Individual stores are great; Corporate needs some work.
I absolutely loved working at EWC. The best things were probably the staff and the management. When I got sick I had to take a leave for 2 months, and the manager said my position would still be available when I returned (although my hours would be up in the air since it was part time). When I returned, not only did I get right back on the schedule, they actually promoted me to lead/assistant manager and I got a raise. The management actually took what the staff said and suggested to heart (as long as it was reasonable) and even changed a few things about the store, including adding male bikini services after the staff requested it and had several meetings on it.
We got lots of training, and the appointed wax trainer would do one-on-ones and evaluations regularly. Everyone who worked there got free waxes (corporate policy is employees get a 50% discount on services, but we used it as “training” for the waxers so it was free). Also, the wax passes, services, and products are all actually legit and everything they sell is backed up with ingredient information and actual training. The passes really do save you money, the wax services are actually less painful and better for your skin, and the products really do help with your skin care and hair growth. No one is lying or being tricky there.
My specific store was fantastic. That being said, there are plenty of issues with corporate. The mission and intentions are great, and the Coba family is awesome. But there’s some othe
ProsGreat management, great atmosphere, great staff
ConsAx the Pink Tax, No benefits, Corporate policies suck
Here's the thing. Ewc is a franchise so really your experience is based off of the franchisee.Every center is different when it comes to management and how it's ran. Pay is also based off of franchisee. Most give you 5% commission off services but apparently Some do 10%. Also you start at minimum wage but you can also get raises or bonuses... once again each center will be different. I have worked for three different Ewc owners at several locations and states and it truly makes or breaks the experience. EWC's are popping up everywhere so it's kinda nice that you can easily relocate if your young and looking to do some traveling as I did. The clients are great and they usually love you and are very thankful for you ( if your a good waxer ) I made great tips!! the down side is that most centers are ran like a sweat shop. Literally. You have 15 min for a service but yet your guests love to show up and then ask to use the restroom once they enter the room, then they come back in and sit down to untie their shoes meanwhile your heart is racing knowing you now have 7 minutes to complete a Brazilian .... sure enough your pager goes off and your next client is waiting for you... your on the butt strip and your pager goes off again, now your walking your client to the front and you have to suggest products, meanwhile your next guest is giving you the death look because she has now been waiting 4 minutes and you know your going to keep running behind till you have a no show or an upper
ProsYour co workers are your best friends! Fun with the guests and good waxing experience.
I worked for this comapny for a total of 4-5 years over a 10 year span of time....I've transfered and worked at 5 locations and it's all the same. I started off at the 2 corporate and original stores in Miami and Ft Lauderdale. I've worked Orlando, And 2 locations in Tampa....it's all the same. Poor management, low pay, and pushy sales techniques. You are no longer an esthetician you are merely a ,"Waxer" which in not even a thing...anyway, As a, "Waxer," at EWC You are a salesman. Push those products baby...Now, Once you start just realize you will never do anything besides waxing, and drawing on eyebrows on oily skin, with subpar products, which by the way, are impossible to clean properly. It's all about number here. How fast you can wax. Time is not taken in to consideration. You have 15 minutes from the time you walk you guest back to wax them, regardless of if they undress slowly(brazilian), or if they need to use the restroom, the clock starts from the moment you get paged and walk out your guest. You are expected to sell products REGARDLESS of if the guest needs them or not. The room, bed and implements are impossible to clean according to OSHA'S expectations because of how fast you have to wax and how quickly they book guests back to back to back. So, get used to unsanitary conditions and get used to pretending things are cleaned like they are supposed to be. Building relationships with my guests was the best part however, when you leave you cannot tell anyone you ar
ProsGuests, camaraderie with co-coworkers if they are not catty
This place is terrible. Low pay, greedy owners and people getting away with pretty much everything and anything.
State board, health code and OSHA violations galore. Safety and fire hazards/safety violations. Management was never there. Rasicm amongst guests and coworkers. Physical harm and threats inflicted upon the Waxers from guests and fellow co-workers. Tip stealing. Property damage. Most Waxers are unqualified. Pay scale changed twice in 2 years and never beneficial to part time workers. The pay is just awful. Minimum wage to start no matter how much experience. Then your own job is held above your head based off commissions or now a point system. In what world?! It's just to line the pockets of the owners and company more. You are pushed as hard as possible so they get paid the most. Usually the more you work the more you get paid. Here it works against you and can actually cut your commissions all together.
Guests don't tip properly. If at all. Towards everyone.
Ridiculous expectations of reaching goals set by the company. Written up for not selling enough product. Are we Waxers or retail employees...Employees have to buy uniforms and supplies which are super expensive. We accept women on there period and unshowered with fecal matter yet we are not allowed to wear nor are we provided protective masks, disposable aprons or medical grade gloves. The supplies we use are not sterile. There's been many times the sticks have mold on them.
