Pros
As a sales associate, you have the option of making as much money as you want because your salary is purely commission-based. If you're a hustler and you like working with customers, you can do very well. The more volume you sell consistently, you have many options to move up with the company. I had great experiences working with customers, and made some great relationships on a first-name basis. I made decent money as a college student working part-time for a C store with less product. As a visual merchandiser, it is one of the most fun jobs I have ever experienced. You work, for the most part, independently, so you have to be self-motivated to finish the daily jobs within expectations. It's creative, but you have to always remember who the customer is per department. Your attire is also fashionable but comfortable.
Cons
As a sales associate, watch out for conniving, manipulative, brown-nosing, ethically-challenged persons who steal sales. It's incredibly frustrating to not be able to trust everyone you work with, and then not have upper-level management or h.r. appropriately handle incidences of stolen sales, with proof! If the store manager is proactive, intelligent, supportive, and direct, then Nordstrom is great. Otherwise, not so much. As a visual merchandiser, just be proactive in asking a lot of questions and bring a great amount of construction skills, like painting, working with tools, and experience synonymous with window display and set-up.