Valero will run you into the ground and then call you to work another shift.
Pros
After 9 years with this company I have SOME job security. If you can get into management the benefits are decent.
Cons
Hours vary wildly, I will work 25 hours one week and 50 hours the next. I am often called in on my days off and told that I "have to" take a shift. This will happen so frequently that I end up working two weeks in a row with no days off at all. I have regular days off scheduled but i will am often called in every day off for weeks in a row. I have given up trying to spend time with my friends and family at this point, having had to cancel on them numerous times. The "Benefits" at the CSR level consist of paying $120-ish dollars per paycheck for a "health plan". I placed that in quotes because it only allows you to see certain doctors (not unusual, but there is one within an hour of my home) and even then they only reimburse you a percentage of what you spent, so you had better have all that money up front and be willing to wait to get it back. The benefits for management are much better. But good luck getting into management. I am on my feet for 8-11 hours every day. Lots of lifting and carrying. I often go home at the end of a shift and sink into the couch unable to get up. Work is one person to a shift so any eating, smoking, bathroom breaks etc have to be worked in around seeing aprox 220 customers in the store. Not counting the people who come in for things other than purchases. If you are a reliable employee this company will absolutely run you into the ground. I have had days that i am the ONLY employee working other then the manager, that's 18 hours. Prove you're reliable and they will literally work you to death. Also you may find yourself to "indispensable" to promote. Starting pay is minimum wage. You are simply not paid enough to give up your whole life, be on call and devote all your time to work. Customers are often abusive, be prepared to smile and take it. I have had several emergency situations at my store when i have not been able to get ahold of anyone above me. Not my manager, Not my area manager. No one. Leaving me in the store to handle things alone. Valero prides itself on its charitable work. What they don't say is that every employee is required to donate out of their paycheck. At one point i was in a particularly tight financial spot at home and tried to opt out of having a United Way donation deducted out of every paycheck, I had a Zone Manager tell me that "Valero believes in charitable giving. If you don't then perhaps you should go find a company with values more like yours." I was handed my blue United Way card back and told that I was required to give at least a "care share" out of every paycheck. Apparently feeding my family is less important than maintaining the companies reputation.