Pros
-Coworkers are great. -Managers are understanding and mostly competent. -Bulk discounts are great for business owners. -Wide selection. -FINALLY installed mirrors on the registers so we don't have to scan underneath every single cart anymore.
Cons
Corporate lacks practicality and compassion. A few days ago the computer servers went down and we could only accept cash or credit. No debit or EBT or WiC. We wanted to put up a sign in the window to let customers know about the issue, but unfortunately corporate won't let us put signs in the windows because "they think it looks tacky". So the entire day everyone was running around like headless chickens, approaching the customers at the door to let them know of our computer issue, and announcing it on the PA system every <5 minutes when we couldn't catch the customers at the door (we were short staffed, so we couldn't just leave someone at the door.) Making us run around, waste our breath, time, and energy, all because we couldn't put a sign on the door. Same issue happens every. Single. Day. With the exits. One of our doors is an entrance only because it's right next to the alcohol, so customers try to leave that way all the time, and we have to try to tell them, then get demoralized when they ignore us and barge through the doors like water buffalo anyway. If corporate would let us keep up a sign on the inside that says "This door is closed", it's possible we wouldn't have to waste our breath quite so much. Continuing this issue, our store is falling apart and there's nothing they will do about it. The furnace has been broken for 3 years so it's always cold in the store. The roof next to the charcoal rack leaks. One of the blinds is missing in the window and the setting sun blinds the cashiers. Register 2 is missing a drawer, and the computer screen is held up with a roll of register tape. The vinyl tops of the registers are peeling and have been screwed down several times. The chip readers are finicky after one system update and frequently need the card's chips to be cleaned before they can be read. The store is held together with office supplies and spite, and the only thing powering us through it is each other. (if we're lucky) I have also run into issues before with HR about break times. By California law, breaks are supposed to begin once you reach the resting area, not when you leave the register. since it can easily take 1-2 minutes to walk to the back room of our store. (it's a larger store) So I have been nagged for taking "12 minute breaks", when that's completely within legal specifications. This is why some places make it a 15 minute break to account for travel time.