Arkansas Blog

Problem for the investor, of course, is that the corporate structure makes it difficult to do anything about the situation but bitch.- Posted by Max
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. . . and watch the Dillard family continue to shower each family member with additional millions each year while mercilessly prosecuting the poor shoplifters struggling to clothe themselves with a few trinkets from the Dillard's shelves.

they slap it to them. now will they be answered or will they be ignored as evidently they have in the past?

And the Dillard famly treats the community just like it treats its shareholders. When have you EVER heard of Dillard's sponsoring a community event or endowing a chair at a university or doing anything at all that would make it appear to be a good community citizen? And it's a retailer that certainly could be expected in the normal course of marketing to sponsor a fun run or have an outfield sign at the Travelers' stadium or do something to show it is a member of the LR business community.

I can't speak as a stockholder, but I can speak as a consumer. The place has changed drastically over the past 10 years or so. They have made some mistakes that ALMOST keep me from shopping there (I still shop there but I have to go elsewhere for some of my favorite things).

1. The shoe department is dreadful. No more Ralph Lauren. Not many classics, although I will say they still carry Cole-Haan. They have a good selection of Ariat and Frye boots. Have to hand that to them. One of their largest displays comes from a designer who apparently feels that people SIT all the time rather than WALK from Point A to Point B - the shoes are horribly uncomfortable. The designer? A family member! The shoes are cute as all get-out but you'd better not try to wear them over 15 minutes. I know whereof I speak.

2. Their credit department is terrible. You have to climb mountains of voicemail "...if ____, then press *___whatever" -- by the time I get to a live person, I am so enraged that I can hardly remember my reason for calling.

I still shop at DIllard's. But they'd better watch it. There are new stores in town, and if you go to Parisian to shop, it's like going to the OLD Dillard's.

Like Dillard's ate our old time Boston Store, I've been waiting for someone to eat Dillard's. Nothing lasts forever and everything I've heard and read the last year or so makes it seem that Dillard's is on its last legs. Can Dill-Mart be around the next corner?

Almost a town joke in some circles that the Dillards are in over their heads at this point in the game and that they, as a Forbes article in Sept. 2000 described the family as "an insular, stubborn, clan" that "now seems less interested in boosting shareholder value than in retaining control. as pointed out in the footnotes of the letter.

Look, they will cash out at some point. Hopefully for shareholders, it will be sooner than later. in the meantime boring old Dillards Inc will putter along.

Another problerm, IMO, is one that I also think affected Acxiom and still does to this day. That's what will be shaken up there more than anything by the private equity group that took over Acxiom. Goes unspoken but is true in my opinion. These local companies here, for some reason, don't look far and wide to bring in the right outside knowledge when it is needed to go to the next level. relying too often on local home grown "talent" that is well intentioned but just doesn't have the experience and in-depth knowledge that comes from geting out and learning in larger market with a multitude of companies over the course of a career. In that regard much of our entire business culture is insular. We settle for talent when sometimes, and increasingly so when companies get to a certain level, TALENT is what is needed.

Seems the Dillards,like Acxiom, needed an infusion of TALENT with nagging from activist shareholders on top of that long ago.

Sounds as if the unhappy campers waited too long to dump the shares. Family enterprises always seem to take care of their own first. Not the wisest investment choice. Seems the bitching is too late and too loud, like some fund managers trying to cover their ass.
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The thing that angers me most about Dillards is how high their turnover is and what a negative impression of Arkansas they leave in so many people' mouths. I dated someone who worked in the corporate office and it was the primary reason why she and nearly everyone else there left -- they were abused by incompetent management, treated like children, and not connected to the community at all. When they got together after work for drinks all they could talk about was how awful their jobs were, how inept their bosses were, how much they hated Arkansas and how they couldn't wait to leave. And these were high-paid, corporate, professional jobs. They said it was even worse for the support staff. Very few of them ever got to know Little Rock or Arkansas much at all, or fall in love with our incredible home, because they were driven to look elsewhere so fast they never settled at all. It's a shame that Dillards is giving Arkansas such a black eye, and it's so needless. They would make more money and be a better neighbor if they cleaned up. What high-skill, competitive business can make a profit with 100 percent annual turnover? They should be ashamed of themselves.

