It's retail. Even if you work hard and follow the rules, you'll probably never get promoted. But that's retail.
Pros
If you want a challenge, this is the place for you. Yes, it's an autocracy, but if you can survive at Dick's, you can handle just about anything at any other company. It's a beat-down, and it takes a special type of person to excel at DSG, but don't expect to get promoted. Just expect to be able to handle anything at any other company and treat it like a walk in the park.
Cons
Completely disorganized from the top down. Corporate management has absolutely zero experience with day to day retail store operations, and they think it's beneath them to actually spend some time working in a store like a regular associate, so they're completely disconnected from what actually happens in their own company. This creates a massive rift, and nobody above the district level seems to have any grasp on what is actually happening in the company. And outside of the stock prices, it feels like nobody really cares. The associates are expected to perform several weeks worth of tasking in a couple hours, but the company still preaches a "customer service" attitude. Coming from a company that truly focused on customer service, Dick's has literally beaten it out of me. It's impossible to meet their expectations and still help customers, so you literally have to ignore customers so you can finish all the tasks that Dick's expects you to complete, otherwise your job is in jeopardy. That's the philosophy of WalMart, and we should be better than that.