Pros
The clothes and discount perks. Understanding more about clothing than before, as well as what other buy/sell/trade stores may take or not. And you may (MAY) see or interact with a celebrity because they're in town because of Portlandia.
Cons
It is a fear-run company. The management is always watching like a hawk for an employee to mess up. They run their workers ragged, especially those who aren't the right blend of "cool" to be favored by the management. The running joke is that it's the "olympics of retail." The employees are forced to fake most of their interactions, with genuine connections being sparse. The relationship dynamics are very fake, it's just like high school, only more pathetic and degrading. Genuine people never make it past 3-8 months. BE's version of an advancement - after the well-hyped 6 month review - is a few extra cents to the pay wage and a lot more responsibilities. There are times where the employee will feel very unsafe, either from junkies tweaking, shoplifters, people wanting to come in after closing when you're cleaning, or people who get really offended their stuff wasn't bought and yell threats at everyone. Did I mention the extra joy of checking pockets and shoes for hypoallergenic needles, dealing with soiled clothing, getting to sit down only on breaks, and cleaning up after people who have no respect for anything and merchandise everywhere? If you are an introvert: Never, ever apply to this place. Shop/sell/trade/whatever only. They will force you to interact with literally everyone that comes across your path, even when it's completely obvious the shopper doesn't want to be disturbed; if you don't, you'll be demerited and that much closer to being fired, which you'll be fearing your whole shift, every day. You'll have to be suspicious of everyone and tail those who look like they just might be shoplifters like wild animals closing in on prey. You'll have to be the managers' slave. They will even let customers stay past closing time, when you'll be desperately hungry and tired and probably late for your public transit. Usually these people who come around closing time are ignorant idiots and mosey around like, "hey babe, look at this! HAHAHAHA! High-five!" and have no problem taking their sweet time, obviously not going to buy anything, and being the only people besides the workers in the store. Never ever expect an apology from anyone - customers or co-workers and especially the almighty management that will never admit when they're wrong. If you are in school: Do not apply to this place. The store closes at 9, but meetings will go well past 11. And no matter your role, you will have homework: Going to the mall and getting more familiar with materials, and checking prices, and knowing all the trends, and having to do reports and quizzes. It's a nightmare if you're trying to do well in school. Even if you have a super early class and are a cashier (which makes the buyer meetings nearly pointless for you), you will be in major trouble if you want/need to leave early or skip to get a decent amount of sleep before a giant test the next morning. Sometimes you'll have to clean until past midnight when the regional manager is rumored to come to town, or when it's inventory night. And forget trying to get homework done on break, everyone is too noisy and distracting in the break room to achieve any focus. If you are sensitive to noise, stay clear. It gets insanely crowded and loud, and the music IS ALWAYS THE SAME EVERY DAY. Sure, maybe a few diamond in the rough songs, but mostly, if music is in any way distracting to you, you won't be able to concentrate or will have to work extra hard to keep a conversation going; and keep those songs from driving you insane. BE is an incredible place to shop, trade, buy, all that, but working there requires a very tough shell and might ruin your faith in humanity for years.