Pros
Over the past couple of years Store Managers have had a fair amount autonomy and authority over their individual stores. Store managers have been able to make decisions that can have real impact on improving store performance and their ability to earn bonuses. Store Managers, Shift Supervisors and Team Members get to work with a fun staff (mostly college aged) and interact with the public in a friendly environment. The coffee is great and as a perk it's free to staff. Working at Coffee Shops is fun. The Store Manager bonus plan is fair. My immediate superior is fair, friendly, and professional.
Cons
The pay doesn't really fit the amount of time and energy that has to be spent to run a successful store (48 hours a week on the clock, often time off the clock). Annual raises are small (often not keeping up with the increased cost of health care). Employer health care is unaffordable for most Shift Supervisors and Team Members and very expensive for Store Managers. Caribou Coffee has gone years without properly investing in technology, leaving it with slow computers, inefficient POS systems, buggy ill-designed hiring software and out-of-date non-integrated back-office software that is frustrating to use and wastes time. Caribou requires Store Managers to follow strict labor guidelines, but they do not provide the IT tools necessary to get their work done on such a tight schedule. Caribou offers little opportunity to advance beyond the Store Manager position.