Pros
1) Your coworkers (not managers) will likely be pretty interesting and kind people who are trying just as hard as you are to engage and educate customers. You'll make a few friends and generally enjoy being around them. 2) You can sometimes take home defective products and you get a monthly gift, which is usually the stuff that is overstocked and isn't selling well. 3) 40% discount, but why would you want to give them back the money you just earned by working for them? That's a scam. 4) Your hands will be soft, and you'll smell nice on the way home. The store is pretty, too.
Cons
1) VERY unethical towards customers: a) You are expected to lie to customers all of the time. Dead Sea salt scrubs are marketed as good for psoriasis, eczema, and acne, but as soon as you meet someone who actually suffers from the former two, you back off and say that they should stick to something gentle or check out the organic line. b) Products might not be tested on animals, but that doesn't mean the ingredients haven't been. c) We lie to customers and send their receipts to their emails so they get a free gift because we are "going green" but the receipt gets printed anyway. Also we waste a LOT of water and paper towels every day washing people's hands. It's disgusting. We also keep our doors open in the summer and winter so we waste a ton of energy. 2) awful ethics regarding employees: a) doors open with the heat on in the winter means we can see our breath indoors and have to work in many layers and wear gloves inside. it's hard to talk to customers when your teeth are chattering. b) managers micro-manage. you are often interrupted and told that the store is not making big enough sales and managers breathe down your neck and make you too uncomfortable to be the best salesperson you can be. The best sales I have made (upwards of $600) have been in the absence of a manager. c) corporate makes your managers stressed out, so they end up pressuring you constantly even though there is nothing to be done. d) soap sampling is pathetic e) you get a 30 minute break for a 8-9 hour day f) you are treated like a machine by employers g) upper management can be extremely patronising when they visit your store h) no commission even though you are expected to shove products in people's baskets like your life is on the line i) customers can be very disrespectful, especially because of the sales tactics we are pressured to use. No customer/associate relationship is developed. j) ******IMPORTANT***** it is very hard to reach target, it's just a tactic used by corporate to get you to make more sales without ever reaching the incentive (why would they pay you a bonus of $300 if they can get away with putting it just out of your reach? they get away with not even paying commission because of this bonus. The only store that makes the target is Prince street.). k) even if you work part time, you are expected to have no social life. managers have told me to "never make plans". I work full time and don't really feel like I have a life right now. I'm just working. I was pretty fine with this job for the first few weeks I was working here. Today, I wore an apron over multiple layers of sweaters and a poofy winter coat to stay warm at work and an assistant manager told me that I looked pregnant. I have an eating disorder and this made me have a panic attack at work. Even if I didn't have a problem, management should know better than to joke about something like that. This job is very stressful for $9.00/hr