General Manager - Anonymous employee Pottery Barn Employee Review

2.0
8 Jun 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Within your own four walls you can create the atmosphere you wish!

Cons

If you like working for a highly micromanaged company and wasting your time on fruitless conference calls and submitting ridiculous pieces of paperwork than this is a great place for you! If you like working for a bunch of sorority girls that change their minds weekly on what we should do as a company, what you should do as a store, as a manager, than join this brand! There is no consistency and what was once important and a huge focus one week is no longer of importance the next. Flexibility and adaptability aside, it makes your head spin. Gone are the days when actual service and training were a top priority. Now it's required to solicit customers that have had great experiences in the store and request them to fill out a survey, why, so upper management can have a false sense of reality! Stores are understaffed due to payroll cuts, weighted down with their looming to-do lists and lack any support from their leadership teams. And after working tirelessly, at the end of the year you might just get a 2% raise!

Explore other reviews about Pottery Barn

5.0
19 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great team- great experience. It offered flexibility to try multiple roles.

Cons

As a seasonal hire it is mandatory to work holidays. As usually with most retail jobs. You must have weekend availability.

1.0
3 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Absolutely nothing. Don't waste your time

Cons

THE WORST COMPANY TO WORK FOR!!! AVOID. AVOID. AVOID. This place seems great on paper but is truly one of the worst companies I've ever worked for. If you are not ready to play the corporate game do not even bother. You will do great here if you love to suck up to leadership, want to be overworked with zero compensation or recognition, and are okay with ZERO work life balance. Words truly will never be enough to express how horrible this place is so I'm not even sure where to begin. Leadership is a joke and will only help you in your career if you're one of their favorites. The pay is laughable in general, let alone for the amount of work that is required of you. The systems and tools this company uses are ancient and so by the book, no amount of complaints will ever change the way they do things. The turnover is embarrassing, I saw a new face almost every single week. The office environment is so cliquey and catty. And the in person office requirements offer ZERO flexibility. If you need to be out of office for an hour doctor appointment, you have to use PTO. But the best part is, other departments in the company will be allowed to WFH, while Merch is held to such an extreme standard. One of my personal favorites was not being allowed to make eye contact or be seen by the CEO when she came to the office. That should tell you everything you need to know about this company. Overall, I beg everyone to think twice about working here. All of these things were a known thing around the office and I feel bad for those that stay and continue to subject themselves to such an environment. I mean it when I say 80% of people were miserable working here. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere, you'll thank me later.

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