The Container Store reviews

The store management. If you start working here hoping that you are going to learn about leadership and the culture that the company show in the website you are going to be disappointed. The management gives many mixed messages and undervalues employees. However, to the store management defense this is something that comes from corporate levels. Managers are good people that don't know how to lead. Unfortunately they also lack bosses with leadership skills that shows them how things should be done. At least part time people can leave the job. Managers are stuck with it and this just make matters worst. Great people is hired and their talents are wasted in a job that have a potential to be fulfilling. The morale of employees is low and only new people is happy to be working here because they still believe that the culture is for real. Unless you need the money, benefits (which are good) or the discount there is really no need to be working here. If you are great this place will turn you bitter. I know that this is not the case in other stores and probably not in the corporate offices but so far this is in the case in the Southern California area. The whole "We love our employees" manifesto is misleading. It accomplishes Container Store objectives though, it attracts great people. Even if they do not try to mislead prospective employees, it shows a complete lack of self awareness and therefore the incompetence corporate management. One thing is that the company as a whole try to care about employees and other complete different thing is that they accomplish this successfully. They shouldn't post this manifesto until they accomplish it beforehand. It hasn't happened yet and they should know it by know so it is not honest to post it in the website.

Store Managers and FT employees play favorites. They and their favorites can talk personal business all the time, but if your caught talking business to another associate, you're asked (usually over the walkie from the break room where they are managing via the camera system) "where's the family reunion?" This store wants FT availability, but only offers PT hours. A lot of the staff are two-faced. You can walk into the break room and they'll be talking behind someone's back, yet the feedback they offer to the person they're talking about is the opposite of what they obviously feel. Managers and FT favorites delegate to everyone else - even if you're already working hard on another project, they will ask you to do something so they don't have to do it. FT staff can be patronizing when talking to you or asking you to do something. It seems that they are too busy running the floor to actually do any work. Managers change the schedules and don't post the new one. They expect you to know they changed it, and to look it up on the computer to discover the changes. Managers barely work on the floor. Actually, I've seen the SM working on the floor twice since I've been there. The company talks a great philosophy. It is a shame it isn't realistic in this store.