Guitar Center reviews

2.8

41% would recommend to a friend

(2,727 total reviews)
avatar

Gabe Dalporto

28% approve of CEO

24% positive business outlook

Guitar Center has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,727 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Guitar Center employee rating is 21% below average for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

3K reviews
3.0
Dec 10, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good discounts when possible, good hours, fellow employees were fun, but the good ones do tend to leave, finding jobs with much better pay.

Cons

Upper management is a joke, incompetence runs rampant. If you are regular sales associate you never get commission. Lots of work for so little pay. Guitar Center companies lure you in with "great discounts", but it's not what it is hyped up to be. Insane employee turnover all the time. Sell or be sold!

4.0
Nov 11, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The gene pool is pretty shallow in most stores, so if you work hard, it's easy to move up the ranks. Tons of cool gear, great employee discount, decent benefits and flexible scheduling (within reason).

Cons

Very high turnover at all levels, a promotion might mean moving across the country, you have to sell extended warranties (blech!), and since it's retail, you have to work nights + weekends + holidays. Sales can be a vicious cycle too. The more you sell, the more they expect you to sell.

1.0
Nov 10, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good discounts on musical gear, but I'm not a musician. People under the level of manager are normally good people to work with.

Cons

I have a boss who has made multiple employees under him quit and is still around. The company is a boys club and it's all about who you know. Company is controlled by Bain Capital so some people spend half their time updating Bain on progress instead of actually making progress on their projects. Employees, especially in higher up positions, are constantly "reorganized," resulting in some people being reorganized out of the organization.

Viewing 2656 - 2658 of 2,727 Reviews

Glassdoor has 2,791 Guitar Center reviews submitted anonymously by Guitar Center employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Guitar Center is right for you.