Pros
I work on the commercial side of one of AAP's hub stores. I really enjoy the day-to-day aspects of what I do. I live in a relatively small town where everybody knows everybody, so when customers come in we can not only discuss real business needs but we can talk about non-business related topics as well. It makes for a very good relationship between our customers and our company. I often joke about how we should install a row of beer taps on the back wall just to see how long some of our customers would come by and hang around. Some of them literally will come in just to chat without buying a single thing. That's just the nature of our business. They trust us and treat us as friends and equals rather than just a faceless storefront where they can source parts for their next repair. The camaraderie that I share with my co-workers and with my customers is literally unparalleled. That's what makes me love what I do. This is the first job I've ever had where I sincerely wake up looking forward to going to work.
Cons
It appears as though the company, writ large, is more focused on retaining cash assets than they are interested in making our jobs easier. With over 10 years of parts experience I'd expect that they'd be willing to pay me more than I'm currently earning. Beyond that, though, our company has repeatedly shown, time and again, that they are patently unwilling to expend anything other than the slightest amount of money in order to to give us a respectable building to work in. We have leaks in the roof - which oftentimes drip directly onto parts that could be adversely affected by moisture - and a whole host of other issues that we have tried to address with non-store management. None of it, I am sad to say, has had any effect on anything. We are told that these are issues we need to deal with ourselves, but if we call in a third-party company to address issues we regard as problems then a veritable conniption fit is had by the same non-store management since any expenditures of this sort directly affect bonuses. In essence, I love my job but I hate where I work. Does that make sense?