Some cool moments, but a bad place to make a living - Retail Sales Associate Guitar Center Employee Review

3.0
Nov 29, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You work with fellow musicians. You all have that shared passion. You meet cool people and learn a lot about music.

Cons

Pay is minimal. Hours are spotty. It is performance based to get hours, but one can’t perform without hours. I was promised many times a more consistent role, but was never given that even when my performance increased. My issues aren’t cons for all, but I think they demonstrate the type of culture you may experience.

Explore other reviews about Guitar Center

5.0
Feb 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

*friendly environment *great discount deal *lots of opportunities to connect *Good opportunity to get comission *Tour Leave

Cons

*hours / shifts get cut *Sometimes understaffed, sometimes overstaffed *Competitive salaries because of selling Protection Plans, Credit Card Applications and Lessons

1.0
Apr 21, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Plenty of capable individual contributors doing real work. - The brand and the business itself are legitimate — the problems are organizational.

Cons

- Senior leadership is politically driven rather than outcome-driven. Strategic initiatives stall out, and leaders spend more energy assigning or shifting blame than actually diagnosing and fixing problems. - Some parts of the org operate on deference to the top. Honest assessments get softened into whatever narrative leadership wants to hear, which makes real cross-functional work difficult. - Senior leaders do not consistently advocate for their own teams. When things get political, self-preservation takes precedence over backing the people underneath, and capable managers end up exposed.

2
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