These Are The Best Stores To Work Retail

Working retail can be a mixed bag. Pros: store discounts and flexible hours. Cons: crabby customers and working weekends (and holidays). Not to mention that sometimes those flexible schedules are not so flexible — or they're so flexible you can't plan the rest of your life. And then there are the horror stories that are all too common during the busiest shopping days of the year. Today, Fortune released its second annual list of the best workplaces in retail. Build-A-Bear Workshop, the stuffed animal wonderland, took the top spot. Employees get a paid day off on their birthdays, as well as special perks during the holiday season (free lunches and prizes for their hard work). While it might be nice to get your birthday off, Build-A-Bear is not officially closed on Thanksgiving Day. Hopefully, its employees will appreciate some of those other perks when they have to work the holiday instead of spending the day with their families. Other top retailers include Ikea (employees enjoy great health benefits, including infertility treatments and, starting January 1, 2016, gender-reassignment surgery, Fortune reports) and Nordstrom, which offers its employees up to 40% discount at different times throughout the year. Click here for the full list. Do you agree with the picks?