Pros
- Starting base pay as a Photo Tech is relatively good compared to other similar retail businesses. - As with other retail environments, there are definitely some interesting people to work with. - A good number of the stores close at 10 and you leave around 10:30 (better than some other low-end jobs). - 5 cents to your paycheck for every "item of the month" you sell. A certain percentage of an upsell (Photo CDs, Index Print, ect.) as well. - Danny Pudi (aka "Abed" from "Community") stars in one of the orientation videos as an irate customer. Could not stop laughing, even if he was yelling at me. - As with any customer service job, there are customers that kick ass and some that kick your ass. - CEO has a blog that he updates frequently that can be read on the company's intranet. Has an understanding and compassionate tone of voice in an otherwise dark environment. Always encourages and reads feedback and comments, even the negative and rude ones. - You can lean against the counter. Trust me, it's a blessing.
Cons
PHOTO DEPARTMENT - As a Photo Tech, there are lots of ways to ruin someone's film (expect no safety net, no back-up procedure). - The machines are slightly outdated, still relying on floppy discs to back-up the system every night. - Manuals to photo machines are less than helpful (and, in my case, in broken English). - If you close, you are literally the only person in the store who knows anything about the machines. If something goes wrong and you don't know how to fix it, your only option is to close the department down for the night. - Managers can't help you because they don't know anything about the photo department. MANAGEMENT - Managers come and go, new ones know little about the store and are generally incompetent. - Expect a new manager every couple weeks or so. - At my location, Store Manager was condescending and belittling with a "holier than thou" attitude. No sense of humor, stuck-up and egocentric. Made her job her entire identity. - Managers either (A) hate their job more than anything else and show it all the time or (B) are fighting for a promotion by mimicking the store managers' harmful and degrading actions. - Management not afraid to threaten termination. More roads lead to being fired than to a promotion. POLICY & PROCEDURE - One break two hours in (15 minutes), one lunch four hours in (30 minutes), nothing for the rest of the time (about five or six hours). - There are days where you are scheduled to work an entire shift at the front register, a good nine to ten hours. There's a mental "sinking" feeling that comes after hour five. Your mind flips onto auto-pilot as you become this over polite, apologetic fake person. - Very anti-union as seen in one of the orientation videos, "anti-" to the point of ridiculousness. - Management takes advantage of no union by making unnecessary policies that hinder morale. - Socializing with co-workers is heavily frowned upon. - Twice as many video cameras as people on staff. Puts any given bank to shame. Pointless security procedures, excessive number of cameras, and amount of time management spends watching security videos makes Walgreens look like a state penitentiary. - Pharmacy staff and store staff are essentially two separate entities that are aware of each other but don't fraternize for unknown reasons. CUSTOMERS (the few bad ones) - The sheer amount of coupon hoarders who watch over every item scanned like a hawk. For some reason, they ALL seem to have no patience and consideration. - Customers who ask for a never before requested tobacco brand and expect you to know exactly where it is in two seconds flat. Your confusion is met with swift hostility.