Pros
I would have been a for-lifer it it hadn't been for the pay. The people, store culture, clothing, overall vibe of the brand resonates with me the most out of any retail job I've held. Generous discount, free shoe certificates for incentives/quality work and the support from my peers was unmatched.
Cons
Pay was far too low, but not the worst I've seen in retail. Things changed on a dime, company layoffs, quick marketing changes with little to no notice/no materials or support for it. Major lack in labor support as well: high amount of freight with no hours to get it done, reprimanded for being off the floor or overusing labor to get it all done, often falling behind timelines and floorset execution because of that with no empathy or understanding from upper management. High expectation selling culture with low or no incentive (no commission, but top performers got better discounts). Vans was/is suffering financially and made a lot of cuts to things that are crucial for store teams to flourish: technology, leadership conference opportunity, labor again.