Does Hot Topic pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Hot Topic employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Hot Topic. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Hot Topic?

58% of Hot Topic employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Hot Topic 3.3 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.8 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Hot Topic?

Sales Associate (593) , Store Manager (212) , Assistant Manager (175) , Key Holder (87) , Retail Sales Associate (82) , Hot Topic Sales Associate (71) , Part Time Assistant Manager (55) , Assistant Store Manager (46) , Seasonal Sales Associate (43) , Keyholder (42) , Sales Associate/Cashier (39) , Full Time Assistant Manager (37) , Cashier (34) , Manager (27) , ASM- Assistant Store Manager (19)

What are the pros of working at Hot Topic according to real employee reviews?

"great coworkers to work with and friendly" ((in 174 reviews)); "Great people and discounts it was awesome back in the day when hottopic was one of a kind rock store" ((in 172 reviews)); "Fun work environment and coworkers" ((in 77 reviews)); "Great benefits even for part" ((in 66 reviews)); "Great culture and music" ((in 49 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Hot Topic according to real employee reviews?

"The pay is low and you only get a good amount of hours to actually pay bills if you are upper level management." ((in 375 reviews)); "Poor management and HR." ((in 148 reviews)); "No hours to work with." ((in 101 reviews)); "manager can be rude and a downer sometimes." ((in 80 reviews)); "Far too much drama from upper management and poor communication" ((in 75 reviews))

What are employees saying about Hot Topic redundancies in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Hot Topic redundancy and their outlook for job security at Hot Topic in 2026.

Hot Topic Reviews

3.4

58% would recommend to a friend

(2,491 total reviews)

Steve Vranes

53% approve of CEO

39% positive business outlook

Hot Topic has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 2,491 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Hot Topic employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail and wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

1.0

30 Jun 2026

Stressful environment and high demands

Store manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Nothing but stress and underpaid

Cons

Expect you to do sooo much. Shipment entering numbers coaching on the floor helping customers doing surveys looking people up on iPad even tho they don’t want to. Products is crap . Corporate is crap.

4.0

28 Jun 2026

Flexible management but poor district oversight and hours

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Unstressful by retail standards, with mostly flexible and understanding managers.

Cons

District manager quality was poor. Poor hours. Opportunities for growth are not based on existing experience.

1.0

25 Jun 2026

Chaotic, company does not care for employees.

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

has good discount. cool coworkers. cool clothes.

Cons

Terrible pay it’s the most minimum wage ever. Last minute changes to schedule by manager with no consideration of people’s schedules outside of work. Expects the absolute most for little pay. Have to tell people about surveys constantly. Store is incredibly small and leaves no room for shipment boxes nor room on sales floor for items.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 2,491 Reviews

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Jobs at Hot Topic

Hot Topic

Hot Topic Reviews

Company ratings over time

Reviews by job title

Stressful environment and high demands

Flexible management but poor district oversight and hours

Chaotic, company does not care for employees.

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Hot Topic