graphic designer

installer

production specialist

customer service representative

outside sales representative

Fastsigns

The money I got for working here wasn't worth the 24/7 stress I was under for my entire 3 month working period here.

If I had been placed in a different department, I might have stayed longer. Unfortunately, I got placed with the worst supervisor I have ever worked under.

The job itself was stressful. I was thrown into the work with very little training, and even after three months, I had barely learned the basics. This was partially the fault of my supervisor, though, which I will get to.

At first everything was slow. I was placed on menial tasks like putting together small kits that went with bigger items. Which, fine, it needed to be done and I didn't mind doing it. But that's all I was doing the first month, and when it came time for business to pick up, I was still barely trained because all my time went to those small, easy tasks.

When things got busier, it was clear I was not well-prepared for it. The days were stressful because of that, and because there was practically no method of organization within the company. Items were place in no discernible order, there was no way to tell how many of what items there were (which they were working on, but it made getting orders together on time much harder), and, while I was working, they were just barely standardizing processes, so how to do something varied from person to person.

And then there was my supervisor.

It has taken me nearly 6 months to write this review because of how bad my time was at this place. I'm hoping documenting this ordeal will help me finally move on from it.

It wasn't clear to me right away that my supervisor didn't like me. At first, it was just... indifference.

Most of my training got passed on to my coworker, who at that point had only been there for 3 months. Though she was great at answering questions and helping me, this understandably made my "training" haphazard and inconsistent. For example, my position meant I was helping with huge, special orders. However, I wasn't introduced to many of the logistics of this and how it differed from regular orders until one came in a month later. At that time, I knew nothing about how the process worked or what my role was. I might have understood this lack of knowledge if the order came in a week into my employment, but I spent a whole month learning nothing about my position and then being thrown into it (instead I learned those small, easy tasks over and over and over).

Then, about two months into my employment, when I had finally gotten a better grasp on the general tasks of the position, my supervisor suddenly and inexplicably started hovering over my shoulder and trying to train me. And what did I learn? Well, that half of my knowledge was wrong, and that my supervisor suddenly thought I needed to be manhandled so that I never had a moment's breath.

This might not have been as frustrating as it was if she hadn't forced me to do the simple, easy tasks I had already learned, yelled at me for doing something without her permission (saying her permission was needed every time, even though my coworker, who was nearby doing the same thing, never asked), or watched me like a hawk from then until I left to see if I made mistakes.

It got to the point where I was hyper vigilant every minute that I was on the clock. I could feel my supervisor's eyes on my constantly, waiting to swoop in and chastise me.

Of course I made mistakes. I was new, and insufficiently trained. This wouldn't be so bad if I'd had a supervisor willing to guide me and steer me toward success.

Instead, whenever I made a mistake, my supervisor whisked the project away and did it herself. She didn't even try to show me what to do or how to avoid mistakes. She simply did the task for me. And from then on, whatever task I made a mistake on, I wasn't allowed to do.

Add onto that the hyper vigilance I adopted, and you have a tight ball of stress masquerading as human, making more and more mistakes because of all the sudden pressure from my supervisor.

For the last month of my employment, I was delegated to the grunt work and treated as a burden. My supervisor refused to let me take a bigger role in our work and consistently treated me as if I wasn't even there (except when she directly talked to me). She ignored my presence while talking to my coworker, no matter if the conversation was work related or not.

The straw that broke the camel's back started with the hiring of a new team member. It became obvious to me how much differently this new person was treated. She was trained rigorously, by my supervisor, and given harder tasks much earlier on. She was also included in conversation more and treated as a concrete member of the team.

One day, my supervisor took a harder task from me that I had struggled with before. I was used to it at this point, and the task itself required precision, as it was custom ordered. But a few minutes later, I looked over and saw that she had handed the task to our new coworker (about two weeks into her position) and was letting her do it on her own.

I had had enough. I went to our manager, begging for a different position within the company under a different supervisor. I underlined the fact that I still wanted the job--I needed the job--but I wasn't fitting in with my team.

