Pros
A 25% store discount, great if you're a product junkie and want to spend your small paycheck here. Ulta provides most tools for stylists.
Cons
Scheduled hours are limited in order to keep employees from achieving full-time benefit status, but weekend coverage is a requirement, as are opening/closing shifts. Tips are not itemized in any way - they are cashed out in a lump sum at the end of the day, no way of knowing which client tipped you or in what amount. Often tips are not received until the following day. Licensed professionals are expected to be retail sales clerks when not with a client, stocking shelves and cleaning the store, etc. Many of the employees on the retail side have a higher hourly rate of pay than the licensed salon professionals. No salon receptionist is provided - you must leave a client to answer phones, etc. This applies even if other store personnel are standing around doing nothing. You may not clock in until 5 minutes before your start of shift, allowing little to no time to set up for clients. There is no regular janitorial service in the store - floors are usually filthy, particularly the bathrooms. The Muzak soundtrack has not changed much in over a year - it is repetitive and monotonous. Employees are often asked to go to other stores for supplies and use their personal debit/credit cards to obtain merchandise for the salon. Ulta does not offer immediate reimbursement for mileage - you must go through a lengthy process in order to obtain this if required. Most stylists cannot afford to live on the wages from Ulta; they leave on a regular basis. Salon service tickets are expected to have "add-ons" in order to up the price for customers and create more renevue for the store, whether or not the services are needed or requested by the client. The only break room in the store is usually so crowded with shipment boxes that it is barely passable. Many times the laundry area is completely blocked and inaccessible due to stacks of boxes. It is an OSHA nightmare, accidents just waiting to happen. There are only 3 chairs available for anyone to use at any given time for lunches/breaks. You may NOT leave the store at any time for any reason during your shift without first being searched physically in front of a store camera. If you do not comply with this, it is grounds for termination from employment. Once you have clocked out (whether for lunch or at the end of your shift), you are waiting on your own time to be searched. Every employee must carry a purse/bag which is clear (see through) to be searched upon leaving the store. If your clothing has pockets, you will be patted down; think TSA at the airport. This is Ulta policy for all employees. Everyone is suspect.