Good first job - Associate Five Below Employee Review

3.0
Jul 16, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Super simple job literally anyone at all could do, lots of opportunities to pick up hours if you need more work/money. Because it's a crap-paying job there's a lot of teenage/inexperienced employees, who don't necessarily have the most forethought, so they don't think to tell management they need time off for family things, for school stuff and so on, so it's easy for the cream to rise to the top, if you will. You look especially good if you're willing to jump on those shifts that are always being left uncovered, so when keyholder and assistant positions are open you're first in line.

Cons

On call shifts can be a pain. Half the time, the people on-call wouldn't call (as per the policy, you call one or two hours before your shift) to find out if they were working and then couldn't be reached. If you're responsible and motivated, the upside is you can pick up a lot of those shifts the others didn't want. The downside is that you never really know if you work and it's not uncommon to call and be told "right now, we don't think we need you," only to get a call two hours later and be told someone didn't bother to show up (again) so they do in fact need you. It is a chaotic environment. I came from a store whose customer service was by it's nature very personal, very involved and required your attention. This is not that store (good or bad depending on the person.) It's easy to get caught up in how much needs to be done, the bigger picture, and feel like nothing you're doing is making a dent. As a new cashier, it's impossible to really learn the store. You're tethered to the register when people are there, so you don't learn where everything is, and so many people wait until they're checking out to ask for a specific product because they didn't see the only other person on shift on the sales floor. And you can't take them over to show them where it is because you don't know but even if you did you're the only person on register and you can't leave.

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

1.0
Jul 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Salary and bonus opportunities, and talented colleagues.

Cons

I rarely write reviews, but I hope this helps others understand the culture I experienced. I joined the company excited about the opportunity and dedicated myself to delivering results, building strong cross-functional partnerships, and supporting the business. Throughout my time there, I consistently received positive feedback from stakeholders and colleagues and was never made aware of any performance concerns or gaps. I was a top-performing team member and delivered consistent business results. My employment ended without warning. The explanation I received was simply that the company had “decided to move in a different direction." There had been no prior coaching, performance improvement plan, or conversations indicating my role or performance was at risk. It was a complete shock—not only to me, but also to many of my peers who reached out expressing surprise and frustration. The most disappointing part wasn’t just the decision itself, but how it was handled. Transparency, honest communication, and respect seemed to be missing from the process. Employees deserve timely, candid feedback and the opportunity to address concerns before life-changing decisions are made. Instead, I was left trying to make sense of a decision that didn’t align with the feedback I had consistently received. No workplace is perfect, and difficult business decisions sometimes have to be made. However, if you’re considering joining this organization, I encourage you to ask thoughtful questions about leadership communication, performance management, and how employees are supported when priorities shift. Your experience may depend heavily on the team and leadership you work under. Cons: Lack of transparency, inconsistent communication, limited psychological safety, and an environment where employees may not receive honest feedback until it’s too late.

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