Pros
An honest focus on supporting the missions of world-class museums. Every items sold sends money back to the museums they partner with, so you can work retail and still support a bigger mission or something you are more passionate about. The items sold are fun and different, there are a lot of opportunities to interact with all kinds of people and to learn about business at the same time. Hard work is rewarded and celebrated. Stores are encouraged to each have their own identity. Management is good about taking constructive criticism, and the corporate office is easy to call in to- the general phone list even provide's the President's phone number, which is unheard of in most companies. He answers the phone personally and responds in email, he does not ignore people.
Cons
Every store is different, and has a different need. Because the museum business is highly seasonal, some years are amazing with wonderful coworkers, and some are a challenge with people that just want to make a quick buck and don't support one another. Hiring has to be done carefully so that entitled people don't start taking over and trying to just get a paycheck for nothing. There are no free rides at Event Network- our work is a challenge, so only apply if you're ready to actually help people and try to make guests happy. HR is becoming more and more detached from reality recently. They roll out new programs every year that we all waste time learning that end up taking more time than ever. Many new things are not tested fully and stores have to fly blind. I would rather write out an annual report on a chalkboard everyday than give another dime to ADP, that company is useless. Upper echelon management has been hired out of company, which is risky and doesn't pay off often- we need longer interview processes for these positions to be sure that new hires will believe in our mission and not just bring whatever garbage they've learned in normal retail. We are not normal retail and don't want to be.
