Pros
Discount on gear is great! I've learned a ton while working here about gear, sales, and even acquired new skills!
Cons
1. Compensation is a joke. Starting pay sounds competitive if you're new to the job market, but in reality, it's not enough to get by and definitely not fair for the amount of work you're expected to do. I've noticed Guitar Center replying to many similar complaints on here with "most of our sales associates make over $15/hr" This is simply not true. Perhaps in the markets like California or New York where cost of living is extremely high, however, not a single sales OR lead associate in my entire store makes 15$/hr (even after accounting for bonus and commission compensations) and the few associates that have moved to larger markets don't get paid 15$/hr either, which leads me to my aforementioned conclusion. Sure Guitar Center, 1,000s of associates in these particular markets qualifies as "many" but this is a super misleading statement. Potential employees beware. 2. Advancement opportunities are almost non-existent and the few that do exist require relocation. I happen to know the salaries of everyone in my store and the pay increase isn't worth the added responsibility anyway. Add relocation expenses to that and you come out behind in the long run. 3. Managment is hit or miss and upper-level management doesn't seem to have a clue what happens at a store level. I know associates at other stores who loathe their store managers and associates that love them. My store manager happens to be a narcissist which makes work unbearable, but he gets results so he's not going anywhere anytime soon. 4. Turnover rate is high. Can you guess why? Me neither, weird. High turnover puts extra strain on employees like myself who stick around long enough to know how to do our jobs. We are constantly having to train the new people and pick up the slack in between new hires or just while the new hires are still in training. Ps. Since advancement opportunities don't exist, this means if you stick around long enough to be one of the few training new employees, you're not going to be compensated for it. 5. Scheduling is whack. Schedules can get changed last second with little to no notice. If you complain the manager will accommodate you to remain compliant with local laws but generally you will be gently "guided" into taking your new schedule. Scheduling is almost NEVER consistent in the first place, making it difficult to make plans outside of work. They can be flexible at times if you need to request time off but usually after a great deal of hassle and many times I get scheduled on a day I requested (and was approved, up to months in advance) off and have to get them to go back and fix it. 6. Your job title means nothing. NOTHING. Everyone does everything. On top of not getting paid well, if you're a commission based associate, you're expected to do everything in the whole entire store which is obviously going to take you away from selling, thereby lowering any potential commissions. The repair tech at our store, who's job title suggests he should be merely fixing customer and store instruments, also completes ship-outs, provides sales floor coverage in all departments, merchandises gear, performs planograms, and more.
