Pros
Great reputation, good (not great) earning potential, good benefits, on-going training, GIA tuition reimbursement. Addition of Francesca Amfitheatrof as first ever female director of design was much needed design "shot in the arm" for a company who's jewelry offerings had gotten stale. Leader in environmental protection practices.
Cons
Poor work/life balance. Political culture. No local advertising outside of NYC, SF, LA, Chicago which inhibits growth and earning potential in other markets. Top 25 stores performance dictates every corporate decision to the detriment of smaller stores with amazing growth potential i.e. merchandise transferred out the same day it arrived for client showings, no marketing/events budgets, et al. On-line business set in direct competition with brick and mortar. Compensation realignment that favors high-volume stores/markets. Base pay not commensurate with local cost of living indexes. In the five years I worked for TCO, compensation structure changed, we lost holidays with our families, and hours of operation were extended, even though our anchor (Neiman Marcus) was closed. The company doesn't invest in local advertising so even after being open for eight years, people would still remark daily that they "never knew" there was a store in town. I exceeded my sales plan every year by double digits, I am a producer, and my potential was stunted because I didn't work for one of the "top 25". That is precisely why I left the company. Excellent people are only valued if they work in one of those locations.