Pros
You get to lift other women up by using fashion. There is nothing like helping someone that doesn't feel "beautiful" or "seen" feel those things and this role allows you to do that daily. In the beginning you are told its not about the sales its about making the "connection" and if you drink the Kool-Aid that is true for as long as you want it to be.
Cons
Where to start? -The pay scale is not according to where you live. Most managers have similar pay across the US. Which makes you very underpaid in cities where the cost of living is high. - Work life balance can be extremely challenging when in Management, especially if you have a regional manager who struggles to empathize with you because they too are working 50+ hours a week but unlike yourself they do not see the problem with that. - Keeping a store staffed can be very challenging. A LOT of turn over. (The sales tactic can be hard for stylist who just want a part time job and the pay for stylist isn't very competitive) - Job advancement is based on how much you are liked not how well you interview and forget qualifications those will not advance your career. - Regional management is very gossipy. They tend to talk down about their managers to their managers. It can make you wonder what terrible things they are saying about you. - It doesn't matter how well your store is preforming if someone from above doesn't like you they will find every reason to make your life a living HELL till you quit. In some cases even after you give a notice they will harass you. - Very Manipulative. They may encourage their employees to "go up instead of out" but they do not practice that at all. - You aren't allowed to have bad days. If its hard and you've worked a 12 hour day you are encouraged to find the joy in your struggle! - They teach managers to have empathy for their teams and their customers but the company does not do the same for their store managers. -Some Regional management will yell at you if they are frustrated and unsure how to communicate those frustration. -Not very diverse. Management all tend to look like clones of one another. -Its just another retail job wrapped in a HEART shaped package. You are fed a lot about how the numbers don't matter "just focus on the connection" but the reality is that its retail and they need to make a profit. As a manager at the end of the day you are just another number.