Pros
Retail experience to add to the resume. Store level manager(s) had your back if customers decided to be irrational. Associates were very friendly and welcoming (until the commission structure was put in place). Manager happy to be a reference if you pursue other opportunities. Products are actually pretty darned good. Reliable hours IF you happen to be flexible enough.
Cons
Out of the entire pool of employees at the store (15-20... 25-30 during the Christmas season and semi-annual sales), only 3 (ie. managers and co-managers) are full time. All the rest are temporary (or permanent part-time...) getting 25 hours or less (in some cases, 5-8 hours). I was lucky enough to get 20 hours regularly, but felt the frustration of my colleagues, particularly when they were taking down their schedules for the coming week. Minimum wage to start unless you are a manager. Maybe 25-50 cent raise each review. Commission structure tore apart the good vibrations among the associates. Customers often believe they can bully associates. To be fair, some associates flat out lie to customers as well. Coupons have a significant amount of fine print which confuses customers or which they do not even bother to look at. Marketing makes poor decisions (lidless candles?? really??). What looks pretty on paper is often impractical in a real store situation.