We are foced to work with t
I worked for EWC for over 3 years.
EWC's are ALL about SALES and NUMBERS and less about the employees and customers.
Our particular owner micro-managed you 100% of the day. Cameras and microphone on you at all times. So if you even THINK about making a mistake, forget about it. Everything you do and say was on tape.. lobby, breakroom, hallways...
You want a day off as a waxer?? You need a 30 day notice! You want to call out sick?? Well you can just forget about that too!
You will make GOOD money as a waxer but you must HUSTLE! All day long. On your feet for 8 hours a day with MINIMAL breaks. As a GSA (guest service associate) you will also make great money if your manager/owner has a good incentive program.
I hope you like memorizing over 50 scripts as a waxer or gsa. Every single thing you say to the customer will be scripted. Your sales pitch, your check in and check out, even the way you explain the products and technique, will all be scripted. Granted, some of the owners are not as forceful with the scripts as other owners. But remember, you are working for a corporation, so it will all be very similar.
As a GSA you will have to give about 6 rebuttals anytime someone says NO to you. Oh you don't want a wax pass? Well that is too bad because you are going to purchase one before you leave the building. Oh you don't need the ingrown hair serum?? Well those ingrowns on your bikini tell me something different. Oh you don't have the money to buy an $800 wax
So I basically started in a 3 weeks span and that didn't last long before they were unsatisfied with me. Here is pretty much everything you need to know before you take that risk. You aren't allowed to basically eat. No food with smells is allowed in the center AT ALL. No microwaving practically because the center must be kept clean and fresh with the aroma of comfort wax... Yum. Training was way too aggressive and fast. If you don't do it their way and get it processed then you're pretty much asking for yourself to be let go. *I was for those various reasons. People were caddy. About 4 of 10 trainers kept role playing and draining the life out of me over and over again until I got my scripts right and or pitched to their perfection. The scripts were ridiculous honestly especially within a weeks worth of training thats a no. Might I add my manager walked out while everyone was on break at the same time but she was a great woman but I then grew to see why she left. The owner was a nut. Then a waxer quit 2 weeks after and the views on the turnover rate became pretty flipping clear! Selling the packages and pitching to guest when TOLD to, not when you're ready and yet you are still in training was quite the drag. The degradation if you're still lacking in something. The pay isn't the greatest for the first 30 days either. OH! And although you're pitching and selling packages for practice, just know those sales are going under your coworkers name. You can't get commission within
It’s not the company-It comes down to who youe franchisee is
**I am still employed with this company**
I have been in the management end of EWC for 3 years. Our franchisees own and operate 11 locations, and they have taken over ownership of 4 locations from other franchisees over the time I have been with them.
I have to say, the actual company EWC is constantly evolving, growing, and living up to their brand goal of getting guests and keeping guests. This is so rarely mentioned in reviews and needs to be known. They are a driven brand that comes out with new products, ideas, and constantly strives to improve which is AMAZING and needs to be recognized! To be the leader in waxing year over year is a huge testimonial to how hard they push to grow the brand.
That being said, I am with an excellent franchise that takes care of their employees. We have bought our franchises that were under performing and didn’t have the knowledge to back growth. Unfortunately I see a lot of people talking about the negative that comes with this in reviews.
Just the same way as if employees work the EWC system the way it is designed you will see success, the same goes for the franchisees. The company is excellent, and if you have a greay franchisee you will see the excellence that is EWC. Most of my waxers work 3-4 days a week (in a major city) and make plenty to have a successful work/life balance and have been with the company years because of this. We as managers also go above and beyond to give continued education, daily/weekly support a
ProsWork/ life balance, hourly + commissions, growth opportunities, support in growing sales
ConsIf you don’t like fast pace this is not for you. Must be comfortable with brazilians.
I am not even sure where to start but I will tell you this IS NOT a good place to work or grow. I cannot speak for my location only my own!
I will just give the rundown...
-Management: When I first started the manager didnt even train me she just threw me to the wolves because I knew the system they used not even telling me anything about waxing. The "manager" would not work and would frequently would call out leaving all of the front desk girls to work her shifts. Manager was very clicky and if she didnt like you she would try to force you out. While I as there I saw a number of people walk because of her. Upper managerment would be contacted and they really never cared about anything unless it had to do with money. We had package sales where you receive commission I frequently would have sales stolen and put under the managers name because she felt she needed the sale. The turnover rate was the worst I have seen ever at a company and working there I know why.
