if you work hard.... - You Can Make Money Here Guitar Center Employee Review

4.0
Nov 11, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The gene pool is pretty shallow in most stores, so if you work hard, it's easy to move up the ranks. Tons of cool gear, great employee discount, decent benefits and flexible scheduling (within reason).

Cons

Very high turnover at all levels, a promotion might mean moving across the country, you have to sell extended warranties (blech!), and since it's retail, you have to work nights + weekends + holidays. Sales can be a vicious cycle too. The more you sell, the more they expect you to sell.

Explore other reviews about Guitar Center

5.0
Jul 16, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Management takes good care of you

Cons

No complaints that I can think of

1.0
Apr 21, 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
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