Cost Plus Reviews

Pros

After 15+ years with the company I continue to enjoy my job every day. I appreciate and applaud the company for continuing to have an "open door" policy where you are provided the opportunity to voice your opinions and suggestions. Whether you are new to the job or have been around as long as I have, you are given the opportunity to be heard.

I think the current direction of our product assortment has never been better and our prices are competitive. I enjoy spending time in our stores and the added incentive of receiving an employee discount on my purchases is a great benefit.

Cons

We do not have a training program for new employees. I feel strongly that we could better support our new hires by having a designated trainor as well as a manual documenting all procedures needed to accomplish their job.

Advice to Senior Management

I suggest the company implement a structured training program for new employees. This training should include some type of manual that can be referenced as needed.

Pros

The open, honest communication that is an intregal part of the company's culture is one of the best reasons to work at Cost Plus World Market. They have a great work/life balance. The benefit package is great with medical and other benefits provided in some Part time positions in addition to all Full time positions.

Cons

The most often cited downside of working at Cost Plus relates to training programs or more specifically dedicated time/labor to train.

Pros

Talented and passionate employees; COOL product; visibility of higher-ups in the stores; understanding managers who work to try to meet schedule requests; floor changes are frequent which makes it exciting to come in often

Cons

The company tries to have a culture of recognition but it falls short on consistency and quality; training feels piecemeal and there is not enough training available; being out of stock on items that are advertised leads to upset customers; hours for part timers vary based on the time of year and sometimes the stores feel short on help; why are the receipts SO long--seems like a waste of receipt tape

Advice to Senior Management

Spend money on training materials and have a way to recognize employees more frequently and on a larger scale; also, a newsletter to inform the employees about how the company is doing and what is going on in other parts of the company (like the corporate office or with the buyers and their travels or new merchandise coming in)

Pros

Our CEO Barry Feld is a visionary leader who is well connected to the workforce and made a decision to keep the benefits affordable for employees during what is still a tough economic climate for many employees. The work life balance that the company promotes is truley best in class.

Cons

I would say that the technology and systems are not as good as they could be, however I am certain they will be better in time.

Advice to Senior Management

I would say continue to stay conservative with the growth plans of relocating and building more stores for the next 24 months. The economic climate is still uncertain and very unpredictable.

Pros

Great discount, generally easy work, ok starting pay, and if you like the merchandise you're in heaven.

At my location the coworkers are easy to get along with and the store manager and supervisors are very laid back but firm when they need be.

Cons

It's retail, so there you go. Once you get to the level of Store manager there is absolutely no advancing beyond that, so don't expect to support a family working here.

The main con, at least at my location, is the hours given to part time workers. Everyone, and I mean every worker, who isn't full time (department heads, assistant managers) are working 10 hrs a week at most, with some working as little as one day (5hrs) a week at most. How on earth can you run a business like this? How can you expect moral to be anything but in the gutter and how can you expect people to care about there jobs, much less learn the skills they need to do their job properly when they are only working 2 days a week at most?

Full time workers aren't getting that many hrs either (20 - 30 at most).

When I first started working here 4 years ago, it was the best job I'd ever had, at least for somebody in their early 20s and single. Now I'm just trying to get as far away as possible asap!

Advice to Senior Management

Have some....some, a little, tiny smidgen, of respect for your employees. Understand that the people working here are not doing so so they can have a few extra quarters for toilet paper. Oh, and stop constantly threatening to fire employees who don't get at least 40% of their customers to enroll for the Explorer program each shift. Way to kill morale.

Pros

The positive culture of the company is one that very few companies possess. The culture allows for direct, open and honest discussions continually looking for ways to improve the strength of the organization while doing what is right.
The company has so much to offer. You may start out as an hourly team member, or leader, working in a store, corporate office, or distribution center and have the desire and skills to work in any area of the company. You can further your career with promotions staying with the company for many years. The distribution centers are proof of a fun and exciting culture with a significant number of employees having more than 10 and up to 20 years of service who have worked in many different areas making a significant positive impact on the overall success of the company. The executive team appreciates their employees being open and honest when times were tough and keeping promises as the business is becoming strong again. Our stores are so fun to shop in with products from all over the world. Knowing we brought these goods through our centers and helped in getting these to the stores makes our job very fulfilling. I’ve worked for the company for more than 15 years and wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. If you want the opportunity to work for a company that truly appreciates their employees, Cost Plus is the place

Cons

When the economy took a downward turn, our CEO, Barry Feld, was very honest about the state of our company. He made some very tough decisions to keep the company around for years to come. With those decisions, some of the benefits we enjoyed for so many years were removed until we could become profitable again. With hard work from all employee our company is showing positive signs and we look forward to continuing to get many of those benefits back.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue listening to the employees and providing a great culture with open and honest feedback. I appreciate the hard work our executive team has done keeping us from being another one of those companies that closed down and look forward to growth in years to come. Thank You

Pros

At the end of 2005 Cost Plus began what I would consider a pivotal positive shift in culture and reconnecting with our brand/customers. Thankfully our new Senior Management team began the process of weeding out toxic people/behaviors and turning the culture around internally. 6 years later I feel like we have best in class management and work force here in our Corporate Headquaters. I have several reasons why I like working here but I will narrow it down to 2...

