Understaffed, terrible store management - Lead Sales Associate Custom Framing Department Michaels Employee Review

2.0
Sep 6, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Coworkers were great and I am still friends with many of them

Cons

Head office incentives are only there for the store's head manager, who chronically understaffed our store, asking employees to regularly work 12 hour shifts to make up the difference. This isn't going to be the case for every store, but watching that guy get a massive bonus for working us ragged was too much for me. Customers were entitled and would demand impossible things and then be given freebies to keep them happy, so after getting reamed out by a customer for following company policy, you would then get reamed out by management for costing them money. Working in the Framing Department, a few times I made sales that were several thousand dollars (my record being $5,000 on a single framing order) and never once received even a pat on the back or comment from management for making the sale. It was like it had never happened.

Explore other reviews about Michaels

5.0
Jan 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

nice workers and it was fairly easy

Cons

pay was not the best

2.0
Jun 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some great co-workers, employee discount, on site office benefits including a gym and cafe for breakfast/lunch, full suite of employee benefits at reasonable prices

Cons

Ridiculous amount of stress. Retail in general is often stressful but the amount of stress at Michaels is unnecessary and over the top. Constant last-minute changes by leadership to creative, promotions, products, and any other kind of changes. Things will be finalized and signed off on and delivered, and somebody will make a change at the last minute and things are constantly having to be redone. People are worn down and worn out. It’s the highest turnover rate of any place I’ve worked in retail at the corporate office. I’ve seen people take jobs and be gone within weeks. Leadership in some departments are extremely micromanaging and controlling even with employees that are tenured and have multiple years of experience. The stress level for both tenured and new employees is very high. Projects get discussed over and over and over again, decisions are made and then revisited again after decisions were made making delivery late and causing people to work unnecessarily in order to fix things that could’ve been done correctly the first time. The company tries really hard to make the workplace fun and offer activities, motivation, and incentives. Unfortunately they don’t offset what the environment is like working inside with some of the teams and expectations to actually deliver the work. Would not recommend.

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