Pros
--20% discount effective immediately upon employment, 40% discount on certain "double discount" days that occur a few times a year. --Management is willing to work with your schedule and has no problem granting requested days off if advanced notice is given. --The work-life balance is excellent for most retail associates, which gives them time to work outside jobs, attend school, or be with their families. --Looks good on a resume for other retail positions. --The store is closed on major holidays.
Cons
--Unless a rare full-time position is available, ALL associates start out part-time. This means that you can work anywhere from 8-25 hours, with 18 being the average. Also, the average hourly wage for associates is about $7.50/hr. This is okay if you are a college student or a housewife who doesn't really need a job, but if you have to solely support yourself and your child(ren), this job alone won't be enough. --The work is hectic. The store is often completely destroyed, and only 3-4 associates are left at the end of the day to clean up the mess. --Home office is cheap in terms of payroll. Managers are made to function with the least number of staff members as possible. Because the registers are the main priority, this often results in floor staff having to double as cashiers--which in turn leads to them not finishing their assigned department. However, if management attempts to help out on the floor or assist associates in need, they are berrated by their superiors for not "supervising" enough. --Improper training. New associates are often thrown into a disaster-ridden department and told to "recover", but they don't know what that means. As a result, they spend their entire shift detailing one small section rather than focusing on the overall neatness of their area. --Low expections in terms of punctuality and attendance.