Pros
My job has me going into stores to make sure displays are set up correctly. If not, I work with the store to make certain they are. Perhaps there's a cardboard shipper of the latest Call of Duty game that the gaming software company paid to have set up near the front entrance as soon as it was released. I arrive at the store and it's still in the stockroom. I work with the store to identify a place it should go, assemble the cardboard shipper, place it and put price tags on it. On another call, I might be hanging samples of Proctor & Gamble's new Gain Flings laundry pods on bottles of their liquid detergents in Home Depot. On another, I could be calling on an Office Max for Microsoft and find that their newest mouse is not displayed in their interactive mice and keyboard display. I"ll meet with the manager, and check their planogram for the section, and, if the new mouse is on the current planogram, work with them to bring the planogram into compliance so Microsoft's current key items are all on display. The work is assigned via internet, usually 2 or 3 weeks before it is due. Then, I schedule it, on the day I expect to complete it (M-F). I am able to work around my other commitments (e.g., meeting my workout partner at the gym 2x/week, my Pilates class, a dentist appt, accompanying my son's class on a field trip, long weekend outta town trip, etc.) and schedule the work before and after.
Cons
Sometimes, the work takes longer than the company has estimated it will take, due to unforeseen challenges that may arise in the field. I have found that my manager, a phone call or e-mail away, will always supplement my timesheet to reflect the actual time I spent. I do have to take the time to send that e-mail. Sometimes, a store manager is harried and doesn't want to accommodate you. In these circumstances, I can show the Letter of Authorization that's in my instructions, and then they sometimes comply, or I will offer to reschedule to another time. If you're not an early riser, this job's probably not for you, because the easiest time to reach decisionmakers and get things done in the store is at 7 or 8 a.m. Also, since Christmas is the busiest consumer holiday, the 6 weeks between November 1 and December 15 are the busiest. Most of the year, I work 15-20 hours weekly. Those 6 weeks, I receive enough work opportunities to schedule 40 hours weekly. If you are unable to meet this seasonal demand, this might not be the job for you.
