Again, other Joann locations might be different, but my personal experience has been this:
Working here is a parade of small annoyances and indignities. There are several major complaints I want to acknowledge before i get into the small details that, as one-offs, would not be a problem.
The first big one is that trainees aren't given handbooks upon training. There is allegedly a copy somewhere in the break-room that we were advised to read on our own time, printing them was not worth the money according to management. I thought that was a bit of a red flag, but everything about this job is designed to cut costs at the company's benefit. That also means that the staff (minimum wage employees) is kept to a minimum during each shift, so if someone cant make it to work, you will have to carry the burden... up to and including not getting the breaks that are required by law. You are then forced to choose between demanding a break (as per your rights) or not taking your break because no one else has taken one. This puts you in a very awkward position. And if you call the "anonymous" whistle-blower hot-line, you aren't anonymous anymore when they do their follow-up call to the manager who, incidentally, was the only person running the store with you that day. I felt even more awful when I learned that management frequently take "working lunches" where they remain on the clock and on call while attempting to take a break. The hot-line assured me that this is entirely legal. The shift managers barely make more than hourly employees, but work more hours and get the added burden of accountability for the state of the store and actions of everyone working alongside them. They are held responsible for enforcing ridiculous rules that everyone knows makes performing simple tasks unnecessarily difficult, and sometimes dangerous. We are given average, mid-grade scissors to cut an enormous volume of fabric. Satins and other "slippery" fabrics are required to be draped, rather than rolled onto the bolts and then shelved above head-height. It frequently falls off en masse onto browsing customers, and onto employees when we try to stock it. I brought up the idea that perhaps this was not the most efficient method, and that eventually someone WILL be hurt. Management promptly dismissed this and said they don't make the rules. I have never met the people who make these rules in person, I can only assume they have never been to an actually working Joann's store.
Their hiring practices can best be described as predatory. Having been a stay at home mom for 5 years, and looking for part time employment, I was happy to be given an interview anywhere. Joann knows this, and preys on women.
-Think about this: The name "Joann" (or Joanne, Joanna, etc.) was in the top 100 female names for the entire 20th century, and are still reasonably popular baby names. Every woman from any background knows a Jo! But Joann (the name) isn't a princess or an authority figure. The name Joann is completely average, friendly and not threatening. Its a very trustworthy sounding name.- And that, my friends, is a form of benign manipulation. And now that the company has manipulated you into trusting it (as a customer),it will prey on the vulnerabilities most common amongst us. For example, Every new hire has been someone who shops there frequently. They only hire part time employees. So its stay at home moms easing back into the work force, retirees wanting some extra income, single mothers working at least one other job and students or recent graduates who are still undecided on what they are doing as far as college goes. And if you don't fit into one of those categories, maybe you are a teacher needing summer employment or an artist/crafter who makes enough on etsy for it to be slightly profitable, but not profitable enough yet that you can buy wholesale or be completely self-employed. Basically, people who are so used to putting everyone else's needs before their own that they don't even notice these mounting piles of injustices. Because it could always be worse- its not THAT bad. There is always someone working with you who has it worse and you don't want to be that person always complaining about how unfair everything is- its not like it's a "real" job, you're lucky just to have a job after all.... that sums up the whole companies mindset as far as Ive seen. And its entirely wrongheaded.
And on that note, the final area of 'cons' relates to creativity and the small injustices that youll get buried underneath, because you never really notice them accumulating. You have no freedom of expression in your uniform. I came in wearing what I thought fell under the term "white shirt with a collar", which (alongside blue jeans,black pants *black denim is not allowed though*, or khaki slacks) is the standard uniform. i was told my shirt was "cream, or offwhite, maybe eggshell" and I couldn't wear it because it was not "joann approved attire." I am an artist, so I dont really own white clothes because they will get paint and stuff on them. So I had to buy that shirt. And yes, i bought it at a thrift store, but at minimum wage, i still worked an hour for that shirt that was now completely useless. And was told to just go buy another one from a thrift store. I worked half of my 4hour shift that day for two shirts i didn't want or need. All of my pants have paint on them, and customers really seem to trust my judgement when asking for advice on what products to buy for their projects, because when they see that they know that I have actual knowledge of the products and personal experience as well. And they absolutely put the bargain bin craft paint back in favor of the high end Liquitex box set when i recommend it. Same goes for anything else. I design clothes-which i cant wear of course, because policy- and always recommend the best scissors and thread. and because I can recommend that from personal knowledge it sells. But instead of celebrating creativity, it is actively punished. I dyed my hair in a perfect gradient from fuchsia to indigo, and the customers really seem to take my advice on color and composition as gospel, but i have been informed that its against company policy. It would cost nearly my entire paycheck to return my hair to a color i don't want. So i guess we'll just see how this one plays out. On the plus side, Ive been much more focused and successful in selling what I create, because the idea of being treated like a bad child instead of a fully capable adult for even this long is disgusting.
Also, management has to check your bag before you leave. Because they don't even trust us enough to think we aren't hauling stolen goods in our tiny bags. I stopped bringing a purse in, because I need my dignity as a person more than anything i need from the store itself. Meanwhile, a guy walks out of the store with a $12000 sewing machine. And then comes back for another one a week later, and still doesn't get arrested. Also, a customer has come in 2 or 3 times and exposed himself to women, I don't even think the police were called! But please, have a look in my bag, just go crazy with it. Way to look out for your predominately female workforce, Joann.