The work/life balance in this position is just awful. Sure, I understand that every store has different needs every week. I knew that it was going to be necessary to have a flexible schedule and be prepared for some late days. I knew all of that going into this. I was aware that there were going to be busier periods around the holidays. They were very up-front about this during the interview process, and that's fine. But absolutely do not expect to have any sort of life outside of this position during the holiday seasons (Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, etc.). If you are a younger person or any kind of student, I absolutely do not recommend this position. They really do mean it when they say it's a good position for retirees because they have nothing else to do with their time, although that might be hard to believe if you saw how heavy some of the shipments were packed. I mean, is it really necessary to have to team-lift a box of greeting cards, or find someone else to lift it for you because you physically can't lift a box that big and that heavy? Honestly, what they expect of their merchandisers borders on unreasonable. They compensate for time and miles traveled (plus), but what about the wear and tear on my personal vehicle? They refuse to compensate for tolls despite it being the quicker way to get to your locations, because "it's not the *only* way to get there." Then stop telling us in our initial orientation that we can submit expense reports for tolls! They get very pushy if you don't sign up to do extra inventories and installations outside of your normal working hours, even if you tell them beforehand you have preexisting engagements, or other stores to visit that day. They push it as "fun money" in the little video they make you watch before you decide if you want to apply. No. No, it is not fun money. It is not part time. It is not casual. It is a full time, physically demanding job. Do not apply to be a retail merchandiser with Hallmark unless you are retired or a stay-at-home parent with time on your hands, and can deadlift an overpacked, 90-120 pound box of shoddily packed merchandise. If you're capable and you like that kind of thing, then yeah, this might be for you. I'm just saying, if I'd known what it was really like before I applied, I would have stayed at my last job (and I was getting my hours cut there).
