It's like working for a cult.
Pros
Fun, laid back environment. Free basic lunch, lots of events and parties, free giveaways, great discount on products on the website.
Cons
Very cult-like in the way that they hire, train and operate. From the moment you step in the building on your first day, "they" (the training/management team, other faithful people in the company) are watching you, to see how you interact with other employees to see how loyal you are to the company, I'm assuming. I feel like you really have to drink the Kool-Aid to make it through training, let alone stay with the company for any period of time. Touching on the fact that Zappos wants you to be loyal- I understand that the culture they're trying to build is important to them, but if I am looked down upon for not hanging out with my team for a mandatory amount of time a week when I'd rather spend my free time with framily and friends, isn't really making me a better person, but a better Zapponian (which won't get me too far in the real world). In this company, you can move up fast, if you kiss butt, drink your daily dose of Zappo-Aid and don't stray too far out of line. It's a fun company to work for on the outside, but it comes with a price once you're in the company. Another messed up thing that I noticed was that when you're in the middle of the long (six month process for me) hiring process, they hype up the company and have a good time with the whole thing, which was cool. but what they DON'T tell you is that once you quit your job and situate your life around Zappos, you first have to complete a month long training program, which has several tests that you have to pass, otherwise they let you go. As in you do not have a job with them anymore. Once you "graduate" the training program, you move on the the Incubation program, which puts you in the call center on the phones while being heavily monitored. Once again, there are more tests to pass, otherwise you'll lose your job there. If I had known that there was a good chance that they'd pull out the "not a good fit" firing card at any time, or that I would fail a test and lose my income, I would've never signed on with Zappos.
