Pros
I have worked for Lush for a few years and saw the company grow. I started this job during my university degree, and I can say it was satisfying as such. -was able to chose availability freely - received extra leave when my mental health was bad - my direct manager was friendly and supportive of my progression and skill development to the extent he could -good pay for student job, was able to pay the bills - often received free products to try out -great social events (such as Christmas parties etc.) There was also a lot of training to make you suited for the role.
Cons
If nepotism was a company, it would be Lush. If you want to progress, you definitely have to be part of the clique, ideally a direct relative of management. The mismanagement the shop received was shocking. The store manager was hardly to be found or having free hair or spa treatments. If you are one of her favourites, this honour may be given to you. But if you don't stand out, you will probably be one of the first to go. Be prepared to leave your true personality at the door and become a more extroverted, social and hip version of yourself to succeed. Lockdown meant a harsh financial strike on the company and as a result over 70 staff members were let go. These were not chosen at random, but the choice fell on those who couldn't report back to work unvaccinated due to their health. So if you were vulnerable, that was it. I was lucky to have survived the wave of redundancies but this was the turning point for me. I came back to find an environment that was uncomfortable to work in, in so many ways. First off all, the budget cuts didn't affect the managers vision of the most entertaining we-do-it-all-store attitude. Instead of keeping on staff, a horrendous sum of money was spent on a slide that transports bath bombs through the whole shop. As a result, we did not have enough staff to keep up cleanliness around the store. It felt stressful to be on a close because this meant doing the job of 4 people. During the earlier stages of the pandemic, health and safety was definitely not a priority as many staff members where talking about the discomforts of wearing masks, making me feel uncomfortable wanting to keep the 6ft recommended distance and feeling bad for wanting to keep my mask on. But what really disappointed me in my time there, where the empty promises of career progression. Due to the lack of staff, any plan made to work on my skills in meetings with trained staff was interrupted by a manager shaming us for having the audacity to work on (previously agreed) projects instead of being on the shop floor. This was really the straw that broke the camels back and I handed my notice in. I now work in a more suited field and looking back, I can see how stressful the shifts there really were. Here are the cons: -Nepotism -Lack of career progression -Mismanagement of the store -Not enough staff -Insufficient health and safety regulations