Overworked and Underappreciated - Keyholder Five Below Employee Review

2.0
Aug 3, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I really enjoyed working at Five Below at first- I learned a lot about customer relations and managing different types of people. I also loved the majority of the people I worked with. The employee discount on already cheap merchandise was great.

Cons

Management beyond the store level was severely out of touch with individual store needs. What works for one store in the district may not work for all stores. They need to allow room for some variation between how each store is run. I also did not appreciate how a particular manager treated her job and her employees. While she slacked off, myself and the rest of the store associates did our work and had to take on jobs that were hers. Several people complained to the DM, but nothing was done. If I have to do the work required of someone else's job, I should be compensated for it. The number of hours part-time employees get to work each week is pitiful. Rather than hiring a lot of people and then scheduling each person from 0-4 hours each week, hire a smaller number of people and give them more hours.

Explore other reviews about Five Below

5.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great people, staff, and people to work with

Cons

None I loved it all

3.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-20% discount -med, dental, vision benefits -20-ish minimum hours per week -genuinely can be a fun store to work in when run well

Cons

-store managers have little to no oversight and cross professional boundaries often - hr is ineffective, document everything yourself, report to the EEOC -growth opportunities in the store are very limited and they will lowball you no matter what you do or sacrifice -crazy turnover because the expectations are unrealistic store managers lie about pay budget to everyone -more likely to hire teens and students because they are easier to take advantage of for little pay, only needs adult for when teens and students cannot work (night shifts, school days) - nearby stores, especially if in a strip mall or shopping center, like tj maxx have higher base pay, better benefits, better security, and more hour availability

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