All Tea. No Shade. - Copywriter The RealReal Employee Review

Chamomile (The First Sip): I held off on writing this review because I didn't want it to be too reactionary. I also don't want to take the energy of 2016 into 2017 (the year of vibrating higher), so that leaves me here and now and still a little petty. It's been exactly 90 days since I voluntarily quit TRR and I've had ample time to honestly assess my experience(s) being an employee for 1 year and 11 months (at the Secaucus and San Francisco offices). To all my numerology bb's reading this, ya'll know the significance of repeating 1's (mhhhmmm). Anyway, be clear that I am currently perched in a high-rise suite overlooking a major desert city enjoying my Winter Holidays feeling liberated, libated and loved (in other words completely unbothered) as I write this. That being said, there'll be no shade, just tea and none of it will be bitter. Help yourself! Jasmine (The SheEO): What a wonderful looking woman! When I tell you Ms. Thing is snatched to be well "over the hill", I lie to you not. One can't help but be mesmerized by this woman's airy, congenial and dare I say bossy vibe. Mama has it going on! However, once the aesthetic honeymoon is over, it feels like someone snatched your purse. You know, the Céline Trio you saved like 3 paychecks and skipped rent to get. The funny (not really) thing about the monetarily rich is they're able to navigate marginalized spaces and pretend that they care about marginalized people in those spaces, even the ones that are working for them but are still marginalized because they're not being payed living wages. Being the feminist that I am, I was initially completely in full attendance for her come-up/comeback story. Come-up because she is known for being the CEO of one of the fastest companies to IPO in the 90's, and the fastest to tank. Comeback because post the aforementioned tank she created a company that is now again slaying in the dot com arena. However, be clear this woman is complicit in underpaying, exploiting and disposing of poor "fashion kids" when they're burnt out to appease the ever elusive investors she so frequently talks about. Girl bye! Matcha (C.R.E.A.M.): Let's address the SIGNIFICANT pay gap between operational and technical positions at this company. There is no secret that much like our country you have the 1% making exuberant salaries to do jobs that are not quite clear while the 99% barely make enough to rent below market rate apartments, can barely afford healthy food options and often go without necessities to pay for living expenses. Not to mention the main headquarters for TRR is located in The Bay Area which arguably is the most expensive metropolitan area in the US right now. Being someone who has lived in San Francisco and New York, I can confirm that San Francisco is definitely much more expensive. And the tragic part is that there is more than enough to go around more than once at this company, yet the majority of the people who work here are disparately underpaid, even after promotions and raises. Tisk! Just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about, rumor has it that the "Chief Merchant" makes something like 300k a year while most of her team is making well under $30/hr. Not only that, the "Chief Merchant" is like not even qualified to do what she's doing. Put her in a room full of REAL "fashion girls" and she wouldn't last a New York minute. Don't believe me, read some of the other reviews here. See the thing about tea is, that when it's hot it's usually scalding hot and people get burnt. Burnt people, burn people. #Burnt Vanilla (Mischief Managed): Honestly, I believe that TRR from the top down strategically looks for managers who will do whatever they're told by executives and upper management no matter the morality, ethicality, etc. There is this companywide practice of working the operations departments pass the point of no return. Numbers are important for bottom lines no doubt, but when the mental/physical/emotional health of a companies employees start to come into question, something is deeply wrong. The management in Secaucus was okay (although I frequently heard horror stories after I left), but San Francisco is straight up subpar and lacks many competencies mainly dealing with diversity. People of color, differently abled and LGBTQ employees have expressed both on and off the record how management has "othered" them in many way(s). What's comical (not really) is TRR literally goes so hard (on paper) about inclusivity. Bih where? In San Francisco, I was literally the only black man on my team, 1 of 2 black men in my entire department and 1 of 3 black people in that same department. There were about 50-75 people in my department, you do the math. And let's not even get into diversity/inclusivity as it applies to promotions. If you're not rich, white and wearing the washed out minimal brands TRR deems to be "covetable" you simply will not go far in this company. Elitist much! There were many and maybe still are a few true innovators, trendsetters and power players within the walls of this company, but sadly they're being silenced by mediocre managers who are trying to salvage their little titles. So corny! Ginger (Til It Happens To You): During my time at TRR I've experienced countless verbal references to my perceived sexuality, my genitals and various parts of my body by peers and management. Like, it's beyond me that things like this are still happening in 2017. I can't! The last straw for me and the reason I ultimately left TRR is because one of the "Team Leads" in my department found my personal blog on which I have semi-nude photos (artistic in nature, not pornographic; not that this even matters) of myself and not only did he show it to co-workers on my team (without my consent), but to other teams as well (without my consent). I probably wouldn't have even been too concerned about this incident being that my blog is public, but this "Team Lead" was always especially rude to me without cause so needless to say his intent was obviously malicious. Picture the proverbial "messy queen" and you'll probably picture this person. I'd endured all of the other inappropriate offenses throughout my time with TRR, but surely this warranted action. Right? Well, long story short there was no action taken after HR allegedly launched "a full investigation" and the "Team Lead" is still working with the company in the same position completely unscathed. This is what TRR stands for; being complicit in sexual harassment and any other offense(s) as long as it benefits their bottom line. I'd bet any amount of money that the conversation around whether or not to let this person go was concentric of how it'd be easier to keep him because there was a need for a Handbags "Team Leader" at the time due to there being a lack of quality Copywriters mostly because everyone was quitting. Oh yes, I did! Lastly, I was victim blamed by the shady HR department about even having the pictures online. So, essentially it was my fault this happened. Can you imagine? Let me tell you, had this happened to my younger self there definitely would've been a severe free reading for ol' girl, but thankfully for her I kept it cute. After that, I quietly went back to my desk, collected the few personal items I had and quietly left the building. It's always important to keep it cute and to never let your enemies see you sweat! I'd had more than enough to last a lifetime. BYYYE! Mint (The Last Drop): Overall, my time at TRR essentially amounts to being overworked, underpaid, sexually harassed and passed over for numerous promotions (no doubt because of my race, gender and otherness). However, from where I sit my sinuses are clear, I'm hydrated, I'm moisturized and I'm completely unbothered about TRR's mess. Leaving was the most liberating decision I've made regarding this company, to date! My advice to anyone considering working here: don't, unless you're desperate!