This is not your mother's Pfeiffer-Blass, blupencl. Those were the days ... drive around the block until a meter came open, then drop in a nickel or a dime and shop 'til your legs got tired. People helped you. They wrapped your presents. You could take your gym clothes to school in the P-B bag and pretend you were uptown.

Dillard's will get eaten up. It's just a matter of time. The family bubble of the Venn diagram has swollen to the point that it has thrown the company out of balance, and it appears to be too late to correct it.

Dill-Mart or Dull-Mart?

Our daughter worked briefly for Dillard's at the corporate office --- just long enough to know that she would rather take a cut in pay than continue to work in the toxic atmosphere there. She left with her faculties intact and is doing quite well at a company that respects its employees. From what everyone has been told by those who have been there, and from what everyone has seen over the years, no one will be surprised (or sad) when Dillard's finally implodes.

I'm thinking that maybe we'll see a bunch of PR agencies hitting Dillards up for their account next week. They might be in the market.

Come on, I've known folks that have worked at Dillard's since I was in high school in the mid '70s. Everyone I've ever known who worked there hated it. And I've known at least 100 people who have worked there, including sales clerks, managers, travel office, art department, corporate, you name it. They all hated it. They were all treated poorly. They all left. The question is who in the world ever put a penny into Dillard's stock? What a poorly run company. No community effort unless it's something a family member is personally involved in. Lawsuit after lawsuit for treating minorities poorly. Ugly stores, poorly merchandised and overpriced. I haven't bought a thing in Dillard's in over 15 years. In other cities my friends consider Dillard's the lower rung department store. Maybe a step above Kohls, but twice the price. Of course the Dillard's family really doesn't care about any of this. They've got theirs.

A good man of my acquaintance worked at Dillard's in upper management for many years. He got canned for insufficient reason about 2 1/2 years prior to his retirement. he sued, and it was concluded that he was fired so the company wouldn't have to make good on his retirement benefits. Dillards paid through the nose, and rightly so. Slimeballs.

I don't suppose we'll be seeing much future Dillards advertising in Arkansas Times given the Dillards Sucks header on the blog entry. Surely the "Dillards Clan" can appreciate that editorial can't suck up to advertisers. Ha ha ha ha ha. Surely.

Don Keyhotay,

Shoplifters need to be hunted down and prosecuted!

Stealing private property is stealing!

I do not condone theft. It may be true that Dillards does not support charities, that I couldn't say but that does not justify stealing.

Stealing a loaf of bread to feed a starving child when desparate is one thing but cramming a cashmere Ralph Lauren under your skirt is not comparable.

I am a 48 yearold guy that hates to shop for clothes and Dillards has not been any more or less pleasant than Penneys, Parisian or Steinmart so I am biased neither for or against Dillards but I always attempt to be fair. Faulting someone for protecting what is theirs is wrong.

As a note, Parisian is to be rebranded as Belks September first. So now they will be on level with a Kohl's or just below.

1969,

I can't remember EVER seeing Dillards advertise in the AT.

The old Gazette reported on ,I think, a racial discrimination case loss unfavorably and Dillards dedclared never to advertise in the Gazette again and soon after the Democrat (we called it dump of crap when I was a paperboy) won the newspaper war.

Hope the AT doesn't fold next month.

Citizen-that part (shoplifting the trinkets) was intended to be somewhat sarcastic . . . but both are taking advantage of others inappropriately - one apparently legal, the other . . . not.

I quit shopping at Dillard's long, long ago. Quality went straight downhill. Last time I was even in the store everything seemed to be brands I'd never heard of. Someone told me all those brands were in-house Dillard's lines. Figures. Many of the complaints written about here are well known to lots of folks in town. Good corporate citizen? Dillards? They practice "charity begins at home" 100%. Horror stories of being a Dillard's employee abound. They will sell out as soon as the price is right and all move to Texas so they won't have to pay taxes. Adios. Any chain buying them can't be any worse.

