Demoralizing and Toxic Work Environment - Manager Thread + Seed Employee Review

I loved working for Thread & Seed when I lived in San Diego. I've worked for both small and large retailers, and as a small business this is one of the best. There were so many opportunities to gain experience in different areas of the business, including marketing, social media, copywriting, management, merchandising, buying, etc. I worked with a great group of women who have remained friends. The clientele are also really nice, and it made the days go by quickly and easily. Fun place to work overall. The owner has high goals, but also accepts that you can use your specific strengths to achieve them, allowing for significant autonomy, which I prefer. Although primarily female (true of retail in general), the team was otherwise very diverse, including age, ethnicity, etc. For a small business, they had good compensation and bonus structure. I started working for Thread & Seed for better work life balance (I had a side hustle I wanted to make time for), and I felt I was able to maintain it throughout the 2 years I worked there.

It is a small business so there are a lot of quirks to that, which means you may have to think on your feet and come up with a best process (rather than following specific protocols that most big retailers may have). If you are working in the store, you may often need to juggle a few roles while in the space, but this is true of most retailers. If you don't like a lot of autonomy, or need things spelled out for you, this probably isn't the company for you, but if you are self-motivated and want to work with a growing business, it can be a really exciting and fun place to work.

None. I would say zero.

This company offers no benefits, no parking support, and not even water for employees. Breaks are minimal — expect to work nonstop except for an unpaid lunch break. Work-life balance does not exist here. Management sends messages through Vox even outside business hours, sometimes as early as 6am or as late as 9pm. The environment is stressful, unorganized, and lacks basic respect for employees’ time and well-being.