Pros
Here's the thing about Pep Boys. Your experience is what you make of it. If you come in and are a star and loved by all, you will be promoted. They spend money on cultivating people who want to be cultivated. And for that, I will always admire them. From the first day that I started, they let it be known that they want their employees to have the opportunity to grow. This sentiment is rarely felt at other companies. So if you are looking for a career change, and you find a position that you match with here - then go for it. I personally struggled to make friends and fit in there because of a personality/interests gap on my team, but most people are friendly with one another. If you don't like it, you're not trapped there forever. Just make the most of it, and move on. HQ Pros: - People are generally open to new ideas - Change is welcome - Parking lot on site and shuttle to building when it rains - Town halls - Summer parking lot parties - Free gym membership - Cafeteria is actually bomb and well-priced
Cons
Pep Boys will do whatever they can do to make their company more profitable... as long as they don't have to pay associates more money to get the job done. For years, I listened to higher ups ask for suggestions on how to make the business more successful. How to get people to come in and love this brand that was once iconic. It's like they completely ignored the fact that consumers just don't trust the brand. They even changed the slogan from "everything for less" to "Trust the Boys to get you there." At least the former slogan held truth. I used their service 5 times and every time was always a struggle. The last two times I went, I came back to find huge scratches on my car. And no acknowledgement from the staff. You just can't be America's sweetheart service and tires brand, if consumers can't trust you with their car. It's as simple as that. HQ Cons: - White male in his 50s-60s paradise - Most people turn apathetic/IDGAF after 2 years of employment - Lack of response to emails (you literally have to go to people's office because they just ignore you) - Frequent fire drills (A last minute scramble to deal with an artificially-created emergency) - Awkward hallways because the sad brown cube walls are higher than "The Wall" in Game of Thrones - If you're a woman, you will have to put up with male chauvinists who have a degree in mansplaining - The service location across the street from HQ is pretty awful. Everyone knows it, no one fixes it - The bathrooms are awful - Every floor feels like the rapture happened in 1962, but left a few people and desks - Location is pretty deplorable, as far as food options and being able to commute via train/subway go