My manager told me he'd work on it. I heard nothing for two weeks. I reminded him again, and he said there were no positions open. This seemed strange, as I had seen him interviewing prospective employees all that week, and the company itself had a goal to double its work force by the end of the year.

I wish I had quit then, because my manager, instead of finding a space for me even temporarily, or talking to my supervisor, decided to fire me. His reason? He didn't want me to be stressed at work and thought it was "best" for me. This, from a company that boasts about caring for its employees.

There are plenty of other things that made this position horrible, but they're not my stories to tell. But it's more than obvious to me, and I hope to you too, that the leaders within this company are unqualified and biased in their positions.

I was told from the start that my supervisor was hard to work with (multiple coworkers said so) and she had had problems like the ones detailed above before. What is not surprising is that nothing has been done about this. Even now, I hear from employees that she gets away with everything under the sun: from taking personal calls within the workspace to treating certain people unfairly.

If you get a chance to work here and it's not under her, I'm still not sure it would be worth it. This experience alone tells me that Fastsigns is not a caring employer, intent on hiring the best possible people for leadership, and fair in its discipline.

My advice: keep looking. If you can find any other warehouse or shipping job, it's probably better than this one.

Your experience at Fastsigns will greatly depend on which franchise you actually get hired on at, and on who is running the place. Know that if you are being hired on as a Graphic Designer, you’ll most likely be doing a good bit of production work, as well as some installations, based on how much work is coming through the door, but if you get to work on the production table, it’s not a bad thing, and you should welcome the new skill set. When it gets rough is when there isn’t enough work to warrant a full time production person and you are expected to do everything. Design, production and installation. If you get a good manager they will do what they can to hire extra part time help, but a terrible one will expect you to do everything, including selling to clients, making sales cold calls, going on site visits to take photos and measurements, etc.; but like I say, it will depend where you go. I would highly suggest talking with the manager or owner inside the shop and take a glance at how many people actually work there. If they are not letting you see who is in the back, don’t take the job unless you have to because there most likely is no one, or only one person back there. 
Fastsigns is a good place to gain experience, but you have to remember that the majority of the signage you’ll be making here is fairly simple and low end, and depending on the clientele, often times you will be hurried through your creative process. This is a sign shop, not a design studio. I strongly suggest that if you work here as a designer, pay attention to how much work you are actually being allowed to put into your work. 90% of the time my manager tells me to rush through projects. Not because I am slow, but because they simply want to put more and more work through to get paid faster. I feel I have to make any Graphic Designer considering working here aware of this, especially those coming straight from school, because if you are hoping to put your work from Fastsigns into a professional portfolio, it is going to take quite a while. Work on your own designs on your own time, and take from Fastsigns the experience of a fast paced environment, shifting schedule, talking with real, paying clients, and working through an entire creative process. 



My experience with Fastsigns was great from both the store-based perspective and with the corporation as a whole.

From the store level, all Fastsigns locations are franchises. I had the pleasure of working with an owner who made the employees feel like we owned the business which made us care more and work harder. We started with one location, and expanded with two other locations. I had the pleasure of managing all three. Great compensation for sales achievements.

As far as the overall corporation goes, the Fastsigns company gives the franchises lots of flexibility. They are always doing research to find the right vendors of us, but never require us to use any of them. It's all case by case, shop by shop basis. Basically, follow the basic Fastsigns formula but customize it to make it work for each shop.

The toughest part about working here is that it takes a strong commitment. It's a small business and we deal with lot of companies that need signs and need them fast. There were several times where we would have to work very late nights and pull strings to get jobs done.

It's also a burn out job. If you don't plan on purchasing a franchise of your own, there really isn't any further advancement you can go unless you're truly just money motivated and want to keep breaking sales records. Our boss hired a person for every area of the shop. He hired people who knew how to not only do their jobs, but figure things out... and was confident that we would be able to complete the jobs. ...which made it great for us because we used his guidelines and added our own touch. That made it a place that you wanted to be. There's nothing worse than spending most of your time in a place that you hate. He made sure we created an atmosphere that we all enjoyed. ...and hired the right team members that would work well with one another.

