Do not make the same mistake I did and join Merchandising.
Pros
The L1s and L2s are awesome. Every individual that I have encountered at these levels is supportive, caring, and honest. Even in the darkest of days (and there are plenty of them), there are plenty of people here [at these levels] that care about you and will go out of their way to make you feel better. If you're looking for an environment where you can make a lot of friends, you will find that here. Additionally, seemingly everybody outside of this department is also awesome too. CM, Product Performance, Pricing, etc. It honestly makes me wonder how I got so unlucky.
Cons
This is without a doubt the most toxic work environment I could have ever imagined. Most of the senior managers here have their MBAs and act as if they walk on water because of it. What they fail to understand is that an MBA does not teach you how to be a good person, a good leader, or a good teacher. You will be micro-managed, belittled for every single mistake you make, constantly reminded why you're not good enough, and will never be able to do anything the right way. Don't believe recruiting when they tell you that if you work hard and do well, you can get promoted.... that is a complete lie. The jump from L1 to L2 is very difficult no matter how good you are and the jump from L2 to L3 is literally impossible. You will be constantly reminded why you're not getting promoted and why you're not living up to your potential... with every single mistake that you make. It is demoralizing beyond words. I am naturally a happy, upbeat person but often days I wake up completely miserable in having to go to the office. There's not a minute that goes by where I don't think about the weekend. There has been a ridiculous amount of turnover since I joined here almost a year ago, but, everybody that has left the company has been afraid to deliver the honest truth. This pressure cooker work environment unique to Merchandising will make you feel like you're in school all over again, only you're entire body of work will never be seen or appreciated, every mistake you make will sink you, and your manager will take all the credit while making you feel unappreciated, unintelligent, and afraid to open your mouth. This review is not being given to spite somebody/something; I'm actually meeting expectations. I just want to prevent somebody else that has plenty of options/is happy in their current job from making the same mistake I did. Trust me, you can do much better than this department.
