You deserve better than this. Musicians deserve better than this. - Lessons Lead Guitar Center Employee Review

2.0
Aug 12, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- working with talented instructors - sharing your passion for music with new players - employees can purchase inventory at cost + 10%, which is the one true generosity of the company - my direct supervisor was a kind and understanding person.

Cons

- You essentially are the lessons program. Do not expect any support in this role. - Receiving a $0.13 raise after two years is insulting. Worse than no raise at all. - Due to understaffing you will have to perform duties outside your role to assist the sales team. - You will be harassed by customers. Expect to encounter racism, sexism and homophobia. - Do NOT work here if you are attractive and a woman. It's a repulsive dirty old boys club. - Safety concerns during COVID-19 were never properly addressed, putting students, parents and instructors at risk. - You are micromanaged into micromanaging, which can strain relationships with your already-overworked retail staff. - Anticipate dealing with righteously angry students and parents often due to glitchy billing and scheduling systems often overcharging students or double-booking lessons. - Protocol is changing constantly, causing unnecessary frustration for students. - Schedule is Noon-close Mon-Thurs and 8AM-6PM Saturdays with no flexibility. - Very, very, loud work environment causing sound fatigue. - Middle management sets hilariously high goals with no real incentive to strive for them, which is probably why no one ever meets them. - Middle management uses fear as a motivation tool. Expect to be included in chain emails with vaguely worded threats on a daily basis. - Executive team is laughably incompetent.

Explore other reviews about Guitar Center

5.0
Jul 16, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Management takes good care of you

Cons

No complaints that I can think of

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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