Princess Polly is a women’s fashion boutique that started in Australia and is now an international company. It has grown immensely through the shop’s online and social media presence. The first US storefront debut in the Westfield Century City Mall on Sep. 8, 2023, had high expectations from the employees because their online presence is strong and organized. Princess Polly gives women a variety of clothing to choose from, from party wear to casual wear; Princess Polly has it all. However, problems with the store’s management have led to upset employees and stressed managers running the store compared to its online presence.
Stella Ferguson, a former Princess Polly employee, was hired in August 2023, a month before the store’s grand opening. She quit just five months after the opening. The hiring process for a sales associate at Princess Polly wasn’t just a typical job interview but more like an audition. Ferguson had previously worked at Brandy Melville, Santa Monica, for a year before it closed down.
Ferguson had to go through a five-step hiring process for Princess Polly. The first was a video audition she submitted by herself. After receiving a callback, she had a Zoom meeting, where she answered questions about her prior work experience and how Ferguson would make Princess Polly a more inclusive environment. One more Zoom interview and an in-person meeting later, Ferguson was given the job. The job process at the store was competitive and highly selective, all for a retail job.
Once hired, Ferguson was told by the store’s management team that they should feel like family and that everyone should feel valued and accepted. This narrative disappeared, however, when the store opened. “When we were at the headquarters, there was a lot of happiness and positivity and really good ideas circulating about the opening of the store, and all of that did not happen,” said Ferguson.
The combination of Princess Polly’s strong media presence and marketing resulted in a massive turnout for its opening. On Sep. 8, more than 100 people were lined up outside. “People were excited because sizing is hard to do online, so the amount of traction we received for the store opening was insane.” Ferguson said.
Although the clothes have not been changed since the store opened, “They’ve incorporated some new styles, but they have not gotten rid of anything from the previous season,” Ferguson said. Not a lot of new additions have been made to the store since the opening, and the store has remained the same. “I think that’s a huge issue because a lot of people come in expecting new products, and there aren’t any new products,” Ferguson said.
The expectations for the Princess Polly store were very high because of their successful online presence. However, those expectations were not met because of poor management, leaving employees unhappy and unfulfilled. “The management was awful and very harsh, and there was nothing that we were promised in terms of a relaxed, family-like team. It was too much structure for a place that didn’t have any to begin with.” Ferguson said.
Customers now additionally have the option to return clothes bought online to the physical storefront, which has further the brand. “I know that they are losing money rather than gaining money,” said Ferguson. “I think that the bigger downfall is the amount of money that they are losing, and they tend to blame it on [the employees] and our performance.”
When Ferguson confronted her managers about how she felt mistreated to the point where it was affecting her and her coworker’s mental health, her managers acknowledged her concerns with their own problems about the store. “They essentially told me… the reason we’re getting on your ass so much is because the store is failing,” she said. “The store is essentially not making any money because they are losing all profits because of all the returns to the store.”
Ferguson quit Princess Polly after working for only five months as a full-time sales associate. Out of 28 coworkers who started there, five had already left before her, and one had just given her two-week notice.
