Pros
When it’s good, it’s good. As a Team 1 member, the work is easy enough to do. I was switched between working Kid Check, hosting parties, cash, and the gift shop. There’s lots of younger employees who have never had a job before, and the job is fantastic for helping them gain real-world skills and come out of their shells. Stores aren’t too inclined to promote externally, so as long as you’re over 18 there’s lots of opportunity for career building to a point. The hours are very flexible, as you’re dealing with lots of high school kids working around classes and breaks. Many of the guests are sweethearts. I love working with kids. If you seem energetic and engaged, they’ll come talk to you during your shift and brag about all the tickets they won. It helps the shift go by faster and it’s nice to do something kind and make a kid feel special.
Cons
Our store is chronically understaffed, and after reading these reviews I’m appalled at the fact that this is true everywhere. I should not be literally the only person on the floor on weekday mornings/afternoons while the only two other people there, another manager and the game tech, work in the office, but I often am. This results in me having to take care of Kid Check, take orders, make orders in the kitchen, and continue to help all the guests whenever they need it. Of course, it leads to guests complaining that I need to be prompt and that things are taking too long despite the fact that I am trying to perform four people’s jobs at once. Shouldn’t have to be the case, but it is. The pay should definitely be more for the amount of work that’s put in. I made minimum wage as both a Team 1 and Team 2, despite being promised a raise as a Team 2 member, and as a manager I’m making 1.15 over minimum wage. That’s absurd. The company itself is also entrenched in the “customer is always right” mindset, to the point where a customer has been allowed to threaten to physically assault me while another manager heard, and while her order was completely refunded, I was admonished and sent home for the day because I became upset and told my coworkers what had happened. If I had been the only MOD there, and she’d said the same thing to any employee, I’d have kicked her out immediately. That’s wildly inappropriate. Finally, and this is petty - as a party host, I find tips are rare. It’s not because of poor service, I have an 100% rating on all the parties I’ve hosted, but people don’t realize that your server should be customarily tipped. It feels like a slap in the face to see a party run up a $400 tab, have them seek out your general manager specifically to tell them what a wonderful job you did, leave a 10/10 survey rating, and then walk out without tipping a cent. At the very least, the receipts should be able to process gratuity through our POS system, as many people don’t carry cash with them. Maybe it’s just my area? Anyway, I love my coworkers, and I’ll continue to work here until I move in a year or so, but the corporate culture has me furious at the company for a number of reasons.