If you're looking for a job at FASTSIGNS, I would recommend this place because they have a great formula and the company isn't going anywhere. However, keep in mind that they are franchises and independently owned... so whoever your owner is, well, that's going to determine how the shop is run and if you'll enjoy it. I was pretty lucky!

First off, let me say that I loved the manager and other staff working here. Upper Management, not  so much.  Focus was spent entirely on sales and customers were only deemed important if they spent a lot. In the same way, employees only mattered if they did crazy sales, which is sometimes completely out of your control due to the season and types of clients you have. Unrealistic expectations for employees, no clear criteria for improving.

Careful, the owners tend to hire employees who feel like they have no other employment options, and try to keep you by convincing you have it the best here.

I wasn't trained properly and was hired in the busy season, but that ended up somehow being my fault. My boss actually told me he "made people cry in his office before" during a final confrontation I had with him. Needless to say, I left the company feeling a bit bruised and battered.

Pros: - amazing staff. Best coworkers I've ever had. The owners pay you a little above minimum wage (although I was told my $18/hour salary was actually above what they would have started me out at, in hindsight. Yes, they actually said that to me).

Cons: -fast-paced environment that's too stressful for the payoff. I could probably make more money working at Starbucks, and not take home the stress of the job at the end of the day. Plus receive better benefits.
-owners always fight with each other, sometimes in front of employees (they're married)
-they prefer quantity over quality
-the owners never admit any wrongdoing, every problem is the employees' faults


Overall, I'd say it's not worth the headache, unless you're pretty desperate for a job, lots of work, and working overtime!

Started out with new franchisee owner who knew nothing about the sign business. Nonetheless, we were all excited about the opportunity to learn & grow the business. Early on, albeit a small team, we met and exceeded modest 1st year expectations and things looked promising. However, despite accolades from corporate for our reported growth & revenue, it  became apparent that it wasn't enough. Ego/pride driven owner took little culpability in errors that were made and more often than not placed blame on staff. We were subjected to yelling and threatening with subsequent aggressive demeanor and ill attitude most days. The constant "Jekyll & Hyde" personality kept everyone on edge on day to day basis. Never took the time to have desperately needed team outing(s) for positivity, support, and bonding. Most of the time, we just wanted to end the day and leave the shop... just... drained. (Btw, ordering pizza for "working lunches" didn't cut it) The original team members felt alienated and left for another opportunity or were either fired after owner confrontation using totally unprofessional language (name calling? really?) ...so now the shop is re-tooling to bring on for new staff.

Work environment lowlights included:

- Lack of TRUE leadership
- Poor Management practices
- Lack of Communication
- Unreal expectations based on staff experience
- Little Job Training
- Reluctance for honest communication with 
   owner because of his ego and temper.

This company is a small sign store operating independently under the FASTSIGNS franchise name. There is a lot of positives to working for this company. If you are a younger person, perhaps in college or recently graduated from a local community college applying for a Customer Service Specialist at this location may well pay-off. The hours are good, vacation and time off are easily arranged, and working here will provide you with the fundamental skills you will need to advance your customer service and/or sales career. 

The company is a smaller business, competing successfully with the larger players in town. There are distinct advantages as well as specific disadvantages to working here all of which are typically related to the conditions found in these kind of family-owned businesses, sole proprietorships and the vast majority of small businesses employing family members and operating under a single trunk managerial hierarchy. 

My overall experience has been and continues to be positive. Since, I bring over 25 years of sales and marketing experience to the table,  I've been given a large degree of latitude in developing sales for the company. However, pay and benefits in this environment are more suitable for entry level applicants than seasoned pros who are looking for mid to high end managerial and/or equity level position opportunities.  In conclusion, the store has potential to grow further and will do so given the economy remains robust.

