Sur La Table reviews

3.1

42% would recommend to a friend

(1,057 total reviews)

Jason Goldberger

46% approve of CEO

32% positive business outlook

Sur La Table has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 1,057 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Sur La Table employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Ventas al mayoreo y al menudeo industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews
1.0
Apr 16, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The discount is ok, the customers are nice, if you are a foodie you will enjoy talking about food and cooking at work, nice products

Cons

Poor management, no real policies, only the ones they make up as they go along to pacify or scold employees, depending on the day. No training to speak of regarding product, except select high priced items. Although they carry many products, you are told not to sell certain ones because of price point or profit margin, scolded if you do. Zero communication - you never know if what you are going to do is going to incur the wrath of a manager - micro management to the point of ridiculous, if management is the right word. You may be told you are empowered to make decisions, but you are not. There is no right answer here, as someone else mentioned. Back stabbing and gossip between management and employees. Unfair and rude treatment of employees, with no accountability to anyone. Upper management answers to no one, while they are fully aware of problems, they don't care how employees are treated. If you are brave enough to ask for some accountability, you will be retaliated against with cut hours, even more rude treatment and a hostile work environment. You may not get fired, but they will be sure you quit. Promises of pay raises never happen - if they do they are insulting at best. No adherence to labor laws regarding breaks and hours worked. Really high turnover rate creates instability and confusion on everyones part. Read all of the other reviews, and include anything I forgot - they are very accurate and and should be a warning to anyone thinking of working here.

1.0
Mar 8, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The discounts: 40% off products not already on sale, otherwise you get the sales price. 10% off electronics not already on sale. 50% matching of 2% of your salary on 401(k) contributions. The occasional celebrity siting at the Santa Monica store.

Cons

A very dehumanizing and unorganized environment where employees feel that they are not valued and are constantly being chastised for not following ever-changing policies. Unaccountable and lazy store management. You are repeatedly scheduled for the shifts you requested off. Manager walks away from you when you need help with a customer (or anything) instead of following through and taking responsibility. It's embarrassing when you're with a customer! The only two remaining long-term assistant & floor managers are very good, but treated with little respect. District management is very abusive. Reviews were written at the district level this year and were consistently negative and seemed to be written by someone who didn't even know who were were. They gave us these reviews right before the holiday season (our busiest time) so we were all completely demoralized. That just seems dumb. All in all, a very frustrating, degrading and bizarre place to work.

5.0
Mar 4, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Overall, my Store Manager was the most professional, warm and dedicated person I have ever worked for. She had immense product knowledge, sense of humor and strict workmanship. We always wanted to excel for her due to her encouragement. Accolades (sp?) for our sales were constant. We were treated as though the store's business was our own business. We all stood for the Sur la Table value and brand because of the positive environment.

Cons

The ability to get a nominal pay increase was not available at the time. Must be a real hustler to work there - it is constantly busy and you are always on the move. Not really a con for many - but don't apply if you can't take constant business flow.

Viewing 1045 - 1047 of 1,057 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,086 Sur La Table reviews submitted anonymously by Sur La Table employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Sur La Table is right for you.