Pros
At the store level, Faherty truly is one of the best. Teams are passionate, leaders are generally respectful, and there is a genuine sense of community. The products themselves are high quality, well-made, thoughtfully designed, and backed by a company that stands behind what it sells.
Cons
Unfortunately, the experience of Faherty HQ tells a very different story. The “family” culture promoted by leadership feels performative at best. Unless you are comfortable engaging in excessive favoritism and navigating a culture driven by ego and outdated power dynamics, I would strongly suggest exploring other options.
Corporate leadership routinely underbuys inventory for existing stores, leaving teams to operate with minimal product while prioritizing the opening of new locations. Established stores are expected to consistently meet goals despite limited inventory, failing technology, insufficient labor hours, and chronic understaffing. Missed targets are met with reprimands rather than support, even when the circumstances are entirely out of the store’s control.
Communication between HQ and stores is either overwhelming or nonexistent. There are countless Slack channels offering conflicting information, constant changes to internal platforms, and shifting standards and training tools that make consistency nearly impossible.