Shopping at Dillards is about as much fun as shopping for a nursing home.

IABL, Acxiom has no problem bringing in "talent" from outside. If you know little to nothing about how their market works, if you come from IBM or you're all flash, no pan, and you want a lot of money, they'll be glad to hire you. Now, if you have some business sense, you understand how to run a business successfully and you're smarter than you are pretty, no, they're probably not interested in you very much. And if you're from around here and you happen to pick up a business idea or two and you want to make the place better, they're not particularly interested in that.

EY

I stand corrected. I think we arrive at the same place though. They have been remiss at not bringing in, or seeming to want the level of knowledge that makes the difference at critical junctures. They remained too long in the grips of a founderr who while the right person to get the company to a certain stage should have given way to the right people to take it to the next level and beyond. I do see that quite a bit. There is a chip on the collective shoulder of business commuity statewide here and it manifests itself in a reluctance to bring in and be open to the learning from the next level of knowledge.

EY

I stand corrected. I think we arrive at the same place though. They have been remiss at not bringing in, or seeming to want the level of knowledge that makes the difference at critical junctures. They remained too long in the grips of a founderr who while the right person to get the company to a certain stage should have given way to the right people to take it to the next level and beyond. I do see that quite a bit. There is a chip on the collective shoulder of business community statewide, (certainly not all) here and it manifests itself in a reluctance to bring in and be open to the learning from the next level of knowledge in their sphere. They would prefer to operate with blinders on and are too close to their own situation perhaps to realize how insular they may have become.

For the past 10 years I have been mystified at just what type of shopper is keeping Dillard's afloat. The stuff is god awful overpriced, boring, and once you know how they treat employees (mother in law worked there for years) it is like supporting a bad zoo. Let if fold, release the animals back into nature. Please prepare a bunch of Valium for all the chamber committees who will meet fervently to keep the headquarters in Little Rock. Who needs them?

I have friends who work at the corporate office and I've heard them say all the things that have been written here. Its a shame that the Dillard's family take care of themselves first. The first rule of good leadership is to take care of those you're leading first and they'll follow you into hell.

There are some real good people who work there. They're not only smart and talented in their field, but they are community oriented. I know for a fact that the employees quietly raise money for lots of different causes, but they can't publicize it because the "family likes to remain private."

The company could be so much better than it is, but as I learned in college, a family run business always suffers when run by the 2nd generation. And by the time the 3rd generation would take over its either failed or has non-family leadership. I'd love to see Dillard's return to its former glory, but I have a feeling that they'd rather run the company into the ground than give up control. Sad.

IABL--yep, I completely agree.

Let's not forget, suck though they may in employees eyes, and I have heard much of the same to that extent over the years, they do provide decent paying jobs at the corporate office, well for retail corporate anyway. And for Little Rock, I'm sure they are above avg. So let's not forget the importance of having a corporate office here and the role that plays in the local economy.

And the Democrat Gazette would take a huge hit if Dillards were to go elsewhere, and/or should they ever close the local store here for good.

But you just have to shake your head and wonder how the family could just let the public perception of the company and their role in it and the community sink to such depths over the years. So easy to be the hero in a town this size ands yet they choose to appear to not give a shit and take no proactive steps to be a good corporate citizen or great place to work or on the family level, even a family that picks its spots to make a difference.

Now the legacy they have out there is tough to combat. Shows in my opinion how out of touch and yes, inept they are with the way the company really appears not only to analysts and shareholders but locally, in the public mind as well.

And it's so easy to be the hero. And it's betterr. Why suck when it is better all the way around not to?

Maybe someone could read this thread to one of the Dillards and invite them to respond.

They could even have someone in their corporate office show them how to submit a response to the blog.

