Pros
Good discount, get to be like family with your coworkers, as long as they're willing to stay. Some customers are really great and nice to meet and to work with.
Cons
Oh where to begin? There's no payroll, yet the expectation doesn't change. Do the work of 3 alone, all day, while fully focusing on customer service. The "journey" isn't what's making your money, the lack there of isnt what's losing your money. What's losing the money is the outrageous pricing and ridiculous work load! Employees (the few trained and loyal ones you have left) are exhausted, being salary and being forced to work 60-70 hours a week because we are "free labor". Then, with the new labor laws, now being told "better follow your hours and not work any overtime, because remember, your employment is at will". So what, comply or be terminated? Ridiculous expectation when it comes to "coaching". Really? While coaching is an amazing tool when done correctly, and I do try to do it correctly, how can we really coach our associates when we are scheduling part timers for 2.5 hour shifts!? Their 2.5 hours is to cover a manager/full timers break, to go to the bank, and to maybe catch up on some paperwork. But YOU BETTER NOT DO ANYTHING WHILE COACHING EXCEPT COACH, because if you do, there will be "written consequences". Really? You're going to write people up because they're struggling to get the idiotic workload done under no payroll, no hours, and no budget? Next is the actual merchandise. You're pricing us out of business, corporate! $69.99 for boots that are pleather? Please, I'll go to Macy's and grab me some real leather boots for that kind of price! <-- those are the statements we hear EVERY DAY! Yet is being completely blamed on managers that customers aren't purchasing. We are actually encouraged to ask customers why they aren't buying today when they're leaving. I tried this approach. And I've heard "because this is overpriced"...."I got these same shoes at (any other shoe store) for less".... these are the things we hear everyday. EVERY. DAMN. DAY. Do you know how disheartening it is to your employees who actually CARE (like me!) to just be beat down every day when you walk into work? You know it's about to just be more of the same. Unhappy customers, and then unhappy district leaders. District leaders who, by the way, can't even run stores. Our DL doesn't know how to run the cash register, he can't troubleshoot the systems with us, how is that beneficial? These conference calls. Oh my god just get rid of them, Mondays and Saturdays are better spent doing paperwork. They're an hour long bitchfest from upper management to lower management. Where lower management just listens and I'm sure, together we stand, rolling our eyes as the DL continues hIS weekly download on us of accountability and how the managers are basically a band of misfits, ruining the shoe world for all of Payless. But haha, this accountability I spoke of? Non existent if you are one of the favorites places upon the DL's precious pedestal. Get on his bad side though, you're done. It's cute how accountability works. Payless, the land of broken promises and barely there payroll. I give it 3 years before the company calls it quits. And I feel as if that is being generous. To all the Payless management reading this, you're welcome for saying what you're all thinking. Maybe someone of importance will read it, take it to heart, and see there's managers like me out there. I care so much about this job, about my stores, about my coworkers, but none of that matters. There's better jobs out there people, to find one, god knows I'm trying.