Pros
Nordstrom is a company that feels like a family away from home. While working in the Communications department I was able to become close friends with coworkers and even my manager. Now, after not working there for over a year, I still keep in touch with them and it's not "weird". Although it was a very professional environment, I was allowed to balance personal life with the workplace - during any down time I was allowed and even encouraged to do school work since I was a student at the time. I was also able to take time off work at the drop of a hat if my personal life called for it. Of course, I was expected to return the favor if it was called for in the future (kind of a "I'll scratch your back today, you scratch mine when I need it too" mentality). I was always recognized