Innovation is stifled by internal politics - Anonymous employee Five Below Employee Review

2.0
Apr 12, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some opportunity to work with modern technologies like Databricks and Kafka. The remote nature of the role provides decent flexibility.

Cons

Cultural Gridlock: There is a heavy emphasis on internal politics rather than actual engineering progress. Decision-making is often slow and influenced more by "who you know" than by technical merit. Lack of Innovation: Despite having a modern tech stack, the appetite for real innovation is low. Projects often get bogged down in administrative hurdles and risk-aversion. Management Gaps: There is a noticeable disconnect between upper management and the technical realities of the engineering teams.

Explore other reviews about Five Below

5.0
Mar 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

its cheap prices and can find lots of things there for phones

Cons

there is some people that come in and are really rude

3.0
May 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

• Flexible Scheduling • Benefits Package • Economically Sustainable

Cons

• Unrealistic workload at the store level. • As a salaried employee, you pick up ALL the slack, and are often the one covering shifts; work/life balance does not exist. • Lack of payroll to support effective operational execution. • Wage disparity across immediate adjacent state lines creates barriers in recruiting. • Opportunities in communication and planning from the top to the field. • Customer demographic lacks social awareness

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