Pros
WORK ENVIRONMENT I worked at Staples for two summers while I was going to school (total of six months). Staples has a fairly laid back atmosphere. It was occasionally somewhat hectic, but this was usually only an hour or two a day, if that, and it was always manageable. As a sales associate, I felt very little pressure to upsell. I didn't have a sales quota or anything like that. The focus was always on providing good customer service. This may be specific to my location, but I always felt like the managers were legitimately concerned with doing right by our customers. My general manager in particular was great about that. HOURS AND WAGE It paid decently for an "unskilled labor" type job. I was originally making $9.20/hr when the minimum wage in my state was $8.95, and my pay went up to $9.50 when I was rehired the next year (I think the minimum wage had increased to $9.10 by this point). Like most part time jobs, my hours were pretty flexible. Even when I had jury duty every Thursday for two months, I was still getting 25 hours and working five days a week. You can pretty much get as much time off as you want, as long as you request it in advance. Gone for a whole week next month? No problem. Everyone else will just get a few more hours to compensate. Corporate is very serious about making sure everyone gets their breaks and lunches. Breaks are paid, but you have to clock out for lunch. If your shift is between 3.5 and 5.5 hours, you get one 15 minutes break. From 6 to 7 hours you get a break and a lunch. 7.5 to 8.5 you get two breaks and a lunch. At 9 hours you get a second lunch. PROMOTION Where I worked, there was about a 1:1 ratio of regular associates to specialized roles (meaning management, copy and print, or tech). Getting moved to a specialized department is essentially a promotion, because it comes with a pay raise, so there's a lot of room for promotion. If I'd worked there longer, I'm almost sure I would have been moved to the tech department.
Cons
WORK ENVIRONMENT PROS Like I said above, Staples doesn't put much pressure on associates to upsell, but I know the tech guys were encouraged to sell extended service plans (extended warranties for computer, phones and printers and such) that were not always in the best interest of the customer. They could get in trouble if they weren't selling enough. HOURS AND WAGE CONS There is no opportunity for tips, commission, or bonuses, however. Your pay is your pay. My schedule was unpredictable. It was never the same from week to week, and I only knew my hours a week or two in advance. Most associates were capped at 25 hours a week, which I believe is company policy, so some of them had to get second jobs to make ends meet. Personally, I found that 25 hours a week was about right for me as a student.