Pros
A few sincerely passionate/ positive people still work there. The illusion of advancement. Buffet days were nice. Days go by quickly. Radios are a useful tool for helping with customer needs.
Cons
New management every 2 years, which seems like a great opportunity, but because of extreme favoritism, nepotism, and complete dependence on character surveys as their only way of evaluating any employee's worth, is sadly perpetually filled with people that will guarantee an open management position every 2 years. Benefits they claim are a joke. if you have any family medical issues, be ready to go into 5 figures before your insurance (premiums, deductibles, and copay) kicks in. Because it's retail (not harmons fault), it is difficult to plan family activities around holidays. Vacations are also hard to use, depending on your manager, they are sometimes required to be submitted a year in advance and can't be anywhere near a holiday. Sick days are accumulated, but if you ever use one, beware of the condescending crap storm that comes after, also because crews are cut so tight, it means your coworkers have to work twice as hard to cover. Also unless you retire with the company, you just throw away the hours upon the time you quit. Many departments consist of 1 person, meaning that when they are gone, no one knows anything about that department. Quality of food is good, but you would spend less at a steakhouse on many items, you definitely have to pack your lunch. The pay for some positions is horrid, while new positions with no responsibility or accountability are often created and dissolved. everyone below department manager basically tops out at the same pay scale. Aside from a few notable pay decreases (15% plus in some positions), inflation has outpaced any cost of living adjustments. It is astounding to see the money the company dumps into new stores and unprofitable business ventures and departments, only to redo them completely or scrap them entirely the next year, meanwhile cutting service for customers, resources, benefits, and labor in the profitable stores and departments. Years of service are regarded with contempt. if you have worked over 5 years with the company you are treated as a complete imbecile, you can't possibly understand the new "cutting edge" way the stores are being run, yet the same people are running things at the top now were running it 20 years ago. apparently they are the only ones who can change with times...