Pros
Without the sales pressure that the corporate branches get dealt, this is a wonderful place to work. Our store doesn't have to work with regional managers or corporate training at all. We are taught (by each other) to appreciate the history, quality and beauty of tea, and genuinely try to help others embrace it, or at least use it to improve their health in small steps. The store owners let us govern ourselves, and we're fine with that. The hiring process is rigorous, with all employees giving input on which candidates (we often see them when they come in to apply or check on their status) are or are not fit for the job. All of us deeply love and respect tea, and we try to hire only people in whom we see that potential. Overall, this location - a franchise, one of two left in the entire company - is a laid-back store, without the daily pressure of meeting an unrealistic sales goal. With good merchandise and pleasant salespeople, it just happens on its own. Our discount is 50% on drinks (off the clock), 40% on loose tea, and 30% on everything else. Drinks are free on the clock. We get to wear what we want as long as it's appropriate, and we're close enough with the general manager that hours are flexible and plentiful. Being a part of this single franchise location is a dream.
Cons
Any and all corporate ties our store holds are awful. Dealing with shipments is a huge pain (they even get shipped to the store owners' house sometimes), and we're always the last to hear about corporate news. There is regular workplace stress, as sales in teas are rising and sales in teaware are in decline, so profits are kind of skewed. More people want to buy loose teas for their health than they do an expensive pot to brew in, and adjusting to that curve is difficult. With the kind of expansion this company is looking to make, maintaining high quality product is a serious concern and a difficulty - we used to sell fine cast iron and bone china sets, the real deal. Now we sell more imitation-china sets (made with dangerously thin 'soft' ceramic, instead of the 'hard' ceramic of bone). Product quality is definitely in decline across the board to accomodate more locations. It's not good.