Navy Exchange reviews

3.3

57% would recommend to a friend

(665 total reviews)

R. J. BIANCHI

78% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

Navy Exchange has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 665 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Navy Exchange employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

665 reviews
2.0
May 30, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- I've worked in various stores and in every one of them there has always been a good mix of people. Diversity is very much embraced. - Management is extremely good about working the schedule for your advantage. - Decent starting pay, but very little opportunity for a pay raise as your time with the company and skills progress. - Decent benefits and a lot of days of leave w/ pay available to FT. - Working for a good cause. Generally it feels good helping out servicemen, their dependents, and retirees, especially when you're working overseas and you're the only bit of home they've got. It's also nice knowing that a good part of what the NEX makes goes into supporting MWR programs, which greatly enhance the quality of life of those in the military. Having grown up a military brat overseas, I have a great appreciation for programs like these that made living overseas a little easier. - You get NEX shopping privileges. Tax free shopping, competitive prices, as well as a great price matching policy can save you a lot.

Cons

- Very little opportunity for career advancement. As someone has already commented, managers are almost always outside hires. Supervisors get decent pay, but it may take many years for an associate to even be considered for that position and most associates don't last that long. - Very few full-time positions available. Most everyone is hired as a flex-time, but work full-time hours with absolutely no benefits. The NEX is not above taking advantage of its employees. - Management is often incompetent and does not communicate with its associates and supervisors. Upper management is completely disconnected from the sales associates. - Sales Associates are not given the respect they deserve. If an associate voices a concern, complaint, or offers a suggestion, they are almost always ignored.

2.0
May 16, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The Navy Exchange offers great benefits, a retirement plan, and is willing to work around scheduling issues (I was also in school at the time) in order to keep employees.

Cons

You're treated like a thief from the start. All employees have to use clear bags to carry things on the sales floor. While they offer benefits, they come at a cost (about $100 every paycheck for basic coverage). The Navy Exchange is run like the military--branches and hierarchies, neither of which talk to one another, which means that you get stuck in the branch that you entered. The turnover rates for employees are very high.

2.0
Dec 5, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Customer interaction is usually the best part of the job; most sailors and families are kind, respectful, and appreciative. Base pay is solid for an NF-1 position at around $15.37 per hour, which is better than many local part-time options. There is a good amount of paid leave available, both annual and sick, which is helpful if you have school, health, or family commitments. Working in Electronics can be interesting and you do learn about products and customer needs over time. Being on base is convenient for military families and can fit around a spouse’s schedule when things are handled correctly.

Cons

The work environment is very frustrating for military spouses. Japanese employees regularly speak only in Japanese in front of you, even when it directly concerns your department, which leaves you out of important information and decisions you could actually help with. Favoritism toward local hires is obvious: full-time positions almost always go to Japanese staff, and even brand-new local hires are quickly given more responsibility and treated as more important than American or spouse hires. Real opportunities for advancement or promotion for spouses are basically nonexistent. Training is scarce and ineffective; you are mostly expected to improvise, and there is no clear daily or weekly structure of tasks, which makes the store feel disorganized despite being in Japan. Communication from management is inconsistent, and it often feels like military spouses are treated as temporary and expendable rather than as people worth investing in.

Viewing 619 - 621 of 665 Reviews

Glassdoor has 700 Navy Exchange reviews submitted anonymously by Navy Exchange employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Navy Exchange is right for you.