Prepare yourself for a less than ideal work-life balance. As a part time CSA this wasn't too bad, but Wardrobe Consultants and store management can expect to pull 12 hour shifts and six day work weeks during busy seasons (holiday, prom). Regarding busy seasons, this is retail, so the holidays, wedding season, and prom season bring in the usual herds of stressed out and unreasonably angry people. Everything is too expensive and you are at fault. Now smile and apologize. If you aren't used to these sorts of customers or are new to retail, I wouldn't recommend Men's Wearhouse as your first foray into the industry.
Advancement is difficult to come by. I've expressed the desire to move to full-time on several occasions, but regional management has my store manager's hands tied. The annual raise is reasonable, but nothing that will make you elated. I've heard frank complaints that promotions in the regional and upper management sphere rely heavily on favoritism.
And this may not be every store, but you don't really get breaks. There will be times when you're sent on a food run for the team. There will be times when the store is empty for ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes. These are your breaks. I had an assistant manager tell me this. Now, if you insist that you're going to take a break no one will stop you. But it is frowned upon and you risk alienating yourself from the people you work with. Coming from a job where we were practically forced to take breaks, this was quite the culture shock. I understand the logic behind it. Customer rushes are only predictable to a degree, and no one wants to be stuck in a storm one hand short. But when breaks I didn't take are deducted from my timesheet at the end of the week anyway, it's difficult not to be angry.