Have you ever heard the horror stories about Old Man Dillard (Willaiim Sr.) and how he would go through the store and fire people on the spot for stupid reasons. I had a friend who worked in the Corporate office for years. He was fired two years ago on trumped up reasons. Some young manager didn't like a comment he made. He is now in a position with Alltel. He is doing very well making a lot more money then he was at Dillards. He said I was very loyal to Dillard's but in the end they weren't loyal to me. I say, what goes around will come around!

I think I got fired years ago by Sr. on a store walk thru. Fortunately the Arkansas Division President didn't say anything and on their next walk thru a couple of weeks later he mentioned to Mr. D. that he had been so busy he had forgotten to fire me. At that point, Sr. said, "good, let's keep the kid for a while". All of the stories you are hearing are true.

Wow! what a Dillards bashing party this has become. Like any company Dillard's has its shortfalls, but some of this information is just untrue. There are so many posts from people who had a "friend" or a "relative" or "knew someone" that used to work for Dillards. You would think with the Corporate Office, Distribution Center, and 2 stores here in town you would here from at least one unhappy employee. Maybe Dillard's treats there employees better than you all think. Well, I work for Dillard's corporate office and have for 7 years. I work with wonderful people, have top notch management, competitive benefits, and good pay. I was recruited from out of state and was hesitant about coming to Arkansas. But I truly enjoy living in Little Rock and working for Dillards. I've worked for several other companies before moving to Arkansas and I'm here to tell you there are a lot of companies far worse than Dillards out there. You should be pround Dillard's calls Little Rock home and you support your hometown company. If Dillards got "eaten" by another company that would be very bad for Little Rock and it's economy. And Dillards does give back to the community, every year they: give thousands of dollars and thousands of pounds of food to the Arkansas food bank, have a jingle bell run team to support the arthritis foundation, have a "pink about it" campaign to raise thousands for Susan G. Koman, they sent truck loads of clothes to the coast after Katrina hit, the list goes on... Dillards just doesn't get on the news and make a big fuss over all they do, like other companies.

I can't resist replying to the last comment posted by Goof. I was an actual employee at Dillard's corporate offices, very unhappily employed there, and I can tell you some things that went on that are true and more shocking than anything you've read so far.

First, though, I want to explain to you why you hear from so many friends and relatives of employees and not the employees themselves. There are many wonderful people who work at Dillard's and need to keep their jobs there. Their eyes get big and sad when anyone mentions a word like "lawsuit". A lawsuit which hurts Dillard's hurts them. I am no longer employed at Dillard's but I still love these people.

I worked under a foulmouthed VP who regularly berated employees and used the "F" word to the horror of many bright young college recruits who quickly became demoralized. VP and cohorts were guilty of sexual harassment (informed a female friend of mine whenever her nipples were showing) and just general merciless daily harassment as a form of entertainment. When I asked people why the Dillard family would let this go on, the answer was always the same: because the Dillards behave in the same way and probably actually encourage it.

These managers believed in passing the buck (their mistakes) to the lowest level - the hourly wage earner. There was no organization or training, only the "blame game" when something went wrong. In short, the poorest excuse for managenent I have ever seen. I was aware of some activities in the form of payoffs that I questioned the legality of.

I meant to say "that last comment posted by ibabulldog"

I work for Dillards and most of what I read here is true. They do help charities though, as our store is a huge supporter of United Way. I find my position with the company a love/hate relationship. My biggest complaint about the company, especially at my store level is all of the inconsistencies of rules and regulations. They talk out both sides of their mouth, so to speak. Dillards has recently started a new training program for new sales associates. It is a tier program that is supposed to promote people up through the ranks and on into management, according to their performance on the job. Recently there was an assistant sales manager position open at our store, and two very qualified people at the store interviewed for the position. One had an extensive management background and was well qualified for the position that was being filled. Both candidates had been with the company for 3 or more years. The position was given to an outsider who interviewed for the spot, who had little to no management experience and had not worked in a clothing retail environment. What kind of message does this send out to the people who are being told that they can move up the ladder in their career at this store? It makes upper management look like hypocrites.