Best Part Time Retail Gig I've Had To Date
Pros
according to the reviews - readers should note that in retail no matter what company, the work culture varies from store to store. if you get bad management/employee team - the job will suck no matter what. so far i feel that based on my past experiences in other retail jobs, at present i have really lucked out working here at Micro Center's only PA store. Best job for geeks and nerds - nice to be able to talk about computer and pop culture stuff with coworkers. most of the coworkers game online with each other and socialize with each other outside of work. that is very rare, if you arent a geek, i'd say to apply at another store because you will not like it as much. Most of the customers have been loyal to the store for years, most of the employees have been with the company for years and its almost a small town/family atmosphere where everyone knows your name - like Cheers for geeks! I have been working PT as a cashier here for almost 8 months and i felt more respected with coworkers and managers here than the 2 plus years previous that i worked at another similar retail chain. started off with more money than last retail job and at least with the cashier end, we get commissions on replacement plans like the sales staff does and it makes the paycheck easier on the eyes. and speaking of the replacement plans, while the store management encourages persistant sales of the plans for the front end, i dont feel pressured to lie or mislead customers about them. they sell themselves and since the plans are completely in-house and start the day of purchase, a majority of the customers like them and use them. they are vigilant about keeping up with training for everyone. employees mostly have a teamwork positive attitude with regard to working with each other. some cashiers move over to the sales department, lured by the chance to make a high competitive wage on commission. and some sales people move to the more steady paycheck on the front end. Company picnics and parties, small gift cards on birthdays, very understanding to PT workers (many people at the store work full time other jobs and they schedule with that consideration) employee discount! (its really good for impulse/snack items, replacement plans on high end items, and some moderately priced items) 1hr breaks on most weekdays and saturday (1/2 on sunday). the service techs are required to be A+ certified to work at the store, compared to other stores like Best Buy or Staples that means less likely to mess up your computer worse than when it gets brought in some sales people take on extra roles, like leading class seminars for customers or even basic level tech support for the store's equipment. even the most cynical employees contribute a bit extra for the stores overall operations. employee referral program brings in a lot of people that while nepotistic, adds to the store morale because good people bring in other good people to the store and its another chance to make friends out of friends of friends! the managers are approachable and i respect them for the most part, that is something havent been able to say in forever about any job ive had in years.
Cons
first and formost for a cashier is the VERY antiquated and tedious POS system. customers get fed up with the long lines and take it out on YOU, while you are doing the best you can - if the system prolongs a transaction it dampens the effect of good customer service. prepare to deal with people getting salty with you because they dont want to give out names and email addresses - the system is set up that you are obligated to ask them and it irritates customers even more. 99% of most retail chains have top of the line POS systems with touch screens and faster options for customer transactions... we are the 1% with a CRT/text based system run with linux that hasnt been upgraded in 25 years. i would suggest to prospective cashiers to be boning up on touch typing while most the employees here are good natured, one person having a bad day and making a customer irate ends up being a reflection on the team and again makes giving good customer service challenging with repeat customers who get spotty service. sometimes even the manager's attitudes rub both coworkers and customers the wrong way. as a cashier, we are responsible for counting out our tills at the end of shift, that can be time consuming and if there is a problem with the drawer - you are on the hook! there are tensions between departments at times, and some of the sales people are trying to make commission have no problem throwing you under the bus or hassling you if they think you are a threat to that. also while front end can make commission on plans, there have been incidents of people getting their commissions taken from them by sales - frankly if you didnt tell your customers about the plans and we did at the counter.. its your loss! you signed on to do a commission job, and that means having to compete even with hourly staff! also when staff are too busy, or too lazy to take down expired price signs, we have to deal with angry customers and pulling managers over to do overrides, and when the store is at a high volume of activity it can be futile to get what you need from other managers and staff, adding to frustration all around. communication breakdowns are frequent, causes problems with resolving customer and staff issues advancement can be slow due to lack of opportunities or business dynamics for those who wish to. the dark side of nepotism is that certain people can and will get away with murder if they have an external (platonic, family or otherwise) connection with managers while YOU get written up for doing the same thing. the employee discount margin lowers for high end items and in fact some items are on a blackout for a certain time at store discretion. some of the training hasnt been updated with current store policies. or there isnt enough time to devote to completing training when the store is too busy. specific to this store, it is located in a very affluent area, so customers tend to be a bit more entitled than usual, it helps to have a thick skin - and as well being that this is a Geek's Paradise, be aware that some of the clientele also have the stereotypical "basement dweller" mentality and that can be almost worse than some rich snot with more money than sense. and those who have the combo of too much money - too little social skills...well the least you can do is hope you only have to wait on them in the store much less often than other customers. the store does a "soft closing", meaning most nights there is NO closing announcements and its frustrating because you have customers lingering in the store when you have a lot of closing tasks to do and you are waiting for them to get the clue that people have to go home sometime that century. especially if people are closing that night/opening the next day. the store's decor hasnt changed since it opened in the late 80's/early 90's...you get that feeling of being in a geek's basement and its kinda run down. i'm far from an buttkisser, but dealing with unprofessional behavior from coworkers can be annoying - i think some of them dont know how bad retail can be and dont know how good they have it. frankly if they left the store tomorrow and really found out how it is at other places, they'd probably have a better attitude. or maybe they can be just motivated enough to find the job they would hate the least and leave so we could get people in the store who act like they want to be here. while i respect most of the managers, when even THEY act unprofessionally, its extra annoying. ive had customers remark how rude a manager spoke to me in front of them, and all i was doing was...MY JOB. it can be extra slow one minute and in the blink of an eye there is a flood of customers and you sometimes end up being the only cashier up front. constant call-outs or no-shows with staff can affect the workflow very severely.