Pros
I actually worked in this position approximately from 2013 to when they closed their doors in 2017, I believe. In this time, I had a truly positive experience and learned a lot, and I believe this was mostly because of my experience with management and the culture of the place. Management looked out for employees, made us feel safe, and made sure things were done by the book and with integrity (such as making sure we took breaks when needed, no matter how busy it was..even though this was based on PA standards and wasn't the norm for staff to take those breaks in VA, management never cut corners or took advantage). Management worked hard to ensure a high standard and quality in the ways staff coordination, food safety and products were handled, whether being sold or if it was damaged, for example, there was consistent care and consideration in how things were done. We had a collaborative team environment that encouraged loyalty, dedication, and motivated us to do our best and not become "the weakest link", as we had a reputation to uphold. We were offered comprehensive workplace trainings, opportunities for growth and cross-training, in a diverse, non-discriminatory environment, with people of all different races, nationalities, ages, and abilities. I recommended this location as a workplace to some friends, who were hired, and then recommended it to their friends, so I saw many people commuting from my small town to come work for this employer and stayed until the location closed. Management worked hard to ensure staff and customers felt heard, protected, considered, and taken seriously, regardless of how petty the situation seemed or appeared to be "right", I saw all calibers of matters handled responsibly and with the utmost professionalism. Management style always centered quality over quick-fixes and prioritized people rather than simply seeing "staff" or "customer". We were encouraged to do our work right and work thoughtfully in every area or operations, from onboarding to training, to how we handled crisis or theft, management played a huge role, in my opinion, when it came to standardizing practices and creating a culture of excellence. This was always made obvious in customer feedback. We were in a tight-knit community, in a fast paced part of town, serving an older, wealthier clientele with high standards, but had many regulars and often heard positive feedback from them, listing reasons why they refuse to shop anywhere else, praising customer service and the quality of the products, but especially the quality of care and attention to detail that was apparent in our store. We were often told how good customer service was and how efficiently our staff seemed to function, and I believe customers could tell that it was a well-managed work environment. I also believe this contributed to people's overall attitude, and made people approach work more responsibly, as something our staff took pride in. Just knowing that the hard work and consistency we put in as a team could provide a certain level of experience that was felt by customers was personally fulfilling and it seemed to motivate others to uphold our good reputation.
Cons
It's hard to find cons for this experience. Sometimes management seemed overworked, but they took pride in their job and were loyal/dedicated individuals. Perhaps more vetting needed to go into hiring; however, their openness to hiring different individuals with varied backgrounds wasn't strictly a bad thing. There was an environment where most people could get a job fairly easily, but because of the culture, anyone who was hired would work hard to meet the standards that were already put in place and if they didn't fit that culture of integrity, they would move on, but most people (even those who weren't immediately a good cultural fit) seemed to step up to become productive and responsible members of the team, without too much prompting. That's just the kind of workplace we had, and I'm glad to have been a part of it.