-Hours/ pay: Hours were good however when someone didn't want to work YOU would be covering all the shifts and be made to feel guilty if you didnt stay. I would work some weeks 57+ hours because the manager called out or the younger crowd didn't want to show up or came in hung over. While there I would almost NEVER get a break and if i worked a double shift I never got one and as busy as it gets I barely had time to eat ever.Pay is decent but it honestly comes with a price.
ENVIRONMENT: Here is where things really
Prosdiscounts on waxes and products, commission
Consno breaks, horrible management, horrible work environment
So my experience working at EWC well I worked in a new opening location it was very interesting we did things that were not in our job description. Like solicit local malls that clearly said NO SOLICITING as a requirement for opening and marketing the new location. So keep in mind marketing may be apart of doing this if it's a newly opened location. Corporate training was SUPER cut throat, the trainer basically said if we don't get it by the end of the I Believe week training we would be cut. Not considering slower learner's. I personally did not have a problem with the trainer but she was quite unprofessional. She had favorites and she was pretty rude to 65% of the girls. Sick Time and Time Off is frankly very frowned upon in the business. No benefit, very physical, low pay however room for growth, once you work for there company you will be an AMAZING waxer. Very sales and Stats oriented. Keep in mind your in a primarily female environmental so it could get a bit Catty. Management wasn't all that great at any of the 3 center I worked that. If anyone here is like me and is curious about the uniform full hot pink/redish scrubs which are so cute first pair is on the house after the first pair you have to purchase them, they are not the most accurately sized. Finally, pay. Hourly is pretty low however the way there compensate system was set up you end up making a bit of Money, even though hourly maybe low (varies from center, but typically under minimum wage) you make commissio
Sales driven, team environment with high volume customer base
Routine responsibilities included creating staff schedules based on high volume trends with our customers reservations, meeting with staff members daily to review their performance based off customer satisfaction surveys and sales goal achievement. Conducted weekly inventories to combat any internal theft, and ensure the flow of the salon with properly stocked wax suites at all times. Held weekly meetings with franchisee to discuss individual staff performance along with marketing strategy and guest experience. Greeted guests and lead my guest service associates by example on how to conduct exceptional customer service at all times. Instilled in my team how important pride and professionalism is in order to succeed in the salon industry. Held monthly sales contests to encourage my staff to continuously challenge themselves and promote friendly competition. Responded to all customer feedback in a timely fashion and shared feedback with my team to help them improve and grow their clientele. Worked incessantly to create an environment that fostered growth and created a workplace that my employees enjoyed being apart of. I grew overall sales for my team through weekly team meetings involving product knowledge reviews and role playing to enhance guest relations with all employees.
I learned the importance of growing a team for long term success in the salon industry, building a strong reputation in the public eye is the number one way to grow new business and keep repeat guests
Prosbi-weekly and monthly bonus opportunities
Conslimited creative freedom
Questions And Answers about European Wax Center
Are you really only paid 5% Commission on each client
Asked Mar 17, 2017
It’s 2% commission on wax passes sold from a GSA
Answered Jun 16, 2021
It's actually lower. You need to be the highest level waxer to earn 5%.
Answered Sep 19, 2020
What is the interview process like at European Wax Center?
Asked Jul 20, 2016
1 interview
Answered Sep 6, 2019
Being interviewed once and getting a job offer is typically a thing of the past. Today, many companies have an involved interview process starting with screening interviews, which often take place on the phone, followed by in-person interviews, second interviews, and even third interviews.
Answered Dec 26, 2018
If you were in charge, what would you do to make European Wax Center a better place to work?
Asked Oct 15, 2019
It is imperative that the culture of the center is created by the Center Manager working with the Franchisee. The qualities of a leader are being genuine, open to feedback, a servant of the people that work for them and breeding a solution-based environment. I agree that an owner of a business should be hands off to a degree to allow the manager to run the business. I know the key to success is to have a synergy between the two and be able to have a focus that evolves and includes nurturing the employees. Your guests will keep coming back if the workers are happy.
Answered Dec 9, 2021
Enforcing a manager to run the place instead of a franchise. Having a no show charge and a late charge.
Answered Dec 7, 2020
Do employees get paid weekly or biweekly?
Asked Oct 24, 2016
Weekly in NY
Answered Feb 4, 2021
Weekly where I work in ny
Answered Mar 1, 2020
What tips or advice would you give to someone interviewing at European Wax Center?
Asked Jun 29, 2018
GSA for all you do it's not worth the pay.
Answered Feb 25, 2020
Do your research on the company, express that you like the idea of meeting daily goals, use your personality to "sell" yourself to the interviewer. Dress professionally, and thank the person afterwards. Send a killer cover letter with your resume, and send a thank you email after.
