Pros
I have worked for Verizon Wireless and Alltel since 2006. I have worked both in retail sales and in retail management. I am currently in retail sales. You can make a very good living working at Verizon, both in salary and in benefits. They match your 401k up to 6% currently and have done so as long as I have worked for them. The health and dental insurance are FANTASTIC, covering me and my family well beyond what was covered by other companies I have worked for. I do not have to pay extra premiums to have my spouse covered under my health plan. As far as working conditions, if you are trainable and willing to take instruction, you will do well with Verizon. You need to have a thick skin, as you are working face to face, toe to toe, eyeball to eyeball with the general public. You need to be good with people to do well in this job. Meet the needs of your customers and you will do well.
Cons
There are times where we are taught questionable sales tactics by store management that can mislead customers. The sales goals that we are given can be quite aggressive. These aggressive sales goals can, with a management team that tries to get ahead using shortcuts, lead managers to try and take the easy road to reaching those goals. I have been told by managers that I am being up front with customers when I explain that they "can get their phone for $200 plus a $40 upgrade fee (hence spending $240 for their phone alone), or they can get their phone, a case, screen protectors, a car charger, and a Bose speaker for only $250". In reality, the customer is being put on the Verizon Edge program instead of a 2 year contract, and they don't need to purchase any accessories in order to get their phone via the Edge program. This is very misleading, as the customer is led to believe that they are getting these accessories included with the price of the phone. This is just one example of many instances I have witnessed at my store where customers are misled or facts were withheld in an effort to put a positive spin on a sales pitch. Not all management is this way, but I have witnessed this type of training in my store.
