Lead Stylist - Lead Stylist Stitch Fix Employee Review

Culture of micromanagement, information about WHY decisions are made is lacking, people who are chosen for advancement are often the seemingly least qualified. It's not hard to shine at Stitch Fix. Those who don't quit during the first year and manage to meet their suggested quotas bubble up quickly. The problem is that after about 6 months, if you are successful and have 2 brain cells to put together, you get bored very quickly. You realize that inventory is never there to put together what you determine to be a quality Fix - i.e. one that you feel good about sending to a client. Otherwise, you feel embarrassed that someone is paying $20 for this random box of stuff that is overpriced and sometimes you KNOW won't fit or look good on them. Management's constant mantra is "get creative!" (often with LOTS of emojis and a near endless stream of exclamation marks) This means send things that aren't what you know the client wants or needs just to get the Fix out the door in 15 minutes. Because you are a worker with intelligence and a conscience, you find yourself working off the clock a LOT to find those pieces for longtime customers that you feel you have a bond with and you simply can't bear to send a box of crap. (and you don't want to read the client's feedback, which comes directly to you, foul language and all) You end up working for way under minimum wage when you account for all the hours you put in. And lets talk about management - you hear constantly about what a great place it is to work. Company culture often takes precedence over anything else. ("the culture" means being as nice as possible while also being fake) Most stylists work remotely, so of course you are not actually privy to the amazing headquarters in San Francisco. Instead, you get to be led by people who are often right out of college, have no real work experience, and can't lead their way out of a paper bag. Conference calls and in person meetings are a dumpster fire of unprofessionalism. They constantly tell you that getting promoted has nothing to do with your personality, but if you are consistently a top employee who has been there for 2+ years and you are turned down for a supervisory job, what is there left? If you don't write your emails with a constant stream of gifs, emojis, and exclamation points, forget it. (I should have known to get out when the very first email I got from corporate was signed XO. Seriously, who writes emails like that to an entire company!?!?) My lead never had anything to tell me in our review sessions, told me I was always her first pick to be promoted, but I never got past the 2nd interview stage. In the end, I was told that I had "too much attention to detail", "asked too many questions", and "expected too much out of management." In the end, I couldn't handle answering to someone who had 15 years less experience than me, less experience working at Stitch Fix, couldn't write an email with correct grammar and spelling, and was more concerned with being nice than actually getting any work done. They constantly ask for feedback, but if you ever utter anything that could be misconstrued as negative, you are put on the "bad list". Management is expected to spread fake news and encouragement while also being extremely vague about the future. It wasn't worth the hours and the nightmares I sometimes had about the work. In the end, it's sad but true that I would rather work an entry level job that paid less, but could be completely mindless. You eventually realize all the work you put in to styling Fixes is never noticed, never rewarded. They are so desperate because of the large turnover that it is hard to get fired, and therefore someone who puts half the energy into a Fix that you do in the end is paid the exact same amount. If you are looking for something short term, I say go for it. If you can completely turn off your ability to care about the work you send out the door, you found the right place.