Rough growing pains in neighborhood stores
Pros
You are surrounded by designer merchandise - constantly changing inventory in the stores which keeps it interesting. There is potential to learn a lot about the products, especially from knowledgable experts.
Cons
Growing pains are very prominent in the neighborhood stores. There is a lack of support for the store employees, and you feel abandoned by corporate at times. Some of the corporate team members are painfully rude, making you feel inferior. The CEM role needs major restructure - you are expected to hit a personal sales goal with no commission incentive, just fear of losing your job if you do not meet it. You also are salary and do not qualify for overtime, but are expected to work much more than 40 hours a week, especially in times of shortage. You are led to believe you will be only assisting on the sales floor, but that is 99% of the job, so if you don't like being in retail sales, avoid this role!