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West Marine Reviews
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    West Marine Reviews

    Updated March 25, 2019
    311 reviews

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    3.2
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
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    Ken Seipel
    1 Rating

    Employee Reviews

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    Pros
    Cons

    • "Not much growth, low pay, Short staff" (in 28 reviews)

    • "Could not complete with the rapidly rising cost of living in South Florida" (in 5 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. "Well-Oiled Machine"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Store Clerk
      Former Employee - Store Clerk

      I worked at West Marine full-time

      Pros

      West Marine offers great salary with a quick learning curve. I enjoyed interacting with clientele during my time.

      Cons

      Sometimes work in-store can be slow

    2. "paid poorly but overall good place to work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Replenishment Analyst
      Former Employee - Replenishment Analyst
      Doesn't Recommend
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at West Marine full-time

      Pros

      family environment, health benefits program etc.

      Cons

      paid poorly, will not pay employees based on their value to the company

      3. Join the West Marine team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. Helpful (1)

      "(Most of) The People Make West Marine a Great Place to Work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Marketing in Watsonville, CA
      Former Employee - Marketing in Watsonville, CA
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at West Marine full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      The people were great. If you like boating, you might love working here. The discount isn't too bad (though it was much better a few years ago).

      Cons

      When WM was bought out by a private equity firm, they just came in, took all the cash, ran up debt, and now want to try and recoup their money by slashing jobs, cutting costs wherever they see the chance. Lots of great people were axed.

      Advice to Management

      If you want customers to come in and buy, you have to market to them all the time in all sorts of ways, not with posts on Facebook or Instagram. Give them the best service possible with experiences staff in the stores and all the product they might need.

    4. "My experience at West Marine was amazing."

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      Pros

      Very friendly staff and regular customer base.

      Cons

      Standard retail regulations and rules.

      Advice to Management

      Become more involved at the store level.

    5. "Decent company"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Assistant Store Manager in Clearwater, FL
      Current Employee - Assistant Store Manager in Clearwater, FL
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at West Marine part-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      The discounts when I worked there were great and was a great stepping stone into the marine industry. I learned a lot from my customers and was encouraged to get my captains license which opened numerous doors.

      Cons

      West Marine does not like to pay for experience. Also, like in any large corporation, policies are always changing.

    6. "Retail Environment with ability to learn at your own pace"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Former Employee - Assistant Manager in Destin, FL
      Former Employee - Assistant Manager in Destin, FL

      I worked at West Marine full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Flexible environment and most stores will usually allow you upward mobility. Flexible entry into supervisory roles.

      Cons

      Very seasonal, hours fluctuate dramatically, every store has its own culture.

      Advice to Management

      I would say more operational standards need to be in place.

    7. "Middling company"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Marketing in Watsonville, CA
      Former Employee - Marketing in Watsonville, CA
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at West Marine full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Can live life playing with boats and fishing
      Can do some rewarding work

      Cons

      Company is not growing or evolving
      Politicking is more prevalent than working

      Advice to Management

      Stop asking “what did we do last year”

    8. "Not the place to work for in the long run"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Assistant Manager
      Former Employee - Assistant Manager
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at West Marine (More than a year)

      Pros

      Good benefits, nice store and location

      Cons

      Too demanding and strict, no rel room tow grow

    9. "not worth it"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Sales Manager in Jacksonville, FL
      Former Employee - Sales Manager in Jacksonville, FL
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at West Marine full-time

      Pros

      Discount is good even though it has changed through out the years

      Cons

      pay is horrible, senior leadership doesn't look in on stores or takes advise from associates that are actually doing the work.

      Advice to Management

      audit the store managers more often.

    10. "Associate"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I have been working at West Marine part-time

      Pros

      Discounts on products, 401K matching

      Cons

      Seasonal business, hours vary accordingly