Arcadia - Ashley Furniture (Eau Claire, La Crosse: real estate market, employment, wages)

[RaineyMark]

Hubby and I are planning to relocate from Phoenix, AZ to Wisconsin. Hubby grew up in the Beloit area, but we're considering something around Eau Claire. I see that Ashley Furniture has their corporate headquarters in Arcadia. Does anyone have any experience working at this location? Any info on company culture, environment, etc.?

[geekduo]

DON"T WORK FOR ASHLEY!! They take advantage of being the only major employer in a rural area to pay poor wages and screw their employees over at every turn. I worked there once and have friends who have been working there for years. That goes for all types of positions from IT to the factory line.

[RaineyMark]

Thanks for the quick reply. I figured they would be one extreme or the other .... either really great or really awful.

[RaineyMark]

Do you have any other general recommendations as far as who to avoid and who to consider? We're looking at the entire Eau Claire area, as far as possibly Rochester and The Twin Cities.

[turkpbr]

I worked for Ashley in their shipping/distribution center in Arcadia. I spent about a year there when I went back to Winona St. to get another degree. When I left they were paying me $13.65 to load semi trailers. Never really had a problem with them, had to quit due to the daily long commutes between La Crosse, Winona and Arcadia. Checks never bounced and I was able to get 40 hours per week.

I had heard their professional salaries were a bit low, as a friend of mine had an accounting degree and turned them down to work for the Wincraft Company.

[geekduo]

Originally Posted by RaineyMark

Do you have any other general recommendations as far as who to avoid and who to consider? We're looking at the entire Eau Claire area, as far as possibly Rochester and The Twin Cities.

It's going to depend on what you like in an area to live in and what kind of job you are looking for. Regardless, finding a job is going to be the hardest part.

[bananamana]

Try La Crosse. It's an hour and fifteen minutes south of Eau Claire, more compact and has a very thriving local flavor. Depending on your education level, though, employment may be difficult right now. I'm working part-time at the Olive Garden (while student teaching) and the new manager's boyfriend has been looking for employment for nearly four months so far without success.

[RaineyMark]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. It looks like our relocation plans are temporarily on hold (real estate market here is still in the toilet).