Staples Employee Reviews about "upper management"

Pros

Coworkers often work together well across departments, small team roster ensures some rapport with everyone (unless you don't get along), able to pick up knowledge about the tech you sell as you go, furniture sales are always easy. Advancement always feels within reach as well, as managers are often excited to have someone filling rolls such as Tech or Print/Marketing.

Cons

Management can be messy at times, harsh at others. Far too much focus on sales numbers for protection plans and the like, to the point where actual service suffers for it. Upper management does not seem cognizant of the reality of the stores they visit. Many of your customers will be elderly, ornery, and unwilling to actually listen to what you're telling them. Also, the reason why advancement into Tech and Print/Marketing is so easy is because customers treat the employees in those departments like idiots, constantly, so turnover can get a bit high there. Pay's rather poor too, like $9 starting (or possibly lower depending on your state's minimum wage)

Pros

Good people, mostly relaxed atmosphere, steady pay.

Cons

Never enough staff do, to pay rate for this area. Under appreciated by management above store level. Upper management is out of touch with customer and store level needs. No internal promotions above supervisor in this district!

Pros

Good base salary, decent commission structure, phone/car reimbursement even during furlough, overall it seems like the company cares about employee wellbeing, in general.

Cons

First, while it’s nice that they largely promote from within/based on performance, it needs to be said that not every sales person is meant to manage a team!!!! Just because people can hit sales goals, that doesn’t mean they’ll make a good manager! 3 people left my team within a month after I left, that should be a huge red flag to upper management. That being said, your experience with Staples will vary significantly based on your manager and territory. If you’re on a team where they distribute public schools evenly, you’ll make bank. Public schools are guaranteed $$$ - 200% to goal every period and upwards of 2k commission every month. If you’re on a team with a manager who’s scared of the “veterans” on the team, the vets will get whatever they want, aka the best territories and all of the public schools, regardless of the territory, “because it’s a seniority thing”. Meanwhile, everyone else will get a rural, bumpkin territory with businesses that don’t qualify because they can’t afford the membership. I left because my manager harassed me daily, multiple times per day, for not meeting the unrealistic weekly goals, given my territory.