Pros
Great coworkers, although the selection criteria has deteriorated if compared to past years hires. They usually attract and hire people that make great team players and friends for life. Ok benefits, clean and neat work environment. Plus an unbeatable employee discount!
Kontras
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.