From Quincy,MA — 08/24/2010
First and foremost, I am writing this during a recession and still employed, thus my opinion on the company may be slightly less severe than some. I have been employed by Blockbuster for almost 4 1/2 years; a span that covers two stores (Mar.06 at one, April.07-now at the other). I started as a CSR and was promoted to Shift Leader in about 2 months. I went back to school and never bothered advancing further, though have certainly had the opportunity to. Now that this little background info is taken care of, I'll comment on each specific area.
**Pay: I started out at $8.50, which wasn't bad for '06 or as a CSR. Some of the CSRs I work with now barely make that. Upon being promoted, I received a bonus of about $.82, and have gotten two raises in all my time (One was for .12 and one for .03, and those are actual numbers....)
Bottom-line:The pay sucks, but could be worse. With the economy and company going down the drain, I'm not expecting any raises anytime soon.
**Respect: Respect was always present from managers, and corporate usually doesn't bother me. When we make our goals they tell us we're doing great, when we don't, they're not as happy. I've never felt like I was being looked down upon by anyone on a personal level though.
**Benefits:Free rentals, that's really the only perk about working here. There's a subpar health insurance package and we had a 401k system at one point, but other than that, they really don't offer much in the 'benefit' department.
**Job Security: Stores are closing and the company is in trouble. That's not exactly a secret. If you work hard (selling whatever program they're focusing on that week) you'll get hours and be fine. If you would rather not do the job you've been hired too (selling...) then they'll get rid of you.
**Work/Life Balance:As I mentioned earlier, I'm a student, and my school schedule comes first. During a semester, i work weekends and that's how it goes. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I've never had problems keeping the two separate
Bottom line: You're being paid to talk to people about movies and while you're at it, why not sell a candy bundle? The sales goals aren't always easy to meet, but if you can do it, you're golden. You get free rentals (as of a few months ago, 10 of them!), and work a mostly safe place that is likely heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer. Is it something you'll retire doing? I'd certainly hope not. If you need a job while you're in school, and you like movies, it's perfect...
