Vantaggi
The wages are semi-decent if you've been there long enough, considering the kind of work it is. And the fact that there is a union there at all means that things could definitely be worse. There is also an employee discount. However, whereas once it was for 10% off anything in the store except tobacco, lottery, and alcohol, now it's only on specific store-brand stuff and the percentage is significantly lower. Except, $.35 donuts -- those are pretty nice.
Svantaggi
The company had a years-long wage freeze and cut benefits, so while the raise schedule is somewhat decent, as long as management can convince the union, nobody gets raises. Further, if you are recently hired there you're not going to make much more than minimum wage for quite a long time. Even for people who have been there for many years, the pay scale for retail employees is about thirteen dollars, so be prepared to get a second job if you want to subsist, because along with the low pay, you'll have a tough time getting hours. Part of the contract says that they have to give a fifteen minute break for every three hours. To counteract this, you will often find yourself getting scheduled for shifts exactly five hours and fourty-five minutes long. These are the kinds of games management plays. And as far as advancing in the company -- You can forget it. You'll stay in your original role (perhaps moving from one department to another or one store to another, but with no increase in pay) until you either quit, get laid off, or retire.