Container Store Reviews

Pros

Great co-workers, fun environment, passionate people!

Cons

Valuation of salaries does not seem to be consistent across the company.

Pros

Coworkers are above average for the retail sector. Great employee discount especially if you need your closet organized with elfa merchandise. Positive communication encouraged. Easy to stay busy! Above average pay. Computer aided design for closet planning. Foundation principles are inspiring in and outside of the workplace.

Cons

Overtaxing amount of physical labor for visual positions compared to other roles. Non-creative merchadising and little freedom to make adjustments or try new things. Not enough employees on teh sales floor to handle the expectation of being highly productive sales people. Inflexible schedules for FT emplyees. Nice people are hired but their competency level for management positions can be quite lacking.

Advice to Senior Management

It was exhausting not being able to have two days off in a row within a FT schedule. That made the work-life balance non-existant for many, especially when you were worked late the night before your day off then having to open the store or arrive before the sun comes up to work a truck on your first day back.

Pros

Very employee focused; excellent training; supportive environment
Above average hourly pay
Flexible schedule
Great employee discount
Values-driven corporation

Cons

Few opportunities to move up in the company
At least one weekend day required
What they preach and what they practice aren't always in sync
Can be physically demanding

Advice to Senior Management

Put more trust in the amazing people you hire. There's a fine line between "peer mentoring" and just being condescending.

Pros

Very competitive salary
Usually work schedules can be flexible enough to allow for changes (if enough advance notice is given).
Interesting and fun co-workers - usually very pleasant atmosphere.
Prime timers don't always need to run every decision by managers.
Benefits are offered, at least

Cons

Not enough employees on the floor
Too many different answers on one issue - sometimes.
The new push for paperwork, goals, etc has taken focus away from supporting and trusting the chosen employees (1=3).
 While there used to be enough employees on the floor for us to feel like we really were putting customers first (and enjoying that relationship), now we feel unsupported with calls for assistance getting replies of "no one is available right now" , or going unanswered altogether. Could this be a result of new bonus requirements? - if so, it puts emphasis in the wrong place in my opinion.
Favoritism - which probably exists anywhere

Advice to Senior Management

The "old days": there was a definite sense of support and confidence from management in the employees. Now there is a bigger divide between the 2, leaving the phrase "1=3" meaningless - if management has confidence in who they hired, then why micromanage them, always pointing out that situations should have been handled differently (manager's way).
Manager always seems to be seeking out where the employees have done something wrong - can't time be spent in a more productive way? And see "cons" about bonus requirements.
Annual reviews need to have comments from all through out the year, which include positive, not just negative. If I made any mistakes, I'd like to know as soon as it happened and be able to respond as well as learn from it. A review written at the last minute is unfair, inaccurate and disrespectful - especially when the reviewer is only looking for where there needs to be improvement and not balancing that with recognition of where the employee has offered extra effort and flexibility. Some regular positive feedback goes along way to foster loyalty and positive atmosphere.
If I were a manager, I'd like to be respected and trusted - not feared and feel like big brother is always looking.

Pros

Pays better than most retail jobs.
I'm able to have nights and weekends off to spend with my kids.
Management lets you use your best judgement in most situations.

Cons

They advertise benefits for part time employees, but when you actually get to see the benefits they are horrible.

Advice to Senior Management

You offer people insurance for their pet, but you can't offer better insurance to prime timers? Doesn't make sense to me!

Pros

The Container Store offered good pay for part time seasonal work. It was nice to be able to wear jeans and a (company) t shirt to work.

Cons

I really didn't have any dislkes about this job. If I had to pick one, it may have been cleaning the bathrooms at closing time, but that's about it.

Pros

Pay is competitive for retail, foundation principles are great in theory.

Cons

Foundation principles mean nothing, only one is "man in the desert" which basically means selling people stuff they don't need. Worst job I've ever had, I don't care if the pay is decent. I've been worked to the bone physically. I worked an 8 hour morning merchandising shift, worked my butt off was covered in sweat then, after my hour lunch (no breaks, ever) I got to unload palettes of Elfa for the remainder of my shift. After all that, I got coached at how I complain while working, how most co workers think I don't work hard and how I need to "toughen up".

Advice to Senior Management

Explain job duties at time of hiring. Don't say I will be assisting customers in discovering their perfect solution, tell them the truth... If you're a guy you will be merchandising, unloading palettes, unloading trucks and basically any other type of horrible manual labor you can imagine..and then told by the women who don't do anything that you should "tough it out". What a joke!

Pros

Good pay, great training, and wonderful core values in theory.

Cons

Core values do not always translate to real action. Interview processes for new hires are excessively tedious. Lack of accountability and follow up from management.... more about lip service than actual results.

Advice to Senior Management

Celebrate success, but do not be so full of yourself that you forget where the success is coming from. The company is starting to grow again, which is wonderful on paper, but it seems that core values are getting lost in the process. There is more of a "do as I say, not as I do" attitude in leadership. When you are selling a premium product and start to saturate the market, other retailers will follow suit and diminish customer loyalty. Not sure the company will be able to maintain growth, above average pay and increased competiton in the long term. Consumers are fickle and not sure the brand is able to respond rapidly enough to changes ahead.

Pros

Customer focused with some benefits for part time employees -

Cons

Once the Company was partially purchased by outside investors all changed. The employees are definitely not first as management continously claims. The order of importance from the actions of upper management is:

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to what employees have to say and ask them how they are feeling. Don't speak for employees and tell them what management wants to hear the workers say about the organiztion. Ask the employees what they need and if they feel good about the current direction that the organization is going. Instead of putting thousands of dollars in an ad in the New York Post telling your employees that you love them - give the employees money or Amex/Visa gift cards!!!1 - Money 2 -Customers 3- Making Money 4 - Employees

Pros

Pay is well above what any other retailer will pay, the products are very good, health benefits even if you work 15hrs a week, great discount 50% on Elfa products and 40% on everything else including gift cards and a fun relaxing atmosphere to work in.

Cons

It's retail so you have to commit to at least one weekend day to work each week and you work on holidays, except the major ones like Christmas and Thanksgiving. The aprons are hot in the summer

Advice to Senior Management

Stop hiring so many people from outside the company as top level managers in one location, they are often overwhelmed and that has an adverse effect on the rest of the team.