I’ve worked here at The Container Store’s Coppell, TX, Distribution Center for a year and a half, my first ever job in distribution. I actually applied after a frustrating couple of months at my previous job in retail accounting, hoping for something less toxic and believing that The Container Store’s employee-first culture would allow me to strike a better balance between my career and personal life, regardless of previous experience.
At my first interview, a former engineer told me she had come here for the same reason.
At my second interview, a former employee of a large parcel shipping company told me he had come here for the same reason.
During my first week of training, I was sent to a local store to build my intuition for what The Container Store was all about. My trainer? A former architect. The store manager? He worked in TV for a while.
As my time here has continued, I’ve realized that stories like mine are more common than I could have imagined. To people whose previous professions had fallen short of their expectations, The Container Store represented a chance to be a part of something positive and revitalizing. “Second careers” are so common here because, regardless of titles and pay scales, so much of what exists in the corporate world is contrary to the basic human need to be respected and valued.
We all find that here.
Yes, we are a retail company. But we aren’t retail culture. We are a company with a higher purpose, to improve the lives of our employees and our customers. No matter how surprising it is to hear what some people have left behind to come work here, it’s always made sense. If you’re going to spend 40-50 hours a week working, why not be happy while you do it?
Steven D, Distribution Center System Planner
1.5 years
2 responses to “We All Find It Here”