Worked here for a few months after leaving another sign company seeking a better opportunity. Seemed like the right move and i'm familiar with products. Pay was nothing to write home about but it paid the bills and this place offered health benefits. First few months were okay for learning. Other than showing you a few videos and taking criminally easy quizzes you'll forget instantly and there wasn't much mentorship or direction from management; but there was all the expectations. I had trained at the busier location but eventually moved to a MUCH slower, new location, and they expected us to make 10k in sales daily. In the beginning the owner handed off clients to us new people so we could handle the account and immediately take the account back once you converted it (and it doesn't reflect your sales goals when they did). Most of the items we sold were vended-out products, communication was all over the place, highly disorganized operation, and management was super inconsistent. Instead of fine tuning the machine, the owner would compare us to other FASTSIGNS in a berating manner. All in all it became a very hostile environment. I got laid off for "being on my phone" which is wild to me be cause phones were allowed & other employees would be on theirs texting more than me. I'm glad to have left this sinking ship disguised as a well-oiled machine. Save your time and look elsewhere if you're looking for a career. Or if you're looking for a quick buck with no career goals then this is for you!

The company can be great but the management team in Kissimmee, F.L. is not the best. They train you with no patience after 2 weeks. The Owners clearly don't know much about sales because they always need to ask their resources to present a great enough answer to their clients which is not a good first impression sign. When you're in a business of sales where you must think quick with good management and communication skills, and there's a big lack of skills coming from this location. They won't admit it but they would discriminate if you do not show the greatest efforts to know the bilingual qualifications that they want you to perform. The management team in the Kissimmee location shows a lot of hypocritical actions by the lack of communication of what work is needed. There is many negative comments to those who try their best to show all the expectations asked of. They make the new hires feel they're not good enough for the customer service representative position after so many attempts of new hires they seem to still not know how to manage their staffing correctly. For another example, a representative could show great skills and trying their best to understand the tools presented during the first half month but then there would be many negative complaints spoken among the staff member that the efforts they've presented is not given credit at the workshop. Don't spend any of your valuable time surrounded by people who wouldn't appreciate your time and efforts when you could more importantly present your skills elsewhere.

I learned a lot in my role here and grew in my personal development, however management wasn’t too big of a help in that. Very argumentative and childish, treats anyone younger than him like a child not his employee. Feels as though he doesn’t trust unless you’re the same age as him about anything even when you helped hold down the business when everyone abandoned ship. Culture changes based on who’s in the building, and management doesn’t have a culture he allows the team to invent a new culture with every added person; when one’s a bad apple everyone becomes a bad apple. The hardest part for any sales member on this team is feeling isolated and alone, for installer is feeling like everything falls on you if sales and design do a bad job, and for design is getting things out or machines not working and management not knowing his own equipment and questioning every choice you make. The most enjoyable part is the brand, with an amazing worldwide culture and name and so many others to lean on, the sense of creativity with every job being so different and having to find a tailored solution in any position you’re in! 

While working for Fastsigns, I was paid entry level wages (pretty much minimum wage) with the promise of making more if goals were hit. Goals were hit, pay didn't accurately reflect the improvements made by my efforts. The owner would always employ the least amount of people possible creating an atmosphere rich with tensions and goals that were unreachable. While designing full time, I was expected to be a customer service representative, oversee general operations of the store,  manage and operate the printers all while being responsible for tight deadlines for hundreds of clients. Promises of advancement and excellent pay were mentioned often, under the demands that egregious scenario's were tolerated until the store reached an appropriate threshold. After my employment, I published a very basic portfolio of work, credited the team and company while explaining what parts of the projects I was a part of and was threatened with a lawsuit due to copyright infringement - basically forcing me to erase the past two years of dedication I gave to an unappreciative overlord. A very bad experience as a designer, I wouldn't recommend working at this location to my very worst enemy.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Graphic designer 37 salaries reported	$20.80 per hour
Installer 52 salaries reported	$22.34 per hour
Production specialist 36 salaries reported	$19.86 per hour
Customer service representative 27 salaries reported	$19.82 per hour
Outside sales representative 26 salaries reported	$67,788 per year

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