HR reached out for phone screen. I was told that they were hiring for both assistant and associate merchant roles, they asked if I would be interested in the assistant role if the pay aligned. I was told that due to the company being a co-op they wanted people to come in as an assistant so that they can learn the business. I have many years of merchandising experience, and saw it as a slap in the face to have to start over. It seems like they were doing a bait and switch, having people apply for associate roles just to get them to interview for a assistant position, because current assistants are getting promotions to associate roles.