Pros
You can dress as an individual, and don't have to wear brand product Pay is better than most retailers on similar levels (rumor has it that you can start as high as $13 as a Sales Advisor) Opportunity for growth is definitely available Staff can be very diverse and fun to work with Discount isn't bad Bonus for the store making SPH Good vacation and PTO Clothes can be awesome and unlike nothing you'll find at lower to mid level brands, especially at the low price point.
Cons
[Sorry I wrote a book but:] Training is awful and extremely inconsistent, as it's provided by other sales associates without much regard (if any) for their proven skill to properly train. This becomes exponentially worse in a market with rapid expansion, since good managers and employees may be flung out to other stores or bogged down preparing to move. Lazy or improperly trained but likeable employees create even more of them!! Leaving more work for those that actually know what they're doing. The company tracks nothing regarding the individual aside from attendance and efficiency on the cash drawer. This is what leads to clear favoritism with promotions (mentioned in previous reviews), as unlike other brands, you can't point out that you've been top sales, top SPH/ADS/UPT, etc. Those promoted are usually just fast at running racks or processing the truck shipments (when and where did that make them quality management material??) and good at doing as they're told without question. **Good customer service skills aren't even a factor!!** Hours are random! 6am to start one day, 2-11pm the next, then 8am-5pm after. And it will constantly rotate on you without a clear pattern, so forget having a class or routine if you're FT. Prepare for poor sleep patterns and exhaustion as a routine though! Favorites (them again, ugh) get sly, but obvious preference in scheduling: less closing shifts or weekend days off for example. You're expected to perform every role retail has to offer. This means you'll be a stock person, a cashier, a sales person, a visual merchandiser, a housekeeper, and a fitting room attendant all in one shift. You may even be thrown light management duties to ease Management's load (supervising the floor, having a return code for the cash registers) and to be a scapegoat if something goes wrong. This keeps the job interesting, but in a store this size, it can be difficult to adapt and find a niche or groove, especially with the rapid fire changes and product rotations, plus a poorly trained staff of young people that couldn't care less. Constantly changing departments and being rotated through them almost randomly (at my store, a different manager is charged with scheduling functions each day, meaning one or two may have a good idea of strengths and place accordingly while others have no clue. Strong people may be condemned to the fitting room instead of handling the sales floor which is preposterous!). This makes it very difficult, almost impossible to get a solid handle on the product assortment and placement on the floor. One day you'll know the Women's floor like the back of your hand. Then the next day you're off, the day after you're in men's or kid's, and the next day you come back to moved product in women's yet you're expected to run back clothes with lightning speed. Talk about FRUSTRATION. Even helping a customer is like brain surgery at times, and makes you look stupid. They attempt to act like they care about customers, but this is complete and utter bull! They know the product will sell itself at a satisfactory level without employee intervention (expect to hear lots about "indirect selling" via Merchandising and Efficiency, which are priorities over customer service, contrary to what they'll lead you to believe), so you'll be working what is essentially a Department Store with a team the size of a mid-size boutique. There's so much more to say concerning cons but I realized I've already typed quite a lot here... Just know that it's better at H&M than working for companies like The Gap/Banana Republic, A&F, Express, but that's not saying much, as those companies typically suck to work for anyway regarding pay and advancement. If you have better options or the ability to get into the luxury sector, head for the hills. I'd even recommend waiting tables at a restaurant instead because you'll make more money (probably even more than Supervisors), have much less responsibility, and sleep MUCH easier!
