Great retailer, great employees, poor work/life balance.
Pros
There aren't a lot of requirements or rules to getting in the door at Nordstrom. It's an awesome place to work during school or college. You don't need a fancy degree or specific work experience. There's almost no limit to what you can do if you're honest, hard-working and enjoy people. The culture of "promoting from within" is still alive and well respected in many areas of the company. On the sales floor, there are limitless opportunities to move between departments, stores and regions. In the corporate offices, there are some opportunities to move around. Over a 10+ year career, I was able to create my own unique career path and move from the sales floor to the corporate offices. The open door policy is an integral part of the culture, and all levels of leadership - from executives to store managers - are readily available for informational interviews, mentoring and professional advice.
Cons
There is little to no formal employee development program: continuing education, training and professional development are not available. If an individual wants to contribute more to the company, they're responsible for their own development, including individuals who are promoted to management positions. The customer always comes first ... which is great for sales... but not always great for employees. There are no opportunities to work from home. Health benefits are only available to full time employees. Being a retailer open 362 days a year means at least 80% of the employees spend holidays, weekends and evenings away from their families. Work/life balance is nearly impossible and is not encouraged. There are numerous "black out" dates for paid time off, meaning you can't take any vacation days during the holidays, in July (during the Anniversary sale) and other key sales times. This carries over to the corporate offices as well. There are no benefits for longevity. At 5 years, an employee receives a card in a frame with their name on it. At 10 years... the same. And so on.