Pros
-Nice people and friendly, inclusive, respectful culture: there is a general friendliness among the supervisors/managers. They really do care about your opinion on deciding things since each store is partly run by its employees rather than corporate choosing the same strategy for every store. They make an effort to know you and there is very little "hurry up and get back to work." The coworkers on the ground level vary greatly though. Some are friendly and some won't say a word to you. -Good food for employees: easily the best food I've been served at any job. This is subjective though. If you hate Ikea food you might hate the employee food but I like it. Menu changes every day and it's $3 per meal with free drinks. You can also order a larger meal from the customer restaurant and it'll still be $3. -401K with 6% match (100% on the first 4% you contribute, 50% for the next 2%) but you only get it after 6 months there -15% discount on merchandise year round with chance for more discounts occasionally (ex: 40% coupon for 40th anniversary in America) -being in a fun environment with new, unique items being added constantly. -Competitive hourly pay: pays more than most retailers per hour. Your experience is taken into account to determine this number.
Cons
-Lack of hours: hours aren't divided between part time and full time. It's divided between 3 categories: HL1 (12-19 hours), HL2 (20-30), HL3 (up to 40). If you hire into HL1, you'll get 12-19 hours most weeks of the year. Of course when it gets busy you'll be asked to pick up shifts but the time in advance you are asked varies greatly. I've been asked a week before to as little as one hour before the shift starts. Very hard to plan your life and shows me that Ikea isn't being entirely truthful when they brag about giving you the schedule 3 weeks in advance. You basically have to choose between making more money vs keeping your plans. -Little to no chance for promotion: been here a year and the idea of a promotion is nonexistent. It's the same for people who have been here multiple years and clearly deserve it. Supervisors and managers don't leave often and if they do, their spots can be taken from someone from a different Ikea store. It also seems very cliquey and if you're not loved by the higher-ups, you won't be promoted despite being qualified. -Too many changes, too much update training: I'm not there often in the week but when I am it's treated like a serious full time job. Things constantly change to try to improve things which means constantly relearning how to do the job or learning new things with no more pay added. There are also way too many meetings and computer trainings for a retail/warehouse job. -Too demanding for what you earn: You must be available 7 days a week (but not fully each day) and you must be experienced (depending on role) or they won't consider hiring you. They expect all of this yet pay you like it's your first job and you still lived with your parents and paid no rent.