Ethan Allen Reviews

Pros

Great talented people to work with.

Cons

EA has a very controlling environment and overall morale is poor.

Advice to Senior Management

Give management employees you hire the ability to make decisions.

Pros

Great Hours, no evening, no weekends, no holidays
Travel benefits and expenses
Relaxed environment
Physical work - which I love

Cons

Not much room for creativity. The floor plans are made up and that's it. Unless the room is smaller or bigger than the original floor plan, you might have a chance to change things around a bit. Some designers would sell items directly from the floor in order not to loose a sale even though they were forbidden from doing so! Visuals were responsible for keeping the floor stocked and it took weeks before getting the paintings or flowers back on the floor.

Advice to Senior Management

Mistakes happen, don't yell at us on the sales floor in front of employees and customers!

Pros

Always introducing new additions to present collections and keeping one step ahead of market trends. Excellent fabric and finishes selection. Pay scale some of the best in the furniture/interior design industry.

Cons

Long Delivery times for numerous items. Price equals value, and as Ethan Allen is now out sourcing many of their products and buying from overseas, the quality is not as premier as it once was.

Advice to Senior Management

Do not promote your furnishing as made in USA any longer. It is misleading since Ethan Allen is an American Company, people still believe it is Made in the USA.

Pros

Good Benefits, fun and helpful fellow workers, good looking showroom, the training is good as far as customer psychology goes, but not enough emphasis on doing what is best for customer.

Cons

Misleading interviews telling you that good interior design is what is wanted when really what they want are high sales numbers.

Advice to Senior Management

More respect for the designers efforts. Most respect is shown to designers who have the highest numbers, even though their designs are full of problems once they are installed.

Pros

fun people to work with

Cons

if you don't own a store you're going no where fast

Pros

Benefits are great, store is a beautiful place to work

Cons

Slow traffic, high priced and management in store was very detached

Advice to Senior Management

Honor your design consultants with input on performance

Pros

Latitude to run my own business with good support from the company; I ran my own business for over ten years, with the economic downturn I had to seek outside employment. I am very happy that I got this opportunity and the experience has been very good. A good balance between charting my own course and getting the support and training that I need. The product and customers are outstanding! There is constant training and a positive environment most of the time. Some others don't seem to appreciate how good they have it here, I love the fact that we are busy, busy busy!

Cons

Dealing with whoever walks through the door! I've had some very rude and even odd people, but overall the customers are good and the clients that I end up working with are wonderful. The technology changes rapidly and I find myself constantly having to learn new programs, etc. This is a very ambitious company with a lot of "drive".

Advice to Senior Management

Slow down the technology! other than that, I think the company is well run and the staff works very well together.

Pros

The brand name and quality of products are good. Corporate Ethan Allen seems much more in-tune and professional in their treatment of design staff than this particular franchisee in San Antonio.

Cons

Poor pay for level of performance/qualifications. Salary (straight commission) numbers are highly exaggerated during interview process. Management by fear and intimidation is rampant. Long-term employees are not a good indicator that it is a good place to work. "Veterans" have sweetheart pay & perks while newcomers are the work horses who often go unpaid for work due to "employment rules" which prevent payment of commissions under various circumstances. Shady business practices are the norm here. No reimbursement of travel, car, cell. expenses for required in-home consultations.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat employees fairly and with respect! Share in the wealth that your design sales people create. Stop profiting off the backs of single women and minority employees.

Pros

Depending on location, you can have a good team. But you have to be self-supporting with no help from upper management. It is usually better to work for an independent design center rather than a corporate one.

Cons

Lack of recognition no matter how long or how hard you worked there, especially if you worked at a service center.

Advice to Senior Management

How about some employee recognition, particularly those who have proven themselves for several years?

Pros

Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, discount on furniture, you can get experience designing to quickly move on to a real job where they will treat you like a human being.

Cons

All the good people are gone. It is so sad there now. There is no morale. Management is beaten. It's horrible. If you get sick-they will never let you forget it. Vacation? Well, if you do, you better pray for a huge paying client when you get back or you are out the door! YOU ARE A NUMBER-THAT IS IT! DO NOT FORGET THAT! THAT IS ALL YOU WILL EVER BE IS A NUMBER! Please, even if you are desperate for a job-don't-you'll wish you never did.

Advice to Senior Management

Look at your designers as people. Stop taking your fustrations out on them. Its a stressful position-if you cant handle the stress, find another job. Go home, look at yourselves in the mirror and honestly ask yourself, " Am I a good person?"