking for Halloween. And when there weren't people in the store, you got to play with the props. When the store sponsored a fund-raising event to raise money for Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children through their Spirit of Children program, me and my friend Rose were asked to appear in costume to take pictures with guests and help promote the games. I made a YouTube video about that, which I'll share with you here. If you regular work schedule didn't fluctuate so much this year, I'd have gladly gone back. Hope this reply was helpful.