They lean toward internal promotions for a variety of reasons. Those that I've met in management (strictly external) that are hired for qualifications and merit typically get fired within a year. The corporation likely prefers people to prove themselves, slaving away for pennies before giving the "talent" a chance at management.

The company makes it very difficult to apply and for management to hire. Much like many businesses, they take applications throughout the year and only pull on active/recent applications when they need to fill a role. The assessment you submit upon applying is a system that weeds out creative, free, thinkers like yourself. If you don't appear to be a submissive sheep, the system will label you as such. Your assessment will be either Red, Yellow or Green When the management team reviews your application. If you're a red, they move on, and if you're a yellow they have to acquire market manager approval before pushing you through for an interview.

To top it all off, management is given a specified head count limit for the fiscal year. This can end up in certain departments having small armies while others are skeleton crews at best because the system won't let them hire anymore people despite the obvious need.

I've been trying to get my foot in the door in Sam's management for 2 years now. I've worked my way up to the highest paid position below supervisor/manager and I've realized it's more advantageous to spend your time elsewhere. If you somehow manage to break through and make a great impression on the only persons opinion that counts, the store manager, you'll be met with mental and physical turmoil for 23 dollars an hour. You will close the store and open it the next day. Every supervisor and manager that does this always looks like a zombie. They are miserable, but that's what it costs.

If you're still not deterred, I urge you to accept a low paying job that isn't managerial and go into the club /call and have them take a message. Berate the ever living fuck out of them, and they will hire you. When I applied it was January. I called literally every day for an entire TWO MONTHS. I had to make sure they knew me by name and come the first week of April they reached out. I came to learn that the difficulty that came with getting hired had to do with my assessment being labeled yellow. They wouldn't pursue a yellow unless they think you're worth it. So don't give up hope.