Vantaggi
Work/life balance can be great depending on your direct manager. Lots of benefits+perks of working at a furniture retailer (associate discounts, sample sales, free merch ect.). People have a general positive attitude towards work with mostly friendly co-workers who will make your job enjoyable. Very nice new office in Brooklyn which makes you feel like you're at a cool forward thinking tech company. A booming brand that is constantly growing. Most people have a 9:30-6 schedule and Summer Fridays are nice.
Svantaggi
West Elm for a lack of a better word, is a stepping stone company. You want it to be the type of place you stay at for a long long time, but unfortunately it is not. It's the type of place most people will stay at for a couple years, gain their experience, throw the brand name on a resume, then leave for a better job... If you come in as a junior or entry level position, expect to stay in the same position for upwards of four or more years. Promotions and associate compensations (big salary bumps) are few and wide apart. Getting a promotion usually means your manager quit or you jumped to another team/department. Coming in at a senior level, manager or director position is slightly better since you are able to call some of the shots, but sadly at the end of the day, a lot of the big decisions that drive the company forward or stay stagnant are made above even the most senior level people. West Elm lives under the shadow of its parent company Williams Sonoma, so any forward thinking new initiatives or company goals are usually watered down by the bigger brand by the time it reaches the costumer. There are also a handful of critical process and workflow issues that are not addressed, but rather ignored due to cost savings. This at the end of the day hurts everyone involved and sucks more time out of peoples' role due to inefficiencies. Some managers are known to micromanage which impedes your ability to work, but also adds stress to your role in general.