Sephora reviews

I have been in a few different positions within the company - leadership and cast. There's a sense that upper management, DM, RVP, and up, need to learn a thing or two about economics. There is so much micro-management that the Store Director nor Leadership can even use the bathroom without getting an "okay" first. The whole concept of entrepreneurship is to let store management run their business. They know the areas of concern (at least those that are competent) and opportunities for improvement. After all, they do spend countless hours on excess conference calls and overbearing reports that spit out numbers from a poorly designed and outdated operations system. I've been with the company for almost 4 years and still don't have a clue what the individuals at "home office" actually do. If upper management actually relieved SD's from conference calls that seem to do more harm on the business and allowed more time to focus and run their business, Sephora would be able to earn more profit. Sephora pays WAY below the average for this type of industry. Heavy demands can seem oppressive at times and can create a heavy workload for management and cast. They start to feel undervalued and overworked. There are too many requirements for the little compensation offered. We have to obtain brand knowledge, maintain cleanliness of store, help multiple clients, ensure a fun shopping experience, meet/exceed sales goals, memorize assigned brand sales goals/top products, multi-task between worlds if short staffed, help operations with brand updates/missing product, tolerate a horrible commute, listen to constant criticism - during "observations", "P4D's", "coaching" opportunities, etc. It's enough for anyone to just throw in the towel. It's just sporadic, chaotic chaos. It makes you feel like a screaming banshee. The average for a SD is $61,000? Are you serious?! It's such a shame since this company is known for being a "innovator" in the beauty industry. I really wanted a career within this company. Too bad for them. Sephora stores end up losing a lot of great individuals.

First few months were great, but leadership basically bullied me into leaving. Honestly, I LOVED my job when I was applying makeup or interacting with cool co-workers & customers, got tons of CLI and was well liked by fellow employees and customers. The education and gratis were both nice benefits, though not worth the cattiness and drama, perpetuated by leadership who pitted us against one another. Completely disregarded my maximum amount of hours I could work (was part-time, but being scheduled 40+ hour weeks). Employees are blamed for manager's inability to achieve work-life balance. Associates were berated for their shortcomings and never appreciated for what they were doing well. Leadership focused entirely on the negative and refused any time off to the point where people would come in with strep throat rather than being screamed at. Main store manager created a poisonous work environment. So much for "respect for all". It's a shame because I loved the artistry and many of my co-workers (the ones that weren't gossiping..), and I didn't want to leave. I was pushed out. Other co-workers have shared their horrifying management experiences with me, wanting me to write a letter of complaint to the company, but as unappreciated and angry as I was, I didn't have the heart. Hopefully someone will eventually do what I couldn't, though I still find myself considering it to this day.