Pros
If I didn’t have a good manager this review would have been 1 star. So store-level management can be good, very fair and understanding (depends). You learn a lot about wine, and you get free bottles for wine issues to learn more. The company does encourage a lot of learning this way. As well, sometimes there are incentives for selling depending on your store. It’s also a pretty relaxed environment in the right store.
Kontras
My store-level manager is great, however I have worked in other stores and have had experiences with other store-level managers that were awful, as they didn’t treat you with any respect. Middle management and upper management are where the real problems lie though. Stores are extremely micro-managed, so differences in store-to-store experiences and needs are not considered at all. Many staff are underpaid for the level of work they do, employees have been promised or given position, and had those positions revoked for no good reason other than the company saving money. Staff are seen as completely disposable/ replaceable, and labour hours and employee incentives are where they cut when the company needs to save money, despite them spending extreme amounts on middle/upper management salaries, marketing and purchasing new brands and wineries.