Michaels
M

Michaels

Other Retail Stores

Apt Insight

They have a creative and supportive in-store atmosphere, though retail staffing pressures and low entry pay weigh heavily on daily morale. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Michaels is a giant private retail chain operating more than 1,300 stores across North America. They specialize in arts, crafts, custom framing, seasonal decor, and maker supplies alongside digital retail channels. The company maintains an active hiring pace with over 4,000 open roles across store operations, supply chain, and corporate technology.
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About

At The Michaels Companies Inc., our purpose is to fuel the joy of creativity and celebration. As the leading destination for creating and celebrating in North America, we operate over 1,300 stores in 49 states and Canada and online at Michaels.com and Michaels.ca. The Michaels Companies, Inc. also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of custom and specialty framing merchandise. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, Michaels is the best place for all things creative. For more information, please visit www.michaels.com.
Founded1973
HeadquartersIrving, US
IndustryOther Retail Stores
Websitewww.michaels.com
Employees18.5K

Why people join & leave

Why join
Passion for arts, crafts, and DIY creative cultureFlexible part-time scheduling and employee merchandise discountsCollaborative and supportive store-level peer environments
Why leave
Low base compensation and minimal annual raisesWorkload strain caused by reduced labor hours and lean staffingLow confidence in executive leadership and corporate direction

Company Pulse

In the News

Michaels® Expands Framing and Same-Day Printing Services Across North America to Create a Seamless Screen-to-Store Experienceprnewswire.com · Jun 15, 2026
Michaels® Doubles Down on Leadership as North America's Celebration Destination with Unrivaled Party Assortment and Amplified In-Store Experiences :: The Michaels Companies, Inc. (MIK)michaelspressroom.com
Red, White & Ready to Celebrate: Michaels® Unveils Patriotic Hosting Essentials, Decor & In-Store Experiences for Fourth of July :: The Michaels Companies, Inc. (MIK)michaelspressroom.com · Jun 12, 2026
Michaels boosts party supplies by 60%, opens DIY bars | Retail Diveretaildive.com · May 20, 2026
Michaels® Drops Prices on Thousands of Items Storewideprnewswire.com · Mar 18, 2026

Employee Experience

3.1/5
Career Opportunities
2.7
Compensation & Benefits
2.5
Culture & Values
3.1
Diversity & Inclusion
3.7
Senior Management
2.7
Work-Life Balance
3.1

Quick Take

Strengths
Strong inclusion scoreDiversity and inclusion is rated relatively well across the organization at 74.
High hiring volumeActive hiring across more than 4,000 open positions nationwide.
Watch out
Low leadership confidenceCEO approval sits at 34 and business outlook is rated at 35.
Low peer recommendationOnly 45% of employee reviews indicate they would recommend working there to a friend.
Note
Private enterprise scaleOperates over 1,300 retail locations across 49 states and Canada.

Things to consider

Low compensation levels — Employees consistently cite near-minimum wage starting rates and minimal merit increases despite demanding workloads.
Lean store staffing — Frequent hour cuts leave floor staff and store managers managing multiple responsibilities under heavy operational strain.

What They Build

Michaels builds omnichannel retail systems, supporting high-volume e-commerce platforms alongside physical store inventory and custom manufacturing operations. Engineering teams handle large-scale data pipelines, point-of-sale integrations, and supply chain logistics systems.
Omnichannel E-Commerce
Supply Chain Optimization
Digital Store Experience
Data Analytics & Personalization
Domains
E-Commerce Engineering
Cloud Infrastructure
Data Science
Information Security
Tech Stack
Java
Python
TypeScript
React
Kubernetes
Docker
Apache Kafka
PostgreSQL
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