Pros
Macys is a lot less fussy about attire and other trivial things than the more high end department stores in Manhattan which makes for a more relaxed atmosphere. Employee discount when combined with Macys other discounts and promotions allows associates to score some very good buys.
Cons
When Macys needs seasonal employees, they hire anybody who walks in off the street with apparently no kind of reference or background check. This leads management to be overly suspicious of seasonal employees assuming they're all there to steal. They won't allow me to do anything where I would touch money or anything of value. I am an experienced retail person in transition who could be a big help to them and very honest, but I am given nothing to do and all the job entails is showing up and standing around serving no purpose. The seasonal orientation involves a visit to some jail cells in the basement of the building where you would presumably end up if you stole anything. While I realize there must be some degree of inside stealing in most of these stores, this is insulting to decent people who have no intention to do such a thing. There is no appropriate coat checking facility for seasonal sales associates, and it is said that many coats are stolen. It is not unusual to return after a whole work day and find your coat on the floor having been trampled by employees for hours. They need some kind of checkroom overseen by reliable people. What they have now shows little respect for the needs of employees. The seasonal associates are not given adequate training. There is no instructor supervising their training, and they are seated in front of a computer and expected to fend for themselves. There is nobody there to answer questions. I'm surprised many manage as well as they do, but they really need better training.
