This job is not for the faint of heart if you are in a busy store! Prepare for the gauntlet. -Stylist
Pros
You never get bored because each bride or party is unique. If you love fashion, hearing (and becoming a part of!) people's stories, are extremely patient and enjoy working in a stressful Black-Friday-style atmosphere during the busy season, this company is probably going to be a great fit for you. If you know a lot about garment features and fabrics, this job is a great fit for you. If you are organized and have a ton of energy, this job is for you. If you are looking for a seasonal part time job this is a great fit for you. I really like their ipad training program, but i wish it was more comprehensive for new hires, including sales instruction and videos on negotiation because if you are hired during Bridal Christmas you have to figure out a lot of things on your own and will make many mistakes that you learn from. Camaraderie with your co-staff is important and you will meet some awesome people who are right there in the trenches with you and will help you when you are stumped or swamped. Every bride is special to me, and for that, I love my job. The beneficial aspects for me outweigh the negative ones.
Cons
The cons make this job seem like a dungeon but you need to be informed. I love this job and I am thrilled to help the brides I work with, but there ARE cons. It is your choice on how to weigh them. You will run yourself to death and your body will suffer if you do not wear the right shoes. If you sit down during a 9 hour shift it is because you are on the toilet or have sneaked away for 2 minutes to keep from screaming. This leads to con #2. You will be overbooked and ready to pull your hair out on some days. You will clean every manner of body soil or bodily fluid out of dresses on a daily basis. You will deal with customers who come in with an entourage of 8 expecting you to work solo with them while they find their dress (because that is how it works on tv) and they get upset when you are given another bride to work with 15 minutes into their appointment. These brides with unrealistic expectations are usually the ones who choose to leave bad reviews for you and your store online. Prom season means blinking and you have 30+ dresses to put away while also working with a bride or bridal party. Busy season also means working evenings and every weekend. Some days (especially busy days that they are understaffed) you will be booked so much that you will not even get a lunch break. Not every day, but this happens at least once or twice per pay period to me because the traffic demand exceeds the available staff and your brides must be served in a timely manner. Your base pay is very low, so if you do not hit your commisssion tier each pay period you will absolutely start to feel like your job is not worth the trouble for the pay. It must be noted that if you don't hit commission or reach "productivity rate" minimums of $ per hours worked, you can be fired, even if you give stellar service to your clients. Just always remember to keep a little journal of the name of every sale you make and how much the total was, so you can keep track of who got credit for it in the system.
