Pros
Working with some lovely people on the shop floor, the team is diverse and there is a great sense of camaraderie. Discount rates are fair and double discount days are an added bonus. Pay was reasonable at the time I worked there. Holiday was always fairly considered; within reason, every effort was made to ensure members of staff received time off for any special events (e.g. wedding or honeymoon)
Cons
I found the uniform to be impractical and uncomfortable; on hot days this was more apparent. The store I worked in was too hot, we regularly received complaints from customers about this but were continually told the problem was "in hand" despite the fact that there was little to no improvement during the four years I worked there. Training was computer based but trying to find time away from the shop floor to do this was difficult. Sometimes we were asked to complete training in our time off; this has a negative affect on work/life balance. Bureaucracy is an issue within the company; it seems the managers are not often allowed to use personal discretion. There is lots of red tape, particularly with regards to sickness procedures; I know many people felt reluctant to take time off sick when in genuine need because the 'return to work' procedure made the staff feel as if they were being scrutinised too closely, I would have thought a health and beauty retailer would better understand the importance of time off to convalesce when suffering from contagious illness. I found the managers rarely "led by example", with many reprimanding staff for poor behaviour such as talking amongst themselves on the shop floor but continuing to do so themselves. This had a negative affect on morale. Organisation of rotas was generally good but on several occasions, I found the store to be under-staffed. On one occasion in particular, I was manning the till bank alone for the last hour of the day and had to call Operations staff from their tasks to clear building queues. In general, there is not enough praise for hard work and initiative shown by the staff, this leads to people demonstrating a lack of care for their role (I have noticed this increasingly in the years since leaving the company, having always shopped there as a customer, I feel drawn to rival businesses now where service is better)
