I worked for Chapters Indigo for 2 1/2 years and have survived 3 Christmases. While I highly recommend the company to students, retirees, and those looking to gain work experience, I DO NOT recommend anyone who needs real money to live on.

Here is my review of the company:

PROS
- Honestly, the best part of the job is being around smart, talented and funny co-workers. Most of them fall into one of three categories: students, transients, and retirees.
- You get to be around books everyday! It's really exciting whenever there is a new release out.
- Some of the managers do care and show their human side. They are caring, polite, and generous to employees–they are, however, quite rare.
- The atmosphere is relatively relaxing compared to most other retail outlets.

CONS
- The pay is super low. It's impossible to live on what they pay you, unless you live at home or with a roommate.
- The hours are VERY unpredictable, which makes it hard to find a second job. You could be working 20 hours one week and 5 the next. This makes your income unstable. It also makes it difficult to work another job.
- It's thankless work. Customers complimented about my work ethic many times, and what did management do about it? Absolutely nothing. Don't get me wrong, I like helping people and educating them about what they read, but in the end, you're just another cog in the wheel.
-Immaturity and gossip. Workplace politics exist everywhere, but when the majority of your coworkers are in their early 20s, things can get out of hand.
- Too many cooks in the kitchen. Seriously, it doesn't take five managers to run a store. C'mon, people! And the worse thing about it is that communication is often poor between them.
- The employee discount is laughable. You can save the same amount as a customer would by buying online.
- There is no advancement and there is no promotion, either. Most positions are filled from the outside.
- Lastly, if you are book lover, you will be horrified to see that bookshelves are disappearing in favour of overpriced merchandise. And it's this merchandise that keeps the business going.

In short, have an exit strategy. It simply isn't worth staying in the long run.

Posted on 11 October 2015 by Rater #19 | Flag as inappropriate

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