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Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

Engaged Employer

WORST COMPANY EVER - Control Buyer Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Employee Review

1.0
Dec 22, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

None. Nothing. Nada. None. Nothing. Nada. None. Nothing. Nada. None. Nothing. Nada. None. Nothing. Nada. None. Nothing. Nada. None. Nothing. Nada.

Cons

Pretty much everything about this company is terrible. It all starts at the top with the President (Janet Hayes). Monday starts off super early rushing and getting ready for a series of business reviews, including a 4-hour business review led by Janet, where she and the other executives are served meals because the meeting is so long. This sets the tone for the work week. Janet micro-manages every aspect of this company, and therefore nobody has any empowerment. Everyone drags their feet on making any decision, out of fear, or waiting weeks to get some face-time with Janet to get a simple word changed on a box. There is no respect for anyones time at this company; expect lots of worthless meetings, where everyone is required to attend, many 4-6 hour meetings standing (not sitting), and many meetings run HOURS longer than scheduled. The worst part of this entire company is the culture. Mean people are everywhere. There is absolutely no reason for the way people treat each other, but it is terrible. Management lacks integrity. Personal/professional development: There is none Business Travel: You will be required to pay for this on your own, and be reimbursed. But expect to wait AT LEAST 3-4 months. I was appalled at how long this took, and after inquiring, I was told "You will get your money, so be patient". Salary - they pay about 30% less than competitors, touting their "employee discount" and other perks as something competitors do not offer. The employee discount is 40% on most items, but you will also find that the mark-up on most items is 60-70%, so you are really not getting any sort of deal; instead you realize how much they over-charge customers. Really, overall this was the worst career decision I have ever made.

Explore other reviews about Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

5.0
Jul 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Smart, talented, and supportive colleagues who are enjoyable to work with. - Strong management team that provides clear direction and is invested in their team's success. - Excellent employee discount across the WSI brands. - Collaborative culture with opportunities to learn from experienced teammates. - Well-known portfolio of brands with exposure to a variety of businesses and marketing initiatives.

Cons

- Base salaries could be more competitive, particularly given the cost of living in SF.

2.0
Jul 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work from home, the immediate benefits and 40% discount

Cons

Benefits and discounts don’t pay the bulldog. The attendance structure is unbending and controlling. You must log in EXACTLY at 9:00 am, not a minute before or a minute after, log out EXACTLY at noon for lunch and log back in 30 minutes later. Not 29, not 31. And log out EXACTLY at 5 pm. Failure to do this you will get a warning. 2nd day of training I got called out for logging in early. EARLY. Told it could be grounds for termination. You get a 2-3 min bathroom break outside of the two measly 15 min breaks. If you take 5 minutes, command post will call to find out what’s going on. I don’t know how they think they can get away with monitoring your bathroom use. Then, for $15 per hour, you get to sit with your butt glued to your chair for 7.5 hours listening to angry customers all day. They expect you to handle 40-50 calls per day with 10 min max on each call. That’s 6 every hour, 10 minutes each. So the phone is ringing off the hook. All for $15 per hour and the privilege of working for Williams Sonoma. Run. You can do better.

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