An Excruciating Year - There Are Far Better Opportunities in this Industry
Pros
I have intentionally waited for several months after my resignation to write this review. This was to provide some separation between the experience and allow me to be more objective in the review. The relocation package, salary, and bonus (had I stayed to receive one) were all generous. The office itself was clean, in a nice area, and featured a small on-site gym as well as multiple break rooms with the occasional free sample. The samples were typically the Vitacost house brand supplements that were at or near expiration, however. I also had the opportunity to work with some very talented people, who mostly left for better companies and opportunities over the course of my year with the company. There was also a small health foods 'store' in the front of the office which sold healthy foods, snacks and drinks at cost. The company also provided medical and dental benefits, but they were probably about as average as they come in terms of price and overall quality.
Cons
Leadership is by far the biggest obstacle this company faces. The CEO is one of the least likable people I've ever worked with. He shows a complete lack of respect for those around him (except for a small crew of several men who he apparently holds in high praise and can do no wrong), including the other C-level members and senior management. I once brought this up with the head of the Human Resources department, who explained it away with a shrug, stating that the management style is "a bit rough around the edges because the CEO is more of an entrepreneur than a typical Chief Executive." This explanation rang hollow because being a professional and being an entrepreneur are not mutually exclusive. Beyond this, the company can never seem to pick a certain direction to move in. Instead, the company fumbles from one sale to the next, focusing almost all efforts on short term objectives (the monthly site-wide sale) instead of growing a healthy customer base (the customers who do happen to shop at the site are quickly bombarded with spam level amounts of email after a single purchase). The IT department was also a tangle of new and old legacy systems, duct taped together with fingers crossed that the site wouldn't burn down every night. The IT staff always seemed to be strapped for time, under incomprehensible pressure, and faced with the inane questions of a CEO who can barely operate his own iPad, let alone operate a supposedly up-and-coming online health products retailer.
