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Pacific Sunwear

Is this your company?

Drives you to a breaking point... - Store Manager Pacific Sunwear Employee Review

2.0
Nov 3, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The staff in the store were great. Very helpful and worked as a team. If there was a bad apple they got weeded out quickly. The discounts were nice, although there was some merchandise that you couldn't use your discount on. The DMs I've had were great, but unfortunately the management at corporate have changed the way they act. From friendly and helpful to stressed out and demeaning.

Cons

Where to begin? First of all, turn over is very high right now. If your store is fully staffed, you will be expected to loan out managers to other stores (sometimes for weeks at a time.) Obviously, this disrupts how you can effectively run your own store. Also because of turnover, you can bet on not being able to use the majority of your benefit paid time off. Hell, it's even hard to take a sick day without the whole world crashing down on you. Speaking of days off, you will be called by someone (either from your store or your DM) on your days off. You are expected to be on call 24/7. Your closing ASM calls out and no one else can cover? Yes, you must go in. That makes you having to work 10 days in a row? Oh well. Sorry bout your luck. After all, in most stores there is only the SM and 2 FT ASMs (they recently brought back the PT key holder position... let's see if it sticks this time.) Major floorset a are a nightmare. Expect to work several overnight shifts to complete them. Also brush up on your carpentry skills and heavy lifting as power tools will be used and there are 100lb boards to be moved around the store. Be careful about saying yes too many times to PacSun. You will NOT be rewarded for your helpfulness. You go above and beyond? Yeah, no one really seems to care. It's always one thing after another and it will drive you to exhaustion or insanity (or both!) The sales associates were really great kids. But history will always repeat itself and I saw several associates get burnt out as well. But how are you supposed to keep quality workers at minimum wage and can only give them one or two shifts a week? It breaks my heart because some of these associates are really talented but I totally understand when they decide to leave. I learned a lot of great management skills while working here, but this company will use you over and over again til you are overwhelmed, angry and over it all. There is never time to properly develop people and they like to make a lot of "quick fixes" to solve problems instead of fixing the root of the issue.

Explore other reviews about Pacific Sunwear

5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

flexibility, accessibility, good management, lovely coworkers

Cons

no flexibility, no accountability, good scheduling

2.0
Jul 20, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

coworkers are really nice and are in the trenches with you

Cons

-Promotions appear to happen only when entire teams leave, rather than as recognition for strong performance or career growth. -Raises are essentially nonexistent, even for employees who consistently exceed expectations. -Executive bonuses seem to be prioritized while employee compensation remains stagnant, creating a perception of unequal reward distribution. -Leadership frequently asks for employee feedback on how to improve, but there is little visible action or follow-through on that feedback. -Communication feels one-sided, with employees feeling unheard despite repeated requests for input. -Limited investment in employee development and retention can make long-term career growth difficult.

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