Pros
Brand representative support. Attention from the buyers. Most of the buyers were courteous and engaging. Received a lot of feedback. Hands-on in interpreting sales and associate performance, inventory levels, and manpower. Definitely a plus for business-minded individuals who want to further his/her career in retail. Generous employee discount.
Cons
There was no autonomy in making management decisions which confused associates. Managers were no longer permitted or limited in making minor changes, received unwanted associate transfers, and manager training was not sufficient. Limited technology implementation. Sales per Hour (SPH) is hard to achieve when so many duties are imposed on the associates (sell, merchandise, stock, markdowns). Frequent and sometimes unnecessary corporate visits which detracted from the sales and pending work. (Average of 2 per month, the most experienced was 4 in one month). No work/life balance for managers. Excess of 60+ hour work-weeks. Frequent six-day work weeks.