Pros
You make your own schedule and work from your own computer wherever you'd like (within means of your hub), which makes it a super convenient job and easy extra cash every two weeks. It's fun, easy work but there are more cons than pros. Most only stay because of the convenience of the work-life balance. Pay is decent for a position in retail... it averages around $15/hr depending on where you live. The people are nice. I see a ton of complaints about management, but my direct lead is super cool and fun. I haven't had any run ins with my supervisor. The culture is refreshing and youthful and SF is known for its innovative approach, which allows us to have a creative outlet in a sense. It's a W2 position, so yes, it's a real thing.
Cons
I really want to love this job... but there are so many cons! The workload is a lot. There's no down time or variety in the work that you do. You literally pick out clothes and type the clients' Fix notes ALL. DAY. LONG. It's very repetitive and easy to understand why the turnover rate is so high. Part-time is the only option. They don't hire or promote full-time stylists anymore. Part-time stylists don't receive benefits, even though some of us work more than 25 hours a week. The max is 29 hours and when we have mandatory meetings, calls, and trainings, the hours can easily surpass 30 hours in a week... so benefits would be nice. If your metrics drop, your team lead is instantly sending you an email to review and reflect why numbers are low. I understand that is a part of what leadership is for, but it would be nice to take responsibility on our own as adults and have maybe a week grace period to get our numbers back up. If numbers are low a 2nd week in a row, then yes, I would understand the purpose of a quick email/chat with management. But, lengthy feedback emails and reviews if your numbers slip one week is unnecessary in my eyes, especially since we have to take the time out to respond when the work load is already so heavy. Higher ups constantly ask for our feedback. I feel like we give it and they hear us, but its not ever implemented into any decision making. Things are constantly changing and having to be relearned. They will often throw things at us as a test and then eliminate it as soon as we get used to it. This is common for smaller businesses, but with a business of this size, I think it should be tested on the back end and then orchestrated throughout other business lines once they figure out what worked. Inventory is always low! So, our clients receive these beautiful marketing emails with super cute outfits attached, but we are pretty much never able to deliver exactly what the client asks for. I get a ton of complaints from clients that the quality of the clothing is poor and the stylists are the ones that receive all the wrath from upset clients. We then escalate it to a different team but it can be discouraging at times reading through client feedback. The position sounds like a dream job for stay at home moms or someone with some extra time outside of their full time gig, but it is definitely like any other job with punched time, micromanagement, etc. The hiring process is way too long. It took 4 months total... from the time I applied to my start date. They are upfront about it though and give you that expectation. As long as you enjoy the convenience of the work-life balance more than you dislike the cons of the position, you can get through it and get the job done.