Pros
Associates are great, benefits aren't bad, 3 weeks vacation for right out the gate for a SM, merchandise is top of the line, 25% discount. The training (albeit sometimes unpractical) is extensive. The company is growing at a tremendous clip (planned to open 50+ stores next year) so there are growth opportunities at every level. Unlike other retailers you are selling "fun" to customers. The merchandise is recreational or "nice to haves" so customers are generally nicer than other places. With that said, it's still retail
Cons
Hours allotted to run a store is a JOKE! As a store manager, you understand that payroll is most controllable expense and must manage it well to be successful. With all that said, they hours to give you to properly run a store (complete tasks, unload and stock freight, provide personal sales service to customers, an registers and cover breaks, complete merchandising gameplans, etc) is a COMPLETE and UTTER joke. Read the other reviews on here, it's the #1 complained thing about among managers with this company. DMs, RVPs, and corporate refuses to acknowledge or even discuss- they just continue to pee in our cup week after week, look you in your eye, and tell you it's lemonade. Communication methods could also be improved. We received communication via an online application, but it changes frequently, and sometimes last minute (that you're expected to execute with all that surplus payroll I discussed above). HR is HR. There is complete and overwhelming paranoia about possible lawsuits, so it's difficult to coach and terminate associates that have no business being allowed to breathe let alone work in a customer-facing business. If an associates screams bloody murder, you will be tried, convicted, and sentenced with an investigation. Because of this, many managers have simply accepted their circumstances and keep associates that are holding them back from taking their business to the next level. With the exception of our veteran military servicemen/women the ONLY "protected class" should be people who work hard and are committed to improving and helping the company succeed. Sales plans are apparently created by a group of toddlers that pick random numbers based on a compilation of Sesame Street's "number of the day" sequences. Yes, that's how much sense they make for some stores. The majority of the company bombed Inventory and of course they blamed it all on store managers and our inherent and all of a sudden inability to execute processes. It has nothing to do with a merchandise management system that is inefficient and mistake-prone. The possibility of making a bonus as a manager is probably the same as hitting the current Powerball numbers for the lottery. For the most part, it's unattainable and they OBVIOUS with shamefully making it more difficult for you every chance they get.