Great retail job and potential retail career, difficult to change culture
Pros
Sports Basement runs an excellent store operation, from Receiving to Floor Sales to Rentals to Register. So much thought and communication is put into running and managing its stores, and it shows. It's super-fun to work on the store level; you work hard and play hard. Good benefits for retail, like free food, a generous employee discount, free outdoor trips (e.g. rock climbing, Tahoe). Great co-workers, who are smart, friendly and hard-working. For part-timers, there's a lot of flexibility with your schedule. For full-timers, this is a pretty good cut-and-dried balanced job. As a company, Sports Basement is constantly evolving and seeking to innovate on their brick and mortar and ecommerce operations, so there are opportunities to move around into different departments (e.g. buying, marketing, receiving, ecommerce, outdoor trip guides). One of the best things about Sports Basement is their roots in working and partnering with the community via their Basementeers Beneficiary Program. The floor retail jobs are highly recommended if you are looking for a fun side job, or if you are serious about having a career in retail. Each store is like its own family, and each one has its own uniquely fun atmosphere.
Cons
Although Sports Basement has feedback loops where top management asks for suggestions, change can be very slow, which is surprising for a company that prides itself on nimble operations. (Change can happen quickly at the store level though.) Pay for more business/corporate roles (e.g. buying, marketing) are below the averages in the retail market, but on the plus side you get a lot of exposure and experience to different areas and vendors.
