The work environment and daily experiences are typical of a large retail corporation.
Pros
Compensation is above average for the hourly wage earner. Initial starting wage is somewhat negotiable if you have prior retail experience. Additional pay is offered to those who work on the weekends. Every employee is offered a yearly bonus check based on years worked and hourly pay. Hours are very flexible for both part-time and full-time employees. The individual employee can usually decided the amount of hours and when they work (with a few caveats). Given the flexibility in regard to setting ones own schedule and extra pay on weekends this is great job to have while attending college. Both department and store level management is easy to work with (for the most part). If the individual employee is self motivated and hard working management gives them the freedom to work without being micro-managed. Management does acknowledge those who possess a good work ethic and those that do things that are beyond what is expected of them.
Cons
The work environment and daily experiences are typical of a large retail corporation. The work done on a daily basis is very monotonous. Sustained positive motivation is difficult to maintain because at the end of the day there is nothing to show for the hard work and effort one has put in (especially when you will be doing the same thing the very next day, day-in and day-out). Those who have a good work ethic end up picking up the slack of those who do not (which is typical in any job but extremely pervasive in the retail setting). When hard working individuals are promoted and/or poor workers are finally let go management takes a very long time to replace those individuals with new hires leading to severe under staffing of key positions for lengthy periods of time. When part-time/full-time hourly employees try to follow company policy (when a customer is unhappy with it) upper-level management will usually undermine the policy to please the customer which in-turn leaves the hourly employee out on a limb and looking like a fool in the eyes of customers and fellow employees (this can be very frustrating and demoralizing). Hourly employees will encounter individuals within both lower-level and upper-level management that have the tendency to micro-manage their employees. This can be demoralizing and frustrating (especially when it gets in the way of the employee doing their job effectively and efficiently). Attendance policy is huge problem when it comes to the part-time hourly employee. There is a point system that is completely unforgiving and extremely patronizing which adversely effects part-time hourly employees.
