Paper Source Reviews

Cons

I think part of this is being picky, but there are only three "cons". Salary first, Advancement opportunities second and cost of benefits third.

While I find that I am below the market average for my area, I will tell you there is a trade off - the scheduling can be extremely flexible, and with the right store manager writing it there is a HIGH value of work/life balance. This is not a company that has no grasp of life outside of work. They do NOT want to burn you out or not enjoy your job. There is a very high understanding that we are PEOPLE not robots and have lives outside of those four walls.

Also, many of the stores don't follow "Mall Hours" based on location, so the latest I work outside of seasonal times is 7:30pm.

Growth outlook is not what it was when I first started a couple years ago, and I fell that limits the opportunity for advancement unless someone leaves within the company. If you aren't relocatable or aren't willing to relocate to the opportunity that does become available, you might find it hard to get a Store Management position. With that being said, the company appears to be extremely stable and is still supporting itself and making money.

Also, it's a small company, and I have worked for retailers with over 1,000 stores so the cost of benefits isn't really fair to list as a con. You can't expect a smaller retailer to get as big of a price break on employee benefits as a global retailer. But it does cut a dent into your gross pay. I know that when they can the company will definitely provide lower premiums to their associates.

Cons

Only part-time if you're not a manager, etc. Also, some things were disorganized at times but managers would be willing to work together.

Cons

Difficult to move into upper management

Cons

People who mostly work there are older (late 20s +) so sometimes it get's difficult

Cons

It's still a low-paying hourly wage retail job.

Cons

hard to advance, hours of operation make it hard to pick up more shifts

Cons

I've worked at Paper Source since Nov 2015. In my time here, I have come to the conclusion that this job works fairly well for students, those with other part time jobs, and those with greater sources of income that do not depend on this job but enjoy it in their spare time. Those of us who need this job as their primary money source will be disappointed unless they are an assistant store manager or the store manager.

CSAs are not respected the way they should be. The culture and atmosphere of the job and coworkers is simply wonderful: you are in an environment with friendly people, often in a friendly neighborhood, and you share so many interests with these people. On the corporate end of the spectrum, however, you do not receive the recognition and respect you deserve.

Take gift-wrapping, for example. Recently our gift-wrapping service has gotten a large price increase: $ 8 per box, an additional $ 8 for larger parcels, and the cost of any materials used. Patrons can be expected to pay anywhere from $ 16 - $ 30+ for a simple giftwrap. Does any of the money go to the CSA who wrapped the package? Of course not! The $ 8 service fee goes straight to Paper Source's pocket, even though the corporate bigwigs are nowhere near the store when the wrap is happening. Major thumbs down to that.

The custom printing situation at this company is a MESS. It's clunky, it's cumbersome, it's drawn out. Several appointments, emails, phone calls, and sometimes even transactions often have to be made to complete one single order. It takes weeks to receive an order, and God forbid you try to change quantity or add a new aspect to your purchase after printing/stamping/letterpressing/whatever has started. It's 2018 and the custom print methods here are stuck in the '90s, with all orders being handwritten, scanned, photocopied, and then some. And, of course, employees receive 0 commission, even from several-thousand-dollar orders.

I have worked nearly three years at this company and have never received a raise, an employee review, or a promotion. The only time my pay has changed was because New York State mandated it to. Hours are scarce and it's all thanks to corporate. They often make pay cuts to stores even when their sales numbers are making company history. Managers hire more and more CSAs even with our dinky payroll. People are unofficially delegated to certain roles whether they want them or not. If you're good at teaching classes, whether you like it or not, you'll likely be a workshop teacher and nothing more. Certain employees are expected to do certain things like custom print, heavy lifting, workshop/private party teaching, gift-wrapping, etc while others don't have to bat an eyelash.

Customer registry is stressed time and time again, but there is no motivation for customers to join our email list. I don't even get our emails because they are frequent, repetitive, and useless. They look pretty and that's about it. We rarely have sales, we don't have a rewards program, and we don't even have free shipping, so why should anyone get our emails?

I've often been teased about promotions, but nothing has ever come of it. My first manager wanted me to become a key holder, but my school schedule did not allow it. When I had more free time, he was unfortunately let go. We were left without a store manager for nearly an entire year. Our new manager finally arrived (a transfer from another store after over 9 months without a manager) and no promotions were put in place due to several budget cuts. After multiple shifts in management, transfers, promotions, whatever--we finally have a balanced management team that can allow for promotions and employee development. It only took 2 and a half years.

Cons

Under paid with a lot of work expected of the team, without any real benefits to non management employees. Selective rewards without an accurate tracking system beyond numbers, and some pretty obvious growing pains for a company striving to reach the top tier of retail.

Cons

place is very dirty, parking is terrible

Cons

None, keep up the great work.