Pros
17 days of PTO starting out and only goes up with tenure There's typically a good atmosphere among most co-workers and they tend to make the job more enjoyable Employee discount is nice
Cons
Payroll management is nearly impossible if you are a lower volume store. The majority of the time it will be you and one other associate who will more than likely be on register, so be prepared to be running around the store like a crazy person picking up everyone's trash while also trying to finish whatever other tasking you need to get done. BUT look out for empty boxes too. Associates don't listen or care most of the time. I quiz them on the LP Assessment questions a lot and to this day the ones who have been here for almost a year still can't reiterate a confident answer; they're just there. Store manager couldn't be worse. I wasn't aware that the store manager position was an office job! Finds any and every reason to be in the office. Makes the schedule (which is actually supposed to be my job) and hasn't scheduled themselves to work on a Sunday in almost 3 months, and here I am working a stretch of 9 days straight. Favoritism is RAMPANT in terms of SM and DM. I'm not a fan of SM and am not afraid to call them out on things I have problems with, one being that I was hearing a lot of complaining from SM. They proceeded to tell me that they were essentially looking for a friend and that SM and DM have a relationship like that and is expecting that of me. Too buddy-buddy. How am I supposed to express concerns to DM if I'm worried about being reprimanded for standing up to their "friend?" On top of that, my DM apparently doesn't think Assistant Managers are important enough to have conversations with them on visit. DSW creates a culture with customers that they can get away with ANYTHING. "Worn a pair of shoes for 5 months, they're completely falling apart and you want new ones? Go ahead and find you a new pair for free!! You don't want to pay any more than 30 bucks for those shoes? Well okay, if that's what you really want I'll do it for you." I get it, I do...the customer is always right. But have some pride. DSW is a pushover and let's customers bully us. I'm probably going absolutely nowhere with this job. You couldn't pay me enough to be a SM...well they already don't pay enough anyway (it's not that great). I see no advancement, and this job has opened my eyes to the fact I absolutely have to get out of retail.