Pros
The pay is good and the benefits are great for those that qualify. ULTA carries a vast selection of professional hair products. 25% employee discount on store purchases.
Cons
ULTA is a huge beauty retail store and has no business trying to operate salons. They are horrible at it. I would not recommend that anyone work for the ULTA salon as ULTA sucks the soul out of the entire team. Stylists cannot be productive when they are walking on eggshells. Managers are pushed to attract seasoned Stylists with clientele. Try accomplishing that once the candidates know that they will be required to work the retail floor and clean the bathrooms when not with clients. OR, that they will be searched by the front door EVERY time they leave the store. And, don't forget to punch in or out because you will be FIRED. Don't drink the ULTA bottled water. It is theft and you will be FIRED. Don't try to provide great customer service to your inconvenienced client via a complimentary conditioning treatment or a discount of any sort. That is theft and you will be FIRED. Remember, there are cameras everywhere and they are watching you. They really are. Even if you did nothing wrong, they will intimidate and confuse you into thinking that you did. Work for a company that catches employees doing something right. ULTA makes it their business to do just the opposite. The color training classes are a joke. They are geared more toward generating revenue than actually training their people. The live "models" that Stylists are required to obtain for class must pay 50% of their service cost. Depending on the extent of the service, these "models" could still be looking at paying around $100. Therefore, the Stylists are pressured to do very expensive services and up sell conditioning treatments. If a Stylist is unable to find a "model" for class, he/she is criticized and told to leave. The Stylist is not even allowed to observe the services being performed on other "models". So much for training. If I were going to have my hair done during a lengthy and chaotic 'class', it had better be free. Otherwise, I will go somewhere else for the full salon experience. ULTA, if you really want to train your Stylists, let them do whatever they want FREE of charge. You are only hurting yourself. I did my homework before accepting the position, but I didn't listen. Surely that wouldn't happen to me, I thought. I get along with everyone. I am professional. My intentions are always honest and just. No one is safe at ULTA. It is a perpetual witch hunt. I was appalled at the way employees were talked to and treated. Not just salon employees either. Regardless of your qualifications or experience, you are treated like a lowly imbecile. If you are fortunate enough to work for a good GM, you may have a chance at a good work experience at ULTA. Many of the GMs know nothing about the beauty business, live by double standards, and are on power trips. They spend most of their time harassing their people by making false accusations, twisting the truth, and tattling to make themselves look good. No one that I encountered takes responsibility for anything whether they be Managers, Educators, whatever. The DMs get ALL of their information from the GM and aren't smart enough to know when a GM is manipulating them. Unless you have no conscience, are in constant CYA mode, and skilled at throwing innocent others under the bus to save yourself, you will not make it. So, beware of anyone who appears to be successful at ULTA. I asked why there was so much turnover for Salon Managers. I was told that they just weren't "right" for the job. When ULTA salons go through 3+ Managers per year, it is not the SM that isn't right. The company is trying to grow too fast and there is much disorganization. It is very difficult to find anyone that can provide any pertinent or accurate information or even get contact information for someone that should know. You are expected to do a job with no information because no one seems to have it. You should just miraculously know the answers or you suck. Don't bother asking questions about why things are the way they are or trying to find more effective ways of doing things. You will be accused of having a bad attitude. ULTA was the worst work experience I have ever had and I am so grateful that I resigned. I pray that I never have to deal with unethical people like that again. Unless I am strolling through hell, I shouldn't have a problem.
