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The Tile Shop, Inc.

Engaged Employer

All the cons of retail, only a taste of the pros of sales. - Assistant Manager The Tile Shop, Inc. Employee Review

2.0
Jul 19, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

If you're in the right store, you'll make good money and it will not be very hard. If you do well, there is a lot of opportunity for advancement. While the job is very detail-oriented, it's also pretty easy - mostly talking to old people, making them like you, designing the same freaking beige backsplash for the millionth time, then taking their money.

Cons

If you're in the wrong store, get ready to watch 95% of the people you work with turn over within 3 months, if you don't yourself, and be prepared to put in 50+ hours a week for about $400 after taxes and deductions. While you can make a lot of money at this job, compared to similar sales job it's not that great. Even mediocre car salesmen and real estate agents make more than a great tile salesman. The BIGGEST CON: SUBSIDY. It is a SCAM! If you have one bad pay period, subsidy will make sure you have at least one more, and if your store is just slow for a couple months because they refuse to advertise you can dig yourself a very deep hole. Then you do a lot of hard work, and only make a scrap of a paycheck until you're out. Subsidy is ultimately why I left. They expect you to lift and carry tile, grout, mortar, etc. in nice clothes, in a 100+ degree warehouse sometimes. Also, they don't have a cleaning staff or hire anyone to help re-arrange all the boards and understock yearly - get ready to do that while dressed really nice. Oh, and because your pay is 100% commission, you're doing it for free too. There is a huge pressure from upper management to have your customers pick up their orders quickly, and because stores are judged by their monthly numbers this pressure really escalates towards the end of the month. Several times, we would successfully push out an incredible amount of product on the 30th. What do we get on the fifth? A senior manager calling and asking why we aren't closing more orders out - what do you expect, we did them all on the 30th? Not only will you work until 9pm frequently during the week, you have to come in on Saturday at 8am (sorry adult friends, can't do anything with you Friday nights), and there are almost no holidays off. I found it very demoralizing to stay in an empty store during a holiday and know that I was literally not being paid to be there. The one thing this company refuses to do is advertise. There will be times nobody is in you're store and you're basically there for free. When asked about your low numbers, volume is not an excuse. A lot of the time, you will feel like you're fighting company policy to be able to do what they want you to do. Most products you sell are basically made by slave labor. If you're the kind of person who cares about other people, this can weigh on you.

Explore other reviews about The Tile Shop, Inc.

5.0
Jan 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There's a system to follow and it's an open ceiling to how much you can make.

Cons

The only con I came across over the years, is candidates lying on their resume's and wasn't willing to be coachable because they thought they knew everything.

1.0
May 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some of the floor staff are great people to work with.

Cons

The core issue here is a management culture that has completely decayed. It is an "old school" environment in the worst way possible—rigid, out of touch, and fueled by greed. There are blatant double standards where leadership expects total flexibility and "hustle" from staff, but offers zero support or fair treatment in return. The focus is entirely on the bottom line at the expense of employee morale. It feels like the company is stuck in a bygone era, refusing to modernize its approach to work-life balance or fair compensation. Career growth feels stagnant unless you fit into their specific "inner circle."

1
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