The Container Store Reviews 51

I have tons to talk about TCS, I worked there and shopped at there stores, well I only bought a small notepad which was expensive for a shitty product
I would see customer’s orders picked packaged and left somewhere around the warehouse Bad products some not all, if a customer ordered a shelf or containers they would receive them really late orrrrr broken or scratched if the product was out of stock they wouldn’t let the customer get something else or the customer waited for centuries to get and something would be wrong with the product, not all products
Customer orders picked wrong or packaged wrong, I have so much negativity to say about TCS and the bad management and they couldn’t really pay back their investors or a raise
Really bad experience
Crappy product crappy company crappy HR management
So yeah I have a lot to say but this is only a review

For some reason, I got on their mailing list. I have opted out over 30 times and still get their emails. This has caused me to not want to associate with them in the future. Bad business practices.

I ordered an item online and the website locked in the middle of it. I checked to see if the sale went through but no email, credit card entry or item on the website. I then reordered the item and it went through. I just received 2 items. I was told I would have to pay shipping back to them since they have no way to give me a shipping label. I now have to drive the 30 minutes to the store and hopefully they will refund the initial shipping on the duplicate item. This store is so far behind the best practices.

Made me wait 6 weeks for delivery and installation of an Elfa desk. No one ever contacted me regarding installation except via email confirming the delivery and installation date and time slot. I took off an entire day from work, broke down and threw out my old desk, cleared the entire area around where the desk was being installed, and… the Container Store dropped 4 extremely heavy boxes in my lobby and left. When I called the store, the very rude agent with whom I had the displeasure of speaking mocked my concern about having 4 huge, heavy boxes in my lobby I physically cannot move and told me that I didn’t pay for installation. I would’ve gladly paid for installation but no one reached out except for the email confirming INSTALLATION. I have been on hold for an hour as I write this just trying to get someone to help me with what is now a time sensitive issue. Corporate says they can’t help and referred me back to the store that mocked me and didn’t care. I will clearly have to resolve this on my own by hiring a service and wasting another entire day at home. And after that extremely long hold, they transferred me back to the exact same agent who made fun of my concern about the boxes in the lobby and who claims she’s the only customer service agent working at the store today. Never again.

UPDATE: The store manager called me back and claimed I was incredibly disrespectful to him and the previous agent and how dare I say they should lose their jobs. My statement was that I understand now why the company’s in trouble! Irrespective of this creative rewording, I clarified that I did not and would not insinuate that anyone should lose their jobs and this “manager” continued to insist I was rude and insulting and refused to even listen to me clarify that I wasn’t - to the point where I asked that the recording of the call be shared with me and was told no so I started recording on my phone. Just insane gaslighting. And then he said I was the problem for having the audacity to order online rather than with the help of someone at the store. What on Earth?? So corporate says it’s on the store and the store says it’s not our problem because you ordered online. AND I was called a liar when I said that, when I placed my order, I was told I would be contacted for installation so now I need to retrace my steps to show them where it says that so they can promptly do nothing about it. I was also called a liar for saying my doorman had instructions to let them bring the stuff up and neither my doorman nor the delivery service called me upon arrival. I was here. I was waiting. No one called me. Ridiculous thing to accuse me of lying about. There’s lack of accountability and then there’s whatever kind of head trip I just got from this company. Absolutely unbelievable. And they still want over $200 to install in another 8 days leaving me to solve my own problem because I can’t leave that stuff in the lobby for 8 days.

FINAL UPDATE: Hired TaskRabbit to do the installation instead since they can come tomorrow and bring the boxes up from the lobby. Although I was told it would be quick and easy to cancel my installation order with Container Store, it took multiple calls to reach installation services - and surprise surprise, this agent was a piece of work too. I stated that I was told it would be easy to cancel and it hadn’t been up to that point, to which the agent very firmly responded that it WAS easy and she was processing the cancellation right then. I again had to clarify what I’d previously said - that reaching someone in order to cancel was the part that had been difficult. Do they train these people to treat every customer as hostile???? Just take the feedback! Good grief.

I heard about the Container store customer service and had never had to really deal with them but recently had to call in about an order. I asked for clarification on the billing since I saw the coupon was not accurately applied and was greeted with a dismissive defensive response with the representative telling me there’s nothing she can do and that I I am the only one who mis understood the promo offer. Needless to say I will no longer be spending any of my money at the container store.

Horrible horrible customer service
Do not waste time
You will be left waiting and waiting
Had an onsite visit for closet. Was advised the estimate will be done in 2-3 days so we can meet immediately after that and avail the ongoing discount to order
No response for over 3 weeks
Emails and texts done
Still waiting

I would give you negative stars if that was a possibility. Cancelled this order immediately after placing when I realized it was not what I needed. Was told it cannot be cancelled, though not shipped for a couple days after. Then I have to pay to return it. When it tried to stop you from sending in the first place. Terrible customer service, no wonder your business is failing.

Elfa used to be the gold standard — a shelving system you bought for life. The Container Store just set that legacy on fire. They discontinued the Classic Elfa top track and replaced it with a “new” one that doesn’t work with the standards customers bought for decades. Translation: everything you invested in — thousands of dollars for many people — just became incompatible overnight.

This isn’t progress. It’s a shakedown.
The new track is thinner, cheaper, lighter — a downgrade sold as an upgrade, engineered specifically to force repurchase. They didn’t improve Elfa — they broke it on purpose, knowing customers would have no choice but to start over or walk away. That’s not business innovation — that’s manufacturer-level betrayal.

The Container Store has decided profit matters more than trust, more than loyalty, more than the people who built their brand by believing in Elfa. They threw away decades of goodwill for one more quarter of revenue. And once a company shows they’re willing to do that, believe them — they’ll do it again.

