Pros
1) Depending on your coworkers & individual store management it can be a lot of fun. 2) Helping people create things and find what they need can be rewarding. 3} It gives you a chance to learn more about different crafts, and receive a 30% off employee discount off almost everything. 4) Framing is soothing and enjoyable with a mix of thoughtful challenges and potential times of flow. 5) Some of the artists and customers you meet are very inspiring. 6) they schedule out through a digital calendar 3 weeks out. This makes it pretty easy to plan time off in advance or try to find coverage if needed. 7) break room snacks are not uncommon, but are mostly junk foods & candy. 8) there are paid sick days for part timers - full time & management have other payed days off. * This is great if you are a people person, if you like art supplies, & if you have a passion to learn.
Cons
1) Higher up management above the store level have unrealistic expectations that put stress on lower management and employees through sheer volume of workload, constant changes in structure, & high yield expectations all while they cut work hours & lower pay. 2) The lack humanity in their policies and pressures to squeeze the most out of the least amount of workers present creates chaffing between their supposed values for high customer service & what the customers actually value; Honesty, help, and a little immediate gratification... NOT a snake oil of confusing sales or pressure for credit cards & extension protection plans. 3) Breaks are an uncommon luxury most days. The amount of work vs workers vs customers needing help is unbalanced at many times. 4) it's an extremely low paying job for such a high yield of work. Very little room for financial improvement with minimum wage to start and less than 2% raise annually. The constant change to pay policy makes it hard to keep up. 5) Rude customers ... As to be expected in most service jobs, but even more so when many customers can't find any help because there are only 2-3 employees in the entire store on average. 6) full timers who go back down to part time will have their hourly pay rate deducted. 7) so much waste. So much stuff just gets thrown away. It's ridiculous how much gets thrown out each week. 8) Trail by fire - your first few weeks they barely have any hours to schedule for training. Everyone is too busy to properly train, & it causes issues. *This is not a great fit if you can't stay standing all day, if you disagree with Michael's moral perspectives, or if you are financially needing a liveable wage.