Rent-A-Center – “Stressful, but atmosphere is dependent on store personel.”

Pros

Very good money for a "delivery guy" or "credit guy" or even both! As someone that's had both a delivery person and a credit collector, the hours you work make your paycheck consistantly higher. At a credit collection company, your pay is almost entirely based on how much you collect,that's not the case at RaC. You do work 48+ hours though, so while this is an entry level position, you are required to give more than entry level work. This isn't a job at a fast food restaurant! There are frequent performance based bonus (more for store manager and assistant manager, but some for all co-workers).
Decent benefits. Not the best for health care, vacations, sick time, etc but still provides these benefits when many business do not offer anything. With regards to health care, this situation will probably change. It's not RaC's fault health care options suck and are expensive. Company matches 401k (rare these days) and 401k options are actually pretty good.
Most of all, if your attitude is one of trying to help people and solve problems, you are in for a treat. Selling to people and seeing how excited they are and happy to have nice things in their home is really the best part about RaC. People complain about prices, but appliances, furniture, bedrooms, etc. are expensive EVERYWHERE. Many times our prices are below national chain prices and when they aren't, they are usually within 5%. Furniture at Wal-Mart is not the same furniture at RaC. Go check out England, Albany, Ashley (furniture) Whirlpool (appliances) Sony, Panasonic, Mitsubishi (Electronics) prices at actual stores (Wal-Mart doesn't count, everyone knows they are cheaper, and everyone knows WHY they are cheaper, if you don't, research that...) So I urge you to check prices. Then, because you probably don't understand the price tags at a RaC, ask someone what it means! Suprising people is one of the highlights of my day...

Cons

You deal with many people that are poor and down and out. Some of them are desperate, some of them are needy, some of them are just plain evil. You have to deal with all of these people, and many times, one bad person will ruin your entire day. It really sucks when the store manager or district manager is that person, but I would say that generally is not the case.
You work long hours, @ 10.25/hour to start, but you'd have to find a job starting at 13.33/hour to get the same paycheck.
Back breaking work, but again - most moving companies deal with this issue, and pay you less.
Stressful with collections - but you still get paid. The more successful collections callers know that the majority of people that buy from RaC need a little help financially. Understanding that, and getting RaC on the customers priority list is a difficult job. Conversations with customers often times are frustrating and emotionally draining. People don't like to divulge their finances to "a rent guy". You have to earn their trust and keep it! Very difficult job to do, and to many people, not worth the paycheck.
You don't get consecutive days off. Very difficult to feel refreshed after a "weekend". Can't visit personal people/places/things w/out over exerting yourself. Start to late and end to late in the day to carry on a "life" outside of work, but you'll adjust over time, and if your family likes the bread you put on the table, they'll adjust too. Many other jobs require long hours too - not just RaC. Seems like people are to used to the 30 hours they get at grocery stores. Well, I'll say this to them - if you like your $250 a week paycheck, stay bagging groceries or asking if "you want fries with that?", I'll stay at work a couple extra hours a day and deliver your new washer and dryer for you.

Advice to Senior Management

Account Reps and Assistant Managers really do deserve more. Not necessarily more money, but more recognition and a higher sense of accomplishment. You know the turnover is high, and I'm sure we're losing some rough diamonds by getting caught up in the numbers game instead of why we're really there. Yes, standards are important, but teaching people how to do their jobs is even more important. And please, lets not kid ourselves, the Focus 1 and Product Knowledge courses are obsolete a few months after they are made - we learn more by hands on than anything else...