After submitting my application in person to the store manager, a week later I received a call from the operations manager. I was not able to answer so he left a voice mail. I called him back and he was easy to reach at the store. He was courteous and we set up an interview time. During the interview I never felt intimidated or uncomfortable with any of the questions asked. I never felt "put on the spot". It was a seemless exchange of questions and answers and went very smoothly.

It was a laid-back interview, so much so that employees were allowed to come and go during it. It was very rude of the interviewer, a hiring manager (Leddy), to allow the disruption. Initially, I went to the store and spoke with her, and she invited me in to interview the following week without having seen my application (first red flag, really). During the interview, I was asked about my availability and background. As we wrapped up, I was told I'd be contacted later in the week. I wasn't contacted, so I called the store. Leddy explained that she "thought I'd been emailed" and would not be hiring me. She'd hired someone else and said she'd only had one opening. It was never communicated to me that only one position was open. All in all, the process was unprofessional, and I'm shocked considering the brand. All of this for $13/hour, which alone is pathetic. If anything, I'm overqualified as I'm an editor by trade and have been gainfully employed for 30+ years. The interview was fine, so all I can gather is that she was looking for someone with more retail experience (I don't have recent retail experience, yet you wanted to interview me!) or this is discrimination. The other candidate's "qualifications" were a better match, according to her.