My girlfriend and I both work retail, probably one of the few decent retail jobs left. It's entry-level, for sure, but our GM is a saint of a man who considers it his life's mission to uplift his team in every way he can, and we sell liquor. It's a good combo. But even this near-ideal situation has some sharp realities.
For starters, we can't really climb. 'Head clerk' is the realistic end of our career path in the company. When the assistant manager left, the only shift manager who had been hired from outside at that level was promoted, and that was only after the GM threatened to mutiny to prevent a fresh hire from coming in. Second, we aren't paid enough. Even with Washington making great strides with minimum wage, it's only loosened the noose. I'm not late on my bills anymore, and believe me, I thank god for that, but savings is still infeasible. Most employees work second jobs. The worst part, though, is corporate, just like every job I've ever had that answers to a corporation. They're out of touch, they irritate our customers, and they'd bust our store culture with a smile if we let them. If there was actually a way for our store to go rogue and write our own contracts with distributors, we'd own the county in a week.
This sense of hopeless resignation towards pissing off my customers for inadequate reward is the best case for a retail job. Is it any wonder the sector is disintegrating?
All of that being said, I know a few people that work in cannabis retail. They all report off-the-charts job satisfaction and routinely pull three digits in tips a day. No corps there. Funny, that.