interior designer

design consultant

designer

customer service representative

receptionist

Walter E Smithe Furniture & Design

When you are hired you are told that you will have your own business within their business. What this means is that you cannot depend on the leads they bring in. Leads *may* be sent to you via an online form or it is a client walking in the doors of the showroom. Many are not qualified, meaning they don't understand how custom furniture works or they're not ready for the price$. Also, you have to wait your turn to take a lead. This shouldn't be a problem if they kept the client-to-designer ratio within reason. They don't though. The showroom floor is packed with as many designers as they can schedule. That way they sell as much furniture as possible without paying the people who work for the sales the full rate available.  The designers do not get paid for showing up. The designers only get paid if they sell something. 100% commission. That commission structure is so involved that many designers have no idea what to expect. It depends on the amount you have sold that month, your goal, and the vendor's "ratings". A higher ranked vendor gets higher commissions, etc.
If you sell something to a client in March and the client wants to exchange it the money is taken out of your commissions for March even though it may be August. How does that affect you? You make a certain % commission for 100% of goal then you get a bump for getting to 125% of goal. If you hit 100% or 125% in March by just enough and they take that one exchange back, all your commissions are taken back to the less value commission numbers. Confused yet? Yes, that's how they like you.
Also, they take the money back from you even though the client may have the furniture in their home and Smithe has the client's money in the bank. YOU have to make sure to get that client in the showroom within 2 weeks to get your commission back. But that commission is based on the *current* month's numbers which means you may never be able to make the total amount back.
There is no nurturing, or advancement (even though they have a "leadership program" they NEVER promote designers on their floors to managers; all of their general sales managers have been hired from outside the company).
They do not care about you unless you sell a lot of furniture and even then they ask you to do more.
The most enjoyable part of the job is the other designers/employees I have come to know and become friends with even outside of work. We are a support group for each other at this point. I don't know how I would have made it for as long as I have without them.

They are ALWAYS hiring for an AR clerk there because their accounting system is SO CONFUSING. I had been in AR for 6+ years before trying to work there. I am GOOD at what I do and am even in a current job right now doing AR and am excelling at it. I have never encountered a system so manual, confusing, and hard to work with. The system they use is literally a black screen with green text and the women that work in that department are so overloaded with work from everything being so manual that they really don't have the time to properly train you. 

While I loved how diverse my coworkers were and how nice they were, literally everything else about that job was a TOTAL NIGHTMARE. 

RUN FAR AWAY!!! They track daily sales for all of their stores on EXCEL SPREADSHEETS like it's the 1990's. I would not recommend working here if you want to keep your sanity. After my third month there, I still didn't understand 3/4s of my duties because the way they run that business is SO CONFUSING. They will never keep anyone long enough in this role because it is really awful unfortunately. If they modernized and streamlined their business a little, they might reduce turnover. 

Awful experience working there and am much happier where I'm at. 

Working at Walter E. Smithe was one of the most stressful and demoralizing experiences of my career. The company presents itself as a family-oriented, employee-supportive workplace, but the reality is far from it.

Management changes frequently, leading to constant shifts in expectations and priorities. Leadership tends to play favorites, leaving many employees without proper support or guidance. Instead of fostering growth, the company culture often sets employees up for failure.

Sales goals and commission structures are structured in a way that makes success difficult for most employees. Training is minimal, yet the pressure to perform is immediate and relentless. Requests for assistance are often ignored, leaving employees to fend for themselves.

Concerns about workplace treatment and fairness are rarely addressed. Speaking up about issues can lead to retaliation rather than resolution. Employee well-being seems like an afterthought, and accommodations—even when reasonable—are difficult to obtain.
If you’re looking for a workplace that values stability, fairness, and professional growth, this may not be the right fit. There are many companies that offer a more supportive and positive work environment. Proceed with caution.