Open Door Policy
Really Good People/Team

Everyones door is open... you can easily walk into the CEO or anyone of the management team with whatever idea, feedback or complaint you may have and feel respected and listened too. Our voices count...

At the end of the day you know that productive confrontation and collaberation equal team members that trust one another too keep raising the bar... This makes for a hardworking team with a common goal who really get along and make positive change.

I feel like I have worked for two different comapnies in the last 10+ years... the first five years were so dysfunctional under different leadership. I am so glad I listened to my gut when I heard Barry speak for the first time... he has never lied, created spin or seperated himself from the team... since that first day... he says what he means and means what he says.

Cons

The culture of accountability can be intimidating if you are not use to it...

The retail environment is also fast paced and can change daily. It does require at times acts of selflessness.

Advice to Senior Management

I have seen the positive changes in the Merchant/IM/IT/DC/Marketing/Ecom areas over the last 5+ years. I really see the focus shifting to Stores and Visual.. Old legacy practices are still alive in Stores and Visual. The more these areas are focused to collaborate with the rest of the company and break away from legacy practices the sooner we will have all engines firing.

Pros

Cost Plus cultivates and rewards the entreprenurial spirit, fair compensation package, and Management works hard to acknowledge and recognize the hard work of Team Members. The company culture is based on exceptional Team work, positive work environment, accountability, and devoted to creating the best customer experience.

Cons

Stress associated with being a National Retailer, seasonality, tight deadlines, continual change, etc. While I have defined it as a Con it is the reality of Retail.

Advice to Senior Management

The Turnaround is over and we have many people across the board to thank. In this critical timeframe that will set the foundation for the next step of World Market history the entire Company needs to have complete focus and awareness of the common goal. During the Turnaround the Team was routinely pulling on the same rope at the same time and in the same direction. All levels of Management need to be certain that the goal(s) of the Company remain clearly defined so that the common goal(s) become the core of every business unit. To succeed in the future, all Team Members/ Departments need to develop and execute with complete awarenes that everything is attempted and acomplished with complete awareness of the Companies goals.

Pros

The number one mission of Cost Plus is respect toward all employees. Even the accountability culture is based on respecting the contributions of everyone, and not allowing someone to require their team mates to have to carry their load. There is a great deal of cross-training, from team members to leadership, so one's potential for growth is unlimited. It is a promote from with-in culture whenever possible.

On a personal level, I have experienced the concern and support of Cost Plus first hand as well as viewed it in action toward others. It is a level of committment to the team that is seldom found in business.

Cons

Any cons are things that are always going to be present as long as it is "work". Some days are incredibly busy and stressful. We don't always have the staffing we would like to have. But there is no overwhelming negative feature to working here.

Advice to Senior Management

Remember to individually acknowlege the 80%. We tend to see the 10% at the top and the 10% at the bottom and sometimes neglect the 80% in between.

Pros

I have to preface my review with this: the team that I worked with while at Cost Plus has changed in the key positions that made my experience what it was. I do feel that if I went to work for this company now I would have a more positive review.

- Most of my immediate team was an absolute pleasure to work with
- Could not complain about the benefits
- Loved the casual dress code
- The only company I've worked at where people had been there for around a decade or so

Cons

- Overall the company lacks an efficient approval process. Too many approvals were needed. For example; buyers and merchants were given creative approval power–which if you are familiar with the product range, you can imagine how all over the place that would be. It's almost as if the mentality is that they are a mom and pop store, but the scope and size of the company is way beyond that.
- There's a lack in communication between the executive, management and designer level.
- The company also lacked a desire to consistently brand through all media, print, web and in-store graphics.
- On the executive level there was a lack in understanding of the current technologies that, more often than not, would make the workload and deadlines unrealistic.

Advice to Senior Management

The higher ups need to be educated on the current technologies to structure the teams and workload accordingly. There also needs to be a more open organization to get feedback on creative. I can honestly say that the door was closed to all meetings that actually reviewed my work. I always had to get my feedback second or even third hand. Honestly felt like I was kept in the dark.