Pros
A job as an Assistant Manager at DSW is simple and easy to do. The customers as a whole are not stuck up. (easy to please) You can do whatever you want to make the customer happy. (typical of most retailers) The pace is fast which makes your day go by quickly.
Cons
The store managers idolize the District Directors and Regional Managers. I've never seen grown adults fear upper management like they do at DSW. This may be because they rarely visit stores but mainly constructive feedback is gossiped around the entire district. For example: if State street had a "bad visit" every manager will know about it. I've heard multiple managers and associates compare upper management to the movie "mean girls" Store Managers rarely quit or get fired so your only hope to moving up is becoming a "co-manager this is especially true in the chicago market. I've personally witnessed store managers who have kept there role as store manager after multiple years of negative KPI's. The only way to be on the good side of your superiors is to suck up to them, strong work ethic or customer compliments don't mean anything its about making your upper manager feel good. This is accomplished by being extreme mean to your follow managers and associates in order to produce the numbers they want which is manly REWARDS. I've personally witnessed store managers, co-managers,and assistant managers make up rewards customers because they were fearful of having a low rewards percentage. So overall this is an extremely toxic and stressful company to be in at the present moment. A second point to bare in mind before you take a job at DSW... you may be a shoe lover... but who wants to walk around a warehouse, back and forth in huge aisles attempting to sign up every customer who walks by for rewards eight hours a day??? Thats DSW in a nutshell.. I did it for a long time...I regret it