Apr 23, 2014
Feels like a college dorm not work environment
Anonymous employee
The Zappos Family reviews
2.8
26% would recommend to a friend
Scott Schaefer
31% approve of CEO
7% positive business outlook
The Zappos Family has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 679 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The The Zappos Family employee rating is 21% below average for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).
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Reviews by job title
679 reviews
3.0
Mar 12, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook
Pros
-The benefits package is excellent and provides great coverage for medical, dental, mental health, etc. -The company places a lot of emphasis on their culture, so they try to keep the environment light and fun, hosting several employee and family-friendly events throughout the year -Relaxed environment and dress code -Most managers and fellow employes are open to feedback and communication -There is opportunity to grow within a role, especially if a progression plan has already been put in place for that position -Many people are able to switch departments with relative ease -Free and cheap food, drinks, and snacks around the office -Sometimes, they play music in the bathrooms -Overall, it's a fun company to be part of if you're young and like to party and are okay with making less than the industry average. Good for building initial experience, but not a place to stay long term. -There are a lot of competent, inspiring people at Zappos. These people aren't very likely to be your boss, or stick around for very long. -There is a lot of incorporation with the Downtown Project. This is both a pro and a con.
Cons
-The interview process is downright exhausting. I had one online interview, 2 phone interviews, and an 8 hour day on site that included a tour, 9 in-person interviews with individuals and small groups, and an interview lunch. -There is some pressure to drink the Kool Aid and to be very extroverted and wacky. Sometimes this takes away from the importance of the work -The new location downtown isn't very convenient or safe. --Downtown Las Vegas still has a steady supply of homeless people and shady areas. I have had more than a few incidents with the "local inhabitants". --Food options downtown are pricey, the Bistro options are limited, and there is a general lack of semi-healthy and affordable dining options within a 10-minute drive -Compensation is poor, so there's a high turnover rate among some of the more competent employees -Frivolous spending is high. The company spends a lot of money on happy hours, t-shirts, parties, and llamas. While it's great that they try to maintain that fun environment, many employees would be a lot happier with a holiday bonus or raise. -Depending on which department you work in, management can either be too involved or completely hands-off. My experience was with a manager who was so hands-off that we'd sit next to each other all day and he wouldn't utter a word to me. Being new to the workforce, I needed leadership, training, communication, and a sense of progress. I got none of this. -The shift to Holacracy, while an interesting idea, is incredibly experimental and most questions about the process are answered with, "we're still figuring that out." -A unified vision among the departments (especially marketing) just simply isn't there -There is a general lack of tech presence in the Las Vegas area, so local networking opportunities are limited and some people are stuck with Zappos because there are no alternatives. -Las Vegas's cost of living is relatively low and commuting to Downtown is usually quick and traffic-free, especially compared to larger cities.
3.0
Jul 24, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook
Pros
For a Call center employee, Zappos is a great place to work. For everyone else it is not any better than working at any other tech company. Some of the Pros: -subsidized lunches, free soda, free ice cream -you can wear whatever you want to work -lots of events and "fairs" -outside people have a great view of the company -two big parties a year and at least four large all company happy hours -health insurance is covered 100% -awesome discount and you can send coupons to friends -the people that get hired are mostly pretty great to work with and you can make lots of friends
Cons
There is a strong emphasis on Culture, but it is unclear what the culture is, which makes for a confused workforce. Some of the Cons: -we spend 90% of the time talking about the move downtown and what we can do downtown instead of spending most of our focus on the customer experience. We are no longer powered by service, but we are all about downtown. -there is no strong direction/purpose, or even leadership. every few months there will be a new initiative or big project that is abandoned a few months later for another bigger and "better" project. -"culture" is used as a blanket cover for anything that leadership wants (ie. it is not good to talk about competitive salary because 1. It is against the culture to talk about that kind of stuff 2. employees are paid less because having a good "culture" is a benefit that should be calculated into a compensation package) -we are losing a lot of employess but can't hire fast enough to replace them, which puts a big burden on the existing people
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