Pros
I was a sales associate/optician- I found it a fun job- working with the public (if you like that), most stores are centrally located in town, easy enough job. Easy to make commission, or used to be- see cons.
Cons
EyeMart has changed the commission structure considerably in the last 6 months. It used to be very straightforward and easy to make money and understand the pay structure- you sold 2 pair of glasses, higher price frame the better, and you made decent money for what you were doing. NOW, they have gone against their own philosophies and introduced coupons into the mix, which they send to customers, and also print out at POS. These coupons give customers special deals, but guess what? They strip you of your commission if used. So the company is having you pay for their marketing strategies. This is sneaky BS. Other cons are what people have already hinted at. Management at EME is very corrupt and biased, most of them are less competent than store workers, they're just tenured or brown nosers. Some of the least transparent investigative/firing processes I've ever seen in a company, with respect to a former coworker. Very underhanded. Opportunities are a final black mark on the company. If you're in retail, they'll push you into the MIT programme, which leads on to the Store Manager position. But Store Managers get paid close to or less than Sales Associates! Not to mention, they have to deal with previously mentioned management. So bottom line, this is a position with NO realistic promotion opportunities.