Do you think companies put up fake "Now Hiring" signs in their window?

[rabble rouser]

I applied at a famous coffee shop chain and never got a callback even though I meet all their known requirements.

A friend told me that their sign was just for show...

He told me that they put a "Now Hiring" sign in all their stores because it creates the illusion that they are a good business for your community because they bring jobs to the area... which is actually the opposite of the truth...

He explained that many small businesses are run out of town by the big chain and so there are less jobs...

Is this true?

Did I not get hired because there are actually no positions to be filled?

Or was it probably just a conspiracy theory?

[GeeGee]

Not in their windows- since that would encourage people to walk in off the street to apply for non-existant jobs, which would clearly be a useless senario. Sometimes co's put ads in the paper for positions that don't really exist, because they want to "test the waters" and see what kind of applicants they'd attract, but with faxes and emailed responses, this would be a faceless response, whereas a sign in a store window would bring a live person into the equation. Sounds unlikley to me.

[whatWouldYouCallMe?]

I worked at Steak n Shake for some time. They would leave the sign up long after the positions had been filled so there was some sort of an illusion. Maybe it was laziness?
I don't know for sure if what you're repeating is true, but I've heard similar arguments from other people and it wouldn't surprise me if it was true. It makes sense and I have actually seen small businesses that previously thrived die after Walmart was built across the street.

[sara s]

i doubt that they would do such a thing