Pros
- Employee discount - Varied team from all walks of life - Some of the customers. SOME. - Finding another job - Leaving the business entirely
Cons
- Aside from maybe 2 people, entire management team is just awful - Most of the customers. MOST. - Unsocial working hours - Long hours, very short breaks - Working every Sunday is mandatory if you're contracted to do so - Bad pay for the amount of risks to your safety and responsibilities beyond your actual contract - Being a supervisor/Section Leader is no better, the pay is only 1-2 GBP more per hour (you just work longer hours, really) - High turnover (at least at the branch I worked at) - Holiday booking system is convoluted - Micromanagement from the top down** - *You are expected to act like a robot with no unique personality, which ties in with the micromanagement - especially if you're working on a till, you might have a manager peering over your shoulder adding unnecessary pressure on you - *Taking your own initiative to improve on a task/service is either ignored or not recommended. This is actually likely to get you in trouble - Toxic workplace culture of racism, misogyny, fear and discrimination is rampant - Grievance system is an utter joke. It's especially bad if the person you're reporting is a manager who has specifically picked on you - You can be forced to work in dangerous conditions (i.e. heatwaves/cold freezers/snowy blizzards/heavy rain/gale force winds with little protection) or even worse, with injuries that make you more unsafe - They do not insure you for making you work using dangerous equipment (i.e. warehouse equipment, being made to clean toxic spills or bodily fluids) - No security from dangerous members of the public if working on the kiosk or doing home deliveries - No career progression unless you're personally favoured by management (this NOT based on merit as they otherwise say) - Customers are allowed to mistreat you based on "the customer is always right" rule, which de-values your team's efforts and lowers your morale - Being made to take on additional responsibilities in other departments/job roles but no pay increase/compensation is given - Wasting slightly dated food is prioritised more than donating it to food banks or giving it to employees - Good co-workers never stay long - either they recognise their worth and move on, or are fired for being "over-qualified" - If your face fits, you're good. If not, you're in for a bad time - How well your day goes will depend on your line-manager's mood, especially if you have one who micromanages you - A job well done is not recognised or taken as seriously as mistakes are (unless you're favoured by the managers) - No policy against customers who come in shirtless - You know things are horrible when customers actually start offering you jobs because they can see the conditions you're working in, and how badly you're treated - Overall, extremely bad for your mental and physical health in the long-term