Pros
I met a ton of great people thru Springfield Music, some of whom became long-term friends post employment, and I learned so much about the gear I already loved & became a much more discerning consumer of music gear, equipment, & accessories.
Cons
Some of the downsides are completely typical of working in a retail environment & can't really be helped: work hours include evenings & weekends which can isolate you from friends & family who work more traditional hours; & the pay left much to be desired. I worked harder than I had in years to learn product information, demo new items on my own time, read reviews & watch tutorial videos on my own time ... all in hopes of it paying off at work, which it did, in some respects, but never translated into a true living wage in the paychecks.