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The Vermont Country Store

Engaged Employer

Micromanagement and favoritism - Anonymous employee The Vermont Country Store Employee Review

1.0
Dec 23, 2010
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible schedules, that's about it

Cons

Absolutely no chance of promotion based on the merits of your performance. After working for several years, I lost several responsibilities, instead of gaining as expected. Micromanagement is ridiculous. They'll admonish you to save the company money by using the proper size box to pack an order, yet sometimes you'll stand around for several minutes with no work. They treat you like children. In the busy season, they use regular folks to be 'supervisors' (a money-saving ploy), but these people know no more than regular clerks. You may be told to do one thing by one person and another thing by another person. The people who are year-round managers - Oh my God - ego city. They are also the type to stand there and watch you do something wrong, then get mad because you've done something wrong. Instead, they may try saying "you're doing that wrong." They have eliminated all bonuses, saving themselves thousands upon thousands of dollars every year. These bonuses in the past gave them a great reputation as a wonderful place to work. They no longer enjoy this reputation. They've also made it so that if you work the phones, you now have to sell sell sell to the customers. They brag in daily meetings how much $$ in sales this brings in, and how they've had record munber of sales overall, yet again, all bonuses have been eliminated. I agree with the prior comment about the culture - it's all about money now, not the people who work there. When I started, their little 'buzz' phrase was "We want to be the employer of choice." Funny, haven't heard that for awhile. Having Bill Shouldice enter as CEO in 2005 was their number one biggest mistake. The Ortons need to open their eyes and realize this. Every year they have an employee survey - that you have to do by computer (and put your name so you're easily identified)!! Obviously, they are not interested in keeping their employees happy any more.

Explore other reviews about The Vermont Country Store

5.0
Jan 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

My fellow employees were terrific.

Cons

The pay is less so

5.0
Nov 14, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Wonderful people! Peer reviews. Must be a Vermont Resident, but any where in VT will do. Excellent training and support. Steep discounts for employees. Talk to people all over the country. Many Vermont and USA made products. Regular breaks for stretching and 1/2 hour lunch.

Cons

Need your own high speed internet, and the pay is not great, but when you factor in the savings on gas and mileage it's not bad. If you are full time they force you to work overtime in November and December which is why I only worked part time. Part time employees are only guaranteed 20 hours per/week during the off season.

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