Michaels Stores Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Michaels Stores part-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Creative environment. I go to work in this place for the work that I do & for the customer's.

Cons – Does not stick to the principles of the company. Does not give fare chance to all hardworking associates. Management say's something & does something else.

Advice to Senior Management – People with special skills need to be payed a little more than regular associates. Sincerity of an associate needs too be rewarded by proper pay or bonuses. There is a difference between associates who do specialized work & regular floor associates.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Michaels Stores full-time for less than a year

Pros – 25% discount if you're into arts and crafts.

Cons – Competitive minimum wages. Personally under constant scrutiny from all three managers. I do the work of 3 people there, work constant over nights from midnight to past noon, and yet I'm still treated as if I'm the slowest person on the planet. Money is the bottom line. Too many employees getting 5 hours a week. No training unless you're on replenishment. Impossible time limits for unloading trucks.

Advice to Senior Management – Quit thinking you are better than everyone else. You are not important. You all are just people who've spent too many years of their lives working for Michael's and somehow got promoted above sales floor.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Michaels Stores part-time for less than a year

Pros – friendly co-workers, flexible schedule, those are the only good things about this place

Cons – The four managers here have no idea what they are doing. I just started a couple of weeks ago and I am already looking for another job. The managers each tell you different rules or different ways to do them so you get in trouble when doing it a different way you were. And god forbid you ask them to help you with something, they give you attitude even though you are still learning. They are not professional, constantly talking badly about workers in front of customers and other workers. Customers always complain about what a poorly run business this is. DO NOT WORK HERE!!!

Advice to Senior Management – Get your stuff together, be more tolerable of mistakes and be more understanding

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Michaels Stores full-time for less than a year

Pros – Fair salary, overall people are nice. Good opportunity for people right out of school versus experienced.

Cons – Working at corporate was a hostile experience. Lack of tools needed to get the job done. Many people in management have been with company for a long time and get moved into jobs they are not experienced at.

Advice to Senior Management – Listen and seek opinions and feedback from those under management. The open door policy did not feel open and people are afraid to speak up in this company.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Michaels Stores part-time for less than a year

Pros – I really enjoyed teaching the classes. Jewelry making and painting.

Cons – I put a lot of my time and money into promotions that were not executed by the stores.
Both stores did not tell me about students when I called.
The stores let down their number one best seller of the products. ME.
The painting classes where limiting, need better time frame layout and drawing.
Jewelry promos we had to do, did not come in with the supplies needed or correct directions.
Never enough hours allowed to do what I needed to get done.
I was not allowed decent hours because of Wilton classes. I got the leftovers.
I even initiated a set of classes, coming up with the ideas, getting the product samples done. Using two new lines. Manager was gun-ho. But the store did nothing after set-up to sell classes. I live a distance aways. Really frustrating.

Advice to Senior Management – Frustrating working with managers who just don't care about the classes.
The teachers really do sell your product. They know how to use the product. Use them, promote them.
I wasn't hired in the store as a worker because I was a perceived threat to management. I hold a degree in retail. I didn't want a management job. But it sure would have helped me in getting students. That's a shame.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Michaels Stores full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – pay was ok. people were good in store level.

Cons – no holidays off, none.Don't pay for any of the 3 normal summer holidays, although corporate and dm's and higher get it off. Only salaried employee in building so guess who gets the unpaid extra hours?
treated horribly by upper management,associates are the stupid people they need to talk slow to and micro manage

Advice to Senior Management – look at your regional mangers and inexperienced dm's. you would be horrified.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Michaels Stores full-time for more than a year

Pros – Not sure, Love the job at first.

Cons – lack of training, not enough workers on duty, need more full-time employees, alot of time working off the clock, full-timers are over worked, corporate expects way to much out of people (I believe they are out of touch with the real employees, the people working in the stores. It seems as though they listen to District Managers and above more.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Michaels Stores part-time for more than 3 years

Pros – great coworkers, fun to be around arts and crafts, I didn't mind the grunt work

Cons – Higher level management, policy, inhumane practices.
- They throw away NEW products that aren't selling or weren't used during events or demonstrations.
-when you are working on the "floor" as a sales associate, you are responsible for completing your tasks in an allotted time, regardless of how many customers you help. This is impossible. And you are punished with threats, warnings, etc. for not doing the impossible. BUT, they want you to quit so they can replace you with someone who they will pay minimum wage. And they will do the same thing to them so all of their associates never make more than minimum wage.
- they eliminate positions to get rid of employees then re-create these positions a month later so that they can get someone new and pay minimum wage.
- They expect 50 year old, sweater knitting, grandmothers to unload merchandise, and then they punish them when they don;t do it as fast as they "should".
- They ofter no benefits.
-They don't want to pay overtime, so employees are fired after starting or ENDING work more than 3 minutes late. Not sure how your supposed to tell a customer "Ya, I'm off the clock so I have to stop helping you frame your artwork or find the paint you need". The employees care about the work they do, and often will ask the customer to excuse them while they go clock out, and then go back to finish helping the customer off the clock.
-in store managers, who are on salary, also often end up working 7 days per week.

Advice to Senior Management – Thank you... after working for you, every job I've had has felt like heaven.
Really though, the way you treat your employees is unforgivable.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Michaels Stores full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – I can no longer think of any.

Cons – No sense of American pride and most of the products are imported from China. Difficult productivity standards in the Distribution network. Frequent mandatory overtime and little opportunity for advancement.

Advice to Senior Management – Take care of the people that keep this business going.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Michaels Stores full-time

Pros – Not much I can say other than it is a job.

Cons – Management is constantly out to get you. Do not expect them to actually live up to what they promise, especially if it is from the District Manager, and especially if it has anything to do with a promotion.
Mgmt always looks for ways to cut hours and payroll, despite all the new planograms and moves that need to be done, or on truck days. Try closing a large store with one cashier and one employee on the sales floor, that is just ridiculous

Advice to Senior Management – Get back to basics. Realize the actual true need for staffing, and start to listen to your employees. Most of all, don't promise something that you can not or do not intend on following thru on. It is just a guaranteed way of killing morale.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company