Pros
I worked with mostly talented and friendly people, and enjoyed my department. I was also allowed to come in extra early so that I could leave early to accomodate my schedule. Because everyone is hourly, you're almost never required or allowed to work overtime which I see as a good thing. This was a job that paid the bills and I didn't have to take my work home with me. ATG Stores was acquired by Lowe's. I saw very little change with this acquisition. Shortly after I left, the CEO was replaced.
Cons
Although I liked what I did at this company, I was often not able to do it. Projects were often sprung on us, micro-managed by those without expertise in the field, and given arbitrary deadlines. It was usually unclear who had final say and priorities shifted daily on personal whims. They hire at entry level despite your skills or the job they want done. This means about $12-$14 an hour (the same starting hourly pay they were offering 7 years ago!). Raises are given at annual reviews at about $1-2/hour. There is 401k matching after one year of employment. You accrue 10 paid days off a year (and after 5 years you get 2 more days). I had a great manager, but like so many of the skilled, qualified employees, he left. Departments do not get budgets. CEO approval was required for every single purchase. I felt like departments were pitted against each other and managers had to spend a lot of time defending themselves and pointing fingers. They hire from within which could be a plus, but it's based on personal relationships and favoritism, skills are a very small factor if at all.
