Pros
*Gratis - when products are not expired or damaged *Friendship - genuine cast members *Friendly and sometimes knowledgeable Brand Reps *Free samples *Fun atmosphere - for the most part *Advancement opportunities - if you continuously annoy upper management enough or enjoy being a total kiss ass
Cons
I have been in a few different positions within the company - leadership and cast. There's a sense that upper management, DM, RVP, and up, need to learn a thing or two about economics. There is so much micro-management that the Store Director nor Leadership can even use the bathroom without getting an "okay" first. The whole concept of entrepreneurship is to let store management run their business. They know the areas of concern (at least those that are competent) and opportunities for improvement. After all, they do spend countless hours on excess conference calls and overbearing reports that spit out numbers from a poorly designed and outdated operations system. I've been with the company for almost 4 years and still don't have a clue what the individuals at "home office" actually do. If upper management actually relieved SD's from conference calls that seem to do more harm on the business and allowed more time to focus and run their business, Sephora would be able to earn more profit. Sephora pays WAY below the average for this type of industry. Heavy demands can seem oppressive at times and can create a heavy workload for management and cast. They start to feel undervalued and overworked. There are too many requirements for the little compensation offered. We have to obtain brand knowledge, maintain cleanliness of store, help multiple clients, ensure a fun shopping experience, meet/exceed sales goals, memorize assigned brand sales goals/top products, multi-task between worlds if short staffed, help operations with brand updates/missing product, tolerate a horrible commute, listen to constant criticism - during "observations", "P4D's", "coaching" opportunities, etc. It's enough for anyone to just throw in the towel. It's just sporadic, chaotic chaos. It makes you feel like a screaming banshee. The average for a SD is $61,000? Are you serious?! It's such a shame since this company is known for being a "innovator" in the beauty industry. I really wanted a career within this company. Too bad for them. Sephora stores end up losing a lot of great individuals.
