Job Log - From The Insider...

I've wanted to do this for a while. Every Friday I'll post a job, the benefits, and why it sucks helping you make a more informed decision if you would consider employment by such an establishment or if you'd even shop there.

Today's Job: Filene's.

Why It's Good: Friendly environment, nice people (for the most part), the potential to get up to 90% off merchandise as an employment benefit. Management will find the perfect fit for you no matter how long it takes.

More On The Plus Side: The people who work here are for the most part very cheerful. They wouldn't be in retail if they weren't. As far as the discount goes: Don't get all excited, you don't get a standard 90% discount on store items. It's 25 to 30% off. However when Filene's has one of their compounded sales, such as Filene's 1 day sale plus the early bird special, you can also apply your discount plus any coupons there might be.

Why It Sucks: Upper management are mostly kind, but also not to be trusted. Like any cut throat industry, they turn on you very quickly. Benefits are slow in coming. Medical and dental are 6 months in coming and it's not clear if they are even worth having - medical may be a "health matinence" plan, and dental may have high co-pays. You won't know for 6 months. Rotating weekends presume even a Christian will give up 2 Sundays a month for the greater good of the company.

Unexpected Bonus: No matter how you quit, or how many times, you can always go to the one across town and get hired.