fun before the shift - Sales Associate Guitar Center Employee Review

3.0
19 Apr 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

gear is fun to work around team members are close and work as a family in store management is excellent great gear discounts

Cons

As a top sales performer during my tenure at GC, I found that even by living the culture, breathing sales and running yourself ragged, you still only came out just a bit better than average. Even , though I loved my managers, it was hard not to get mad on a slow day, when due to their ability to sell "anywhere on the floor" , they would jump on customers as they came through the door. Not a huge deal, but combine that with a constantly changing bonus system and horrid Upper management ( My district manager didnt know my name and I was a top sales performer) and you have a recipe for disenchantment. And it seems that as of now they are making it even harder to make a buck with a cut in percentages for new hires.

Explore other reviews about Guitar Center

5.0
5 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

*friendly environment *great discount deal *lots of opportunities to connect *Good opportunity to get comission *Tour Leave

Cons

*hours / shifts get cut *Sometimes understaffed, sometimes overstaffed *Competitive salaries because of selling Protection Plans, Credit Card Applications and Lessons

1.0
21 Apr 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Plenty of capable individual contributors doing real work. - The brand and the business itself are legitimate — the problems are organizational.

Cons

- Senior leadership is politically driven rather than outcome-driven. Strategic initiatives stall out, and leaders spend more energy assigning or shifting blame than actually diagnosing and fixing problems. - Some parts of the org operate on deference to the top. Honest assessments get softened into whatever narrative leadership wants to hear, which makes real cross-functional work difficult. - Senior leaders do not consistently advocate for their own teams. When things get political, self-preservation takes precedence over backing the people underneath, and capable managers end up exposed.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All