Pros
Sephora could be a great place to work for if the company was managed properly, both on a corporate and store level. The potential for receiving gratis (free products) is great, opportunities for training could be great. Starting pay was okay, especially if entering at cashier level. You are paid bonuses if your store meets sales and service goals. The team I worked with (aside from management) was awesome, and felt like a second family-- but I suppose that depends on the store you work in.
Cons
I've worked retail for many years, and I've also worked for other companies in the beauty industry. I have to say, Sephora is the most poorly-managed business I have ever worked for. I realize that every store is different, but here are some of my observations and personal experiences: -When I first started, the training Sephora had was really helpful. Employees would get one-on-one time with brand representatives and could learn about new products and application techniques. Now, all we get are two videos on Sephora.com once a week, if there's even time to watch them. I haven't been trained at all in close to two months, when before I was getting trained a few times a week. -There is absolutely no follow-through on new policies and procedures. Our store will start a new way of doing something, and then the next week it will be completely disregarded and never spoken of again. There is little communication between management and employees, especially part-time employees, so it's hard to understand what's going on, and it's easy to feel "lost". -Hours are a crapshoot. I was hired as a part-time employee, and there have been months where I've consistently worked 50+ hours a week. I have never been offered a full-time position or health benefits. -Sanitization and cleanliness standards are not enforced. -Gratis (free product) is received on what appears to be solely favoritism. -8 and 9 hour shifts get one one-hour break. If you work 5 hours or less, you will not get a break. -At my store, you used to have to know a member of management or an employee to be hired. Now, the only real requirements are an open schedule and an 'attractive' face. New employees are thrown into doing makeup with no experience or training, and the rest of the store gets reprimanded when that employee gets a bad review from a client. Meanwhile, employees that have been with the store for a while and are waiting to get promoted have to stay at cashier level. -Opportunity for growth is a very long and not very promising process. My store will not "promote from within" unless you are willing to transfer to another store, unfortunately the closest stores are over an hour away. -If you work as a makeup artist or skincare consultant, the pay is much lower compared to other retailers. -Feedback on performance is nonexistent. If you are no longer useful or productive enough to the company, you will not be fired. Rather, you will simply not be scheduled and will receive 0 hours. The employees that this happens to just end up finding a new job and quitting. -Sephora revolves around the 'client survey', an online form that customers fill out giving feedback on their visit to the store. As far as I've been told, the survey is judged by corporate the same way for every store in the company, regardless of how busy that particular store is on a given day, or how many employees are scheduled. This is a very unfair way to judge a store's performance. And finally, in my opinion the biggest "con"- Sephora is micro-managed beyond belief. Everyone is watched like a hawk. You are not allowed to talk to each other while on the floor if there are clients in the store. At one time we had a policy in my store that if we saw a fellow employee talking or not "tasking" (cleaning, etc.) during downtime, we had to tell management so they could be written up. You have to ask permission to use the restroom or wash your hands, and there have been times where I was not 'allowed' to go. The general atmosphere is very tense and uncomfortable. I hope this review will be helpful to those wondering what it's like to work at Sephora. It is definitely not what I expected. When I first started, I wanted makeup artistry to be my career, and I thought that I was taking a step in the right direction to grow within the industry. Working for Sephora has been enough to make me change my career path completely. I am no longer interested in the beauty industry at all.