Category management will ruin your life
Pros
I can't think of an actual positive thing about wayfair that doesn't involve some sort caveat. For example, yes, everything is always changing at wayfair in this fast paced environment, however, thats mostly Because people are being fired or leaving, so naturally, these roles need to be filled. Yes, we are growing and developing amazing things! That doesn’t really matter when half your staff sits at lunch just conversing about how much they dislike their manager/ can’t pay their bills. Usually if you have a masters degree (doesn't really matter what kind of degree!) from an Ivy League, even without personal skills, you should be a good fit for a L4/L5 role, even without previous experience and zero management skills.
Cons
When I first applied to wayfair I was swept off my feet by the buzz. Young culture, great environment, free snacks, awesome pto (turned out to not be that awesome at all) employee discounts, endless learning and advancement opportunities, etc. i decided that I should ignore the negative reviews because these people just didn't know what the were talking about. Boy, was I incorrect. This company is absolutely absurd. A while back, in my first eight months or so, I had FOUR different managers, all of which were horrible Managers in every sense of the word. They were young, inexperienced, power hungry, socially confused, rude, cut throat, brown nosing people, or any combination of the above. The emotional roller coaster that is wayfair is almost impossible deal with on a daily basis. Wayfairs excuse is that it's a rapidly growing company! Things are always changing! Embrace it! The truth is, people slowly realize how shady this company is and begin to move on. Basically, if you don't do things exactly as your specific manager wants them, and I mean exactly, you will receive harsh "constructive criticism" about not being a "team player" or a "strategic thinker" or a "grower." This "feedback" begins about 3-4 weeks in, so if you haven't mastered the role by then, and you're still "ramping up" you're pretty screwed. I will admit, people are impressed by me when they see that I've been working at wayfair, and for over two years for that matter, but that's pretty Much the only pro about this company. If you'd like your self esteem and confidence to be completely Annihilated by someone in a management role Who has less experience than you and is your age, but has a masters and worked as a consultant previously, this is your place to work. Also, the pay is laughable. They look at reimbursement on an “all in” level, meaning equity is included. Equity is great, but I can’t access that for a year and even when I could, it’s impossible to make it far enough in the company to reach equity that actually makes an impact on your quality of living, so keep that second job for now. for them To even remotely allude to the fact that there are "growth opportunities" should be considered illegal. You will By no means grow at this company and you'll be making less than an Uber driver with longer and more Miserable hours. You will grow if you’re willing you to be a glorified assistant for 2+ years. Also, pto benefits aren't that great, you have to take days like the day after thanksgiving off. If a holiday falls on a Tuesday, you bet you'll have to take paid time off if you want to take a long weekend to take some time to see your family on Christmas. Also, if there’s snow, you’ll be asked to come in. Working from home is frowned upon. But don’t get it twisted, your manager/directors will not be at work in a blizzard with you! Snacks are sub par, definitely wouldn’t take those into account when making your decision. Ive never cried in an office setting more in my life. Associates are nice though!
