Pros
I can honestly say i have met some GREAT people who i will still go visit every now and then just to say hi. Some have become just like family and have put up with a lot of stuff from customers as well as management, yet still chug on at work helping customers the best they can, with what's given to them to work with (which is NOT MUCH)...
Cons
I have worked there for almost 3 years and can honestly say that i should have gotten out years before but thats my fault. As a company, you couldnt get more diluted from corporate to store level. Even district managers have NO idea what really happens. I have seen the DM come in countless times within my 3 years there at the service desk and NOT ONCE has he come up to introduce himself or to other employees, instead he concentrates on yelling at the store manager about an open bag of bread a customer opened, and yes im serious. I could go into so much detail but im going to sum it up by saying when a visit is expected, nothing is on a day to day normal way of working, returns are hidden, associates are near the registers so there are NO LINES at all, etc... Management overall are threatened by the DM (and yes i have heard the fist pounding yelling from the DM in the office from the hallway) and then the threats are LITERALLY passed down to associates making 7.25 to 7.75 an hour, are you SERIOUS?? It's the biggest joke. Not enough sears cards, not enough march of dimes, not enough rewards cards, not enough smart plans. If you dont get one by 6 o'clock then "blah blah blah". I eventually got used to it and said yup ok, we all suck up here cause our numbers are bad and moved on after the call from the office...i got numb to it and it didnt bother me or others at the desk, it was a running joke. Whats even more funny is that the reward program has become more complex over time and now an email is needed. The normal customer base from 8am to about 2pm is all the older generation over 55 or 60...they dont even have computers which i have been told so many times. Im so glad i FINALLY got out and now have a new good job factory wise and can earn good money WITH benefits. Part time benefits at kmart are a JOKE...it would take half your paycheck with only an average of 25 hours a week payed bi weekly HA! This company will fall eventually and i could write a BOOK on why and how they could have prevented it, but yet everyone sitting at corporate making the bigger bucks HAVE NO CLUE and dont see their stupid rules put forth onto customers on a day to day basis. This may seem like im upset with kmart but im not, its just the overall consensus of everyone i worked with for 3 years as well as customers that the company has completely lost its focus on how to treat their employees as well as their customers. The end for you kmart will be soon, so sad.