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
Nov 2, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

One of the friendliest places you'll ever work; wonderful people who are truly passionate about what they do. Everyone tries as hard as they can to get things done and do nice things for their customers. If you want to work at a very traditional retailer from the last century; focused on stores and a catalog then this is the place for you.

Cons

You read about companies like this in school, but never think they still exist. Too many people with their own opinions, everyone thinks their idea is the be all end all greatest thought ever. There is no coordination between departments, communication doesn't exist. The 2 things people say most often are "I don't know what's going on either" and "No one told me that". All the executives are hands on micro managers, acting like they need to do the job, can do the job, and their people are roadblocks. VP's are puffed up workers; meddling in just about everything that happens. Given the opportunity to go behind another execs back they will. Whichever one of the them speaks last gets what they want; unless the CEO chimes in too. No one is interested in learning anything, they just want to be right. There isn't much deep thinking; it's a silly crazy moving target.

2.0
Sep 30, 2016

Poor pay, bad schedule

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Working in a store with cooking classes keeps things different and interesting. The employee discount is generous (but you can't help but wonder how big the markup is in the first place!). If you're into cooking, it's nice to be able to learn about all the high-end stuff and be able to afford it (in theory... if this is not your only job... see "Cons"). That is why the two stars. One for having nice stuff and one for the discount. In every other way: beware of this job.

Cons

The pay is absolutely insulting for sales associates. I am convinced that the only reason they get away with it is because half of the associates are fairly well to do folks, comfortable retirees, or people with well paying professional jobs who are in it for the fun of it and the discount and that's it. Schedule is rarely put out more than a few days before it starts, and they demand a high amount of availability so really, your whole life is on pause until management gets their act together. The mandated high available (recent change) is the reason I will be leaving. Not enough payroll to have a dedicated stock/floorset person anymore so those tasks are now performed while also trying to provide customer service. They don't schedule anyone full time, to avoid needing to provide benefits. You will not get more than 25 hours per week from this employer.

2.0
Aug 21, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Great discount, 40% -Depending on location, amazing co-workers -Great products for cooking enthusiasts -Some locations offer culinary

Cons

-Antiquated operations,POS,scheduling done on Excel -No training hours (this is supposed to be a specialty retailer) -No ability to order products at store level (often overwhelmed with merchandise) -Ambiguous discipline policies -No succession planning -Inadequate payroll to provide outstanding customer service and maximize sales -Culinary locations are in disarray. No industrial grade cabinets or appliances are used. -Company does not promote the brand through advertising or targeted marketing. No brand recognition on East Coast -No Open Door Policy. Speaking out has repercussions. -Lack of transparency from Corporate to Store Managers

Viewing 19 - 21 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.