Pros
Wonderful coworkers, managers who truly care about their employee's health and happiness, ample opportunity for moving up in the company, incredibly supportive team, the nicest customers I've ever met, a truly wholesome company. On my first day (literally, during my orientation), my supervisor took me aside and strongly encouraged me to try to work for a promotion, assuring me that he would help me as much as possible. I later learned that someone at the service center received a promotion after only 2 months of working there. I worked as hard as I could and my hard work was acknowledged and encouraged, which felt very rewarding and made me want to work even harder. I've never had nicer management, and they're constantly making me feel extremely appreciated. On Saturdays, a little corner in the warehouse is rented out for a children's martial arts class, which is really wholesome and nice (plus, it's very cute when the children get out of class and run around the store in their uniforms). At my last job (as a line cook), I never felt like anyone truly cared about me, and I was never really comfortable or happy. Here, my boss and coworkers actually care about my health and happiness, and when I got a fever at work my boss was very concerned and gave me the rest of the day off (which was 6 hours of my shift), asking me to take care of myself. After only one month, my supervisor asked if I wanted a promotion to merchandiser, and I am now working toward the position (I will be switching to full-time soon, once this term is over). Couldn't be happier where I am!
Cons
Sometimes the work can be dull, part-time employees don't get many benefits (although that's to be expected with most companies), Japanese proficiency isn't required but job could be difficult without at least some understanding. Also, it's a very difficult job to maintain while you're a student; as a part-time employee, you'll be getting 29 hours a week (three 8-hour shifts and one 4-hour shift), so free time becomes a rarity and you'll have precious little time to do homework. The only reason I was able to get through this term while working at Uwajimaya was because I knew it was my last term at school, and after this I'll be taking a year off before taking art classes online. If you want this job, make sure you can handle it with school on the side!! The grocery manager was once a dedicated student himself and he understands the importance of education, so he'll be very understanding with whatever you need, but other than that you don't get much leeway.