April 3, 2017 If you’ve ever looked at reviews of your store on a site like Yelp, you know how much a negative one can hurt. So it’s no wonder retailers haven’t been pressing for a site where employees can publicly review their jobs — but it turns out that such a site already exists. I was looking for ideas for the new edition of Specialty Shop Retailing when I found Glassdoor, and discovered the reviews posted there by Disney Store employees. This is what I learned: On the positive side: Most Disney employees really like working there. “I love the environment and I love my fellow cast members,” wrote one part-timer The benefits and pay, at least for full time employees, are good All employees enjoy the perks, such as complimentary park tickets “You get to sing Disney songs all day long!” and create magic for the guests Could be improved: Part-time employees sometimes end up with few shifts If you’re not outgoing/bubbly, this job is not for you Not flexible with scheduling, call-in shifts not popular Some feel there’s a lack of support for hourly employees from management The Glassdoor site has only 250 reviews by Disney employees, but there are 1,500 by employees at Anthropologie and almost 22,000 by Target cashiers. I especially appreciate the fact that every review has a pro and con section, and an opportunity for the writer to give some “advice to management.” As with Yelp, companies have a chance to respond to employee comments, but they cannot alter or remove a review. Looking through Glassdoor can be quite an education. There is so much to be learned from the countless ideas that retail workers have about how to make their work more enjoyable and meaningful. After all, we want to do our best to earn a comment like this one in a review by a Crate & Barrel employee, under advice to management: “Thanks for caring about your employees. It makes such a difference in our lives.” Happy Retailing, Carol “Orange” Schroeder PS There will not be a Specialty Shop Retailing blog next Monday, as I’ll be traveling to do research for the new edition of my book.