employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

Harbor Freight Tools

Engaged employer

Do Not Work Here - Worse culture than Amazon - Anonymous employee Harbor Freight Tools Employee Review

2.0
Oct 23, 2020
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you’re an experienced corporate professional, you will be compensated well. Both base and bonus are above market, in many areas.

Cons

Leaders treat all Associates like they are disposable. No transparency about work contributions for other team members. Any professional with experience is made to feel incompetent if they don’t fall in line with what current leaders say. Leaders are pushed out of the business if they don’t let others take credit for their work. At the corporate level, minorities are not offered opportunities and are often held back from advancement. Expectation for 24 hour accessibility, even when on PTO or sick leave. No concern for employees health or well being, even when told repeatedly about issues. No leadership training and no job training exists for corporate roles. Corporate associates are hired in at a level and stay in the same position for years. Instead of developing existing hires, others are hired in over them. Very few promotion opportunities exist with no clear path for how to be promoted since there is no training or roadmap. Mentorship is non existent. Group think leads to a vacuum. No accountability for senior leadership despite year after year of poor employee engagement surveys.

avatar
Harbor Freight Tools Response
5y
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback with us. We appreciate you trusting Harbor Freight with your career for over 5 years. We would not be able to accomplish all that we do without hardworking associates like yourself. At Harbor Freight, we value people above all else; who you are, what you’ve experienced, and how you see the world. We understand that our culture may not be the right fit for everyone, but we pride ourselves on creating a welcoming environment where our associates have the opportunity to flourish and succeed. We encourage you to reach out to your HR Partner, HR Hotline at (800) 693-8377, or please email me at culture@harborfreight.com to discuss your concerns. Thank you for your continued hard work and we look forward to watching you grow with us.

Explore other reviews about Harbor Freight Tools

5.0
Jun 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great store leader. Great team to work with. The company cares about its employees. The pay is better than most retail places. Open door policy. Good work life balance. Fun place to work.

Cons

Not getting to work overtime often.

4.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great benefits, fast paced environment, good teamwork. I liked the hours, you get an education about tools, whether from your coworkers or the customers. And speaking of the customers, they were on the better side for retail. Most are down to earth and easy to converse with.

Cons

Supply chain issues, many parts would never be replenished, despite being featured, advertised, and on display. That would often lead to tensions with customers. Aggressive time constraints on tasks. Sidewalk sales, holidays, and also coincidentally inclement weather days, can be quite busy and therefore stressful. Especially if there's call outs, but if you have a good management team, you'll have good staff that will want to work for them.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All