Arrive at 8:45 for a brief 15 minute motivational talk with managers.
Doors open at 9:00AM and close at 9:00PM.  Walk in prospects are handled using the UP system and 3 workers must remain in the office at all times. When I was there good leads were only handed out to the heavy hitters.  It was hard to become a heavy hitter if you only could rely on walk-ins.  I hear they have changed this policy recently.  
A couple of the senior designers were good mentors, and I appreciated that.  Some designers would steal your client if they came on a day you weren’t in.  So watch your back.  Most of the colleagues are friendly and helpful.  But like anywhere there’s always a couple that will try to take what’s not theirs.  I found the goals the company set to be very hard to meet unless you wanted to work both weekend days.  In oak brook once a year we all would dress up fancy and have a themed  dinner.  The Smithe’s hosted the party with lavish food and a live band!

While the designer role is marketed as a well supported design position, it is truly another retail sales role. Though it is possible to work your way into a very lucrative career, you have to have the ability to teach yourself, learn on the fly, and time manage. Being a 100% commission position, you need to have the ability to convert business regularly in order to meet sales goals. While you are told you can manage your time as you please, you must stay available to consistently take new business despite your current work load. Building relationships and creating repeat business are key to maintain your financial stability. While the designers are all diverse in background and ability, there is no room for accomodations in scheduling if you need regular office hours. Although the work life balance is up to you, you are regularly encouraged to work outside of your schedule, and policies are written to enforce that culture. 

As a family-run business of 77+ years, it's amazing to see how WES has become one of Chicagoland's staples.  The Smithe's absolutely care about their employees and go out of their way to ensure we are taken care of.  For designers - we have one of the best design/retail sales associate programs in the industry.  Commission is some of the highest (up to 9.4%), and our turnover is some of the lowest in the industry because people stay.  Our showroom managers go out of their way to create a culture of inclusion.  With a ton of growth opportunities, WES always looks from within first to find the most qualified candidate to be a leader.  This is highly appreciated.  Upper management truly cares about everyone who makes the company successful and it shows in pay and in the little extras.  I truly am grateful for the work I get to do every day.  I highly recommend Smithe as a wonderful place to work!

Truly feels like a small business, with the owner and his family still very much hands on, even after 80 years.  

Before setting foot on the showroom floor all designers are given extensive education in sales, design and the software program. This gives so much confidence to all designers when first meeting with clients.

The position is a true balance of design and sales.  I have connected with so many people from different walks of life, sharing their stories.  Each client comes in looking for a solution to be solved this keeps each project new, fresh and interesting.  

I have felt supported by the staff in the showroom and in the corporate headquarters.  As with any commission based sales position much of the time the energy you put in determines what you get out of it!

Unrealistic goals set for Designers in a short period of time. Low commission rate, like a pyramid scheme. They track every movement from your phone and computer. You are not appreciated. Not much support staff, and policies are complex and always updating. Computer systems are complex, repetitive and not always accurate in pricing. You are not a Designer (salesperson), and you will also be the accountant, delivery scheduler, and customer service when they don't want to handle their exchange & return policy that is stiff and docked on things that are out of your control. There are no offices; only make shift desk spaces that change each day. Huge Turnover rate; they have a full-time training dept that is intense for pennies. 

The work environment at WES is supportive, creative and professional! You are encouraged  to develop a clientele with no boundaries to your design creativity! There are professional development classes, vendor seminars and updated training for all employees. Company-sponsored trips to visit vendor factories grow your product knowledge and are offered on a regular basis. By working with 250+ vendors, your design projects are limitless! The best part of the job is getting to know so many wonderful clients and seeing their ideas come to life! The hardest part of the job is limiting options so your clients are not overwhelmed with too many choices.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Designers are able to be creative

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management is demanding and looks for ways to take money from designers; operations staff is not trained, they are overworked and under appreciated.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Unqualified people are in charge, employees are encouraged to lie, cheat and take sales away from others.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Meeting requirements of clients, taking responsibility for customer service job that is supposed to be completed by customer service team.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Interior designer 48 salaries reported	$94,271 per year
Design consultant 7 salaries reported	$71,071 per year
Designer 6 salaries reported	$86,667 per year
Customer service representative 5 salaries reported	$21.70 per hour
Receptionist 2 salaries reported	$16.00 per hour

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