They will use you then lose you. - Sales Associate Five Below Employee Review

1.0
Jul 14, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

It's a cool store with a good market and will probably be growing a lot in the next few years. The work environment is pretty fun too.

Cons

-Terrible management choices, based on seniority, not on SKILL -Terrible scheduling practices (often I didn't know if I was working the next day until they told me, I actually MISSED an on call shift because they had finished the schedule late at night and hadn't told me I was supposed to work the very next morning.) -They used me to set up the store before the opening, the manager told me I was one of the strongest people there, and the week after the store opened they laid me off because they had overhired, and since the general manager was too "attached" to all of her employees, she was not willing to make the necessary cuts based on performance, so the district manager had to come in and cut people randomly (not at all based on performance), and yours truly, one of the "strongest" people was cut.

Explore other reviews about Five Below

5.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people, staff, and people to work with

Cons

None I loved it all

3.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-20% discount -med, dental, vision benefits -20-ish minimum hours per week -genuinely can be a fun store to work in when run well

Cons

-store managers have little to no oversight and cross professional boundaries often - hr is ineffective, document everything yourself, report to the EEOC -growth opportunities in the store are very limited and they will lowball you no matter what you do or sacrifice -crazy turnover because the expectations are unrealistic store managers lie about pay budget to everyone -more likely to hire teens and students because they are easier to take advantage of for little pay, only needs adult for when teens and students cannot work (night shifts, school days) - nearby stores, especially if in a strip mall or shopping center, like tj maxx have higher base pay, better benefits, better security, and more hour availability

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