Vantaggi
Working with the (mostly) nice public. Lots of different tasks to do. Not being stuck at a desk 8 hours a day. Very good training program. And in my case, a great deal of support from my Store Manager, Area Manager, and those who work at sister stores. There IS opportunity for advancement, despite what one reviewer said. I know quite a few people who started off as ASM or Maintenance who are now Store Managers, one is a Lead Manager, and one is a certified training manager.. My SM told me pretty much from the beginning that he was training me to be a Store Manager. Yes, Uncle Bob has a very specific way of doing things, and you are expected to do it Uncle Bob's way, but I'm ok with that. I don't mind striving for perfection, or near perfection. I've made my share of mistakes, but rarely the same once twice. And when I've realized I've made an error, I've made my SM or Area Manager aware of it right away, and it's been corrected without my ever being made to feel stupid, or that I was in big trouble.
Svantaggi
I think the starting pay for ASM of $10/hr is a bit low, provided the ASM is really working hard, learning all aspects of the business, and doing 99% of what the Store Manager does. But it is almost $3 more per hour than minimum wage. Vacancies do seem to take a very long time to fill, which means if a SM has no ASM, he/she has to arrange for someone else to provide coverage in order to get days off.