Pros
-Co-workers: The people I work with tend to care if they do a good job at whatever they're assigned. I feel like my managers care about me, too. It really makes a big difference to go to work where all my coworkers and managers are all working hard. -I also like that there is enough variety day to day in what I'm doing that it doesn't get too repetitive. But there is also enough that doesn't change so you can usually can just start working on something without having to figure out what you're supposed to do. -Probably the biggest pro is that it's Michael's-- it's a store that I would frequent even before I worked there. -Flexible hours- it's easy to set up a schedule if you're going to school or working another job, or have kids. -There is room for growth- if managing at a store is something you want to work up to. -It's great for a first job. The atmosphere is pretty casual and the managers want you to succeed, so they're happy to help and answer questions.
Cons
This is very much a "learn as you go" type job. I've been working at Michael's for about a year and a half. The first week or so was a little overwhelming because you get thrown right in and I started at the beginning of the big holiday season. And even now, I'm still "learning" new things because there is a disconnect in communication, that I'm re-learning rules because I had been told different things by different managers at different times. Another thing, though it's not unique to working at Michael's is "the customer is always right" mentality. We have to please customers (even manipulative ones) while at the same time, try to meet Michael's rules and sales goals. And frankly, with the sales and coupons that we get from corporate, there is so much fine print and ambiguity, that coworkers and I sometimes can't even tell a customer what a sale even means until we ring up the items at a register. This job doesn't require previous schooling or experience, so of course the pay is pretty low-- though pay is comparable to other jobs of this type in this area.