If you’re considering Elfa, don’t.
You’re buying into a system that can be rendered worthless without warning. If they can pull the plug on compatibility once, they will do it again. You’re not purchasing shelving — you’re buying an expiration date.

Shop literally anywhere else.
Home Depot. Lowe’s. Ikea. A plank of wood and a rusty nail would be more future-proof at this point.

Container Store broke the covenant.
Don’t give them the chance to break yours.

I so disappointed in the quality of the shoe case I bought about 30 and 26 of them the door broke within weeks some days after buying them. Just don’t make since

Despite advertising 25% off branded products just to get you to click onto their website, they do not actually offer the discount. Absolute scam marketing that they are apparently aware of and just don’t bother fixing.

I ordered 4 Cambridge Drop Front Boxes from the Container Store, but they arrived with a strong chemical odor that didn’t dissipate after a week. When I contacted customer service, the supervisor, Mike, dismissed my concern, saying the odor wasn’t substantial and that he couldn’t trust my claim over the phone. I was told I’d have to pay for return shipping or drive 1.5 hours to a store. When I asked if he thought it was fair to expect a customer to travel that far to return a faulty item, he simply replied, “Well, that’s why we have a 120-day return policy.” I regret not reading the reviews beforehand—many customers have reported the same odor issue, which should’ve made it easy for Mike to verify my concern. Based on this experience, I will never purchase from the Container Store again.

The rep at the store told me he would cancel an online order I'd made before going to store. I bought it in-store instead. Before leaving he confirmed that he'd canceled it. The next day a manager tells me they CAN'T cancel online orders in the store. Nor can I cancel on the app or online. So, they're going to ship it and charge me to ship it back or I can take it to the store. There are also too many instances of damaged goods necessitating starting all over again. This company is dishonest and not being run well. I will not be doing business with them again.

there’s a reason why the container store is failing and why most other retail outlets are as well.
It’s the staff. I just left the store here on Northwest Highway and apparently nobody could be bothered to help me with my shelving questions back in the elfa department. Considering the higher price points at the stores one would imagine you would get more attentive service, but nah. It’s the same dead-eyed apathetic 20 somethings and a smattering of lifers .. sad

I didn't learn until after I bought two large items that they don't do any sort of online returns. They don't even give you a return number, so even if you did pay to ship everything back, there's nothing on the books.

The Container Store is NOT set up to accept returns for online orders! There is no way to request a return, they do not approve a return, and they do NOT supply a return shipping label!!
So if you don't live near a Container Store and need to return an item you purchased online, you are SOL. You will need to find a way to ship it at your own expense, and since there is no method to approve a return, you will be sending it blindly with no guarantee they will refund you a single dime! In this day and age of electronic shopping, this is absolutely inexcusable.. !

Recently, on April 15, 2025, I worked my full shift for this nice company. I thought they were fair. it turns out once i got my paycheck on that following Friday. they did not pay me my full fair share. My check was short 50 bucks. another thing is they only scheduled Me 1 Day out of the week. it's not cool and it is tough

Horrible horrible horrible. I had a number of closets designed by the container store. they came out to measure and measured incorrectly. They quoted a price and then changed the pricing about 20 times. They never followed up, I think we talked with at least 5 different people who told completely different stories. When install came they completely botched the entire thing. They said they would patch and paint the walls and didn’t, they didn’t follow the actual design. Then they tried to charge us again for reinstalling what they installed incorrectly. Penmarc, the subs they use to install are literal crooks. Awful disaster.

Terrible service from start to finish at Los Angeles Century City store. I went to pick up some Elfa shelves and asked for help carrying them to my car. They directed me to a pickup spot but gave no further instructions. After relying on unclear email instructions to find a "blue phone" that didn't exist, I sent my family into the store. They spent over 30 minutes trying to locate my order, despite me confirming it 20 minutes prior, and even paused to help other customers, making us wait longer.

After nearly an hour, I had to go back in myself to speak to the manager, who promised a follow-up that never happened. The staff dropped off my shelves and left without taking my contact info. Disorganized, unhelpful, and a complete waste of time.

Be very careful!!!
I spent thousands on shelving last year (2023). I am trying to buy additional hooks and components, and TCS is telling me they don't have any. They said try Amazon or Ebay. The disappointing thing is I am sure when they sold me this system they knew they were going to stop supporting the line. Not a trustworthy company.

8/25/2024 and still no response from the Container Store. I think you can assume this review is accurate.

I recently had the pleasure of working with the incredible design team at The Container Store in Chelsea for a custom Elfa brand build, and I am beyond impressed with the service and dedication I received.

First and foremost, I want to recognize Kathryn, Rachel, Joel, Ben, and especially Dan, who was the mastermind behind my project. Dan started and finished the design with me, showcasing incredible patience, politeness, and thoughtfulness throughout the process. His out-of-the-box thinking and smart solutions truly made the project come to life.

The entire team played a vital role, especially when Dan fell ill. Everyone stepped in seamlessly to ensure that the project stayed on track. Their teamwork and dedication ensured that we received the materials on time and completed the setup within the tight timeframe I had. Their ability to accommodate my needs and deliver exceptional service in such a short span is truly commendable.

I am extremely grateful for their hard work and professionalism. Not only will I be returning to The Container Store for all my personal needs, but I will also be recommending their services to my various clients and using them for my production jobs and projects.

Thank you, Dan, Kathryn, Rachel, Joel, and Ben, for making this experience so positive and stress-free. You have a loyal customer in me, and I look forward to working with you all again soon! Coco.O