Pros
(Worked at the Roseville Galleria for 7 months) Good for those wanting a few shifts on weekends. The tips on top of the $10 base pay during holidays seasons can be substantial. The running is a good workout, but must be done smartly to avoid injury (as most of us did sustain at some point). The customer interaction is good practice for those coming out of high school, in learning skills to apply in later jobs. One gets to test drive a great many types of vehicles, from Honda Civics to the odd Lambo to monster pick-up trucks. There's little supervision from any sort of management; so long as one is honest, customer focused, and appears on time for all shifts, there is little hassle from anyone.
Cons
-It was a long while before any weather protection was added to any of the stands at the mall. Customers and valet people alike were soaked when it rained, freezing when the temps were low in Dec/Jan. -The tips are divided between all in a given shift regardless of individual effort. Also, sometimes the breakdown of the profit paid out is a little unclear. -During a large portion of the year, payout is not great (usually under $15/hr). This is dependent on location, however. -Downtime at first feels like easy, free time, but eventually becomes extremely tedious. - If employees actually adhered to the strict rules for the stand (no cell phones, no food, no sitting), downtime would become nearly torture. Imagine standing around for a 10+ hour shift. -Shift length, while providing a person with more hours, seems unreasonable and illogical at times. Re: 10+ hour shifts. For a valet?! -Ridiculous concept of end times. For example, a stand is said to close at 7 PM, yet a valet is required to accept new customers right up until the hour. So although your schedule may say 11-7, a single customer could (and frequently do) make you wait until 8, 9, or even 10 PM.
