Pros
It is a joy to work outside in downtown Phoenix from October to May. You get to walk 11-15 miles/day, depending on how fast you walk. People on the street are generally nice and happy you're there to help. This is great experience if you want to become a Park Ranger, Forest Ranger, first responder, Security professional or any other public-facing customer service position. You won't advance far within this organization. You could be an Ambassador for years before becoming a shift supervisor, who also works in the field.
Cons
Phoenix is hot as hell May to October and walking 10+ miles/day on concrete in 115 degree heat is hard on your body. They won't give you 2 days off in a row like a normal job, which really hard if you have family or a social life. Training is a joke; you're self-taught. It's hard to learn new things in the high heat, so start this job in the fall so you can acclimate. The uniform is VERY uncomfortable. Management is abusive and I am not sure how they got into the business of HELPING others when they're so unkind to staff, especially ambassadors. They're sarcastic and very stand-off-ish. They're doing you a favor if they speak to you. I had a supervisor holler at me because I questioned his advice. If you take the "heat breaks" you're allotted, they'll use them as evidence you can't take the heat, literally, and use it as evidence to terminate you. Arizona is a fire-at-will state. They can let you go for any reason. You're NOT allowed to stop walking and must keep moving because public perception is MORE IMPORTANT than actually helping people. GET COPIES OF ALL THE PAPERWORK YOU SIGN AND KEEP THEM AT HOME. They run a tight ship and you cannot be on time. You must be early to work and prompt in returning to the office at night because they'll lock you out and pretend they didn't know you were knocking or calling the supervisor on duty. WARNING: During your 90-day probationary period, they HIRE PROFESSIONAL ACTORS of all kinds, shapes, color, sizes, and "looks," who are very persuasive if not aggressive. DTPHX, Inc. even has BOARD MEMBERS approach you on the street incognito to try to trip you up. In fact, the office staff will give you conflicting information to see how you will react. For example, if your GM says one thing at the office, the front desk agent will call you later on your work cell or radio and tell you something different in order to see if you will then contact your GM or Supervisor for clarification. These actors, staff, and secret shoppers will figuratively throw everything at you they can to see how you will react and purposefully get you to OVER react or to go against policy. And this starts the moment you show up for your very 1st interview. The moment you pull into the parking garage until you leave the parking garage, they have City Scape and DTPHX, Inc. employees monitoring your every action and word. The whole operation from your 1st interview to your 90th day of probation is a fine-tuned, well-orchestrated customer service and policy BOOT CAMP. If you ask for more training, training materials (like maps), or for help, they look down on that as if you can't "handle" the job. They act as if it takes a "special person" to handle this position. It's quite abusive from the top down and I've never worked so hard for so little pay ($14/hour). I earn more driving for Lyft & Uber.
