Pros
As a store manager, you set the culture of your store. You can hire the type of employees that make the job worthwhile. Your colleagues in the district will support you because you are in it together.
Cons
This company is easily the worst company that I have worked for. They are too behind in the times. There is a mandatory 6 day work week during the holidays while there are some notable companies that have instituted 4 day schedules. Working on Thanksgiving when the majority of retailers are closed showed that upper management does not care about our lives outside of their four walls. There is no work -life balance. You have to work 3/4 weekends a month and stay until at least 5 on weekdays. You are required to work 48 hours per week for the majority of the year which is not the worst but when you consider what that means in terms of scheduling- the only thing you have time for is rest so that you have enough energy to go back to work again. They preach safety but make you carry thousands of dollars in deposits to the bank at 10PM. If there was a threat to our safety in the moment there would be no recourse. Poor salary. The assistant managers that I inherited have never worked in a professional environment. They do not know empathy, common courtesy or how to problem solve. I’ve been called on my day off for the most trivial things. People will call my personal phone and ask me for the schedule when it is posted online and within the store. There have been times where my ASM has left me stranded so I’d have to find coverage or I’d be working their shift as well. Some of this is typical for the industry but I have never experienced this level of incompetence and apathy in any setting. If you need the job, take it, but know that this is what you will have to deal with. The bottom line is you’ll need to have patience and tough skin for this role because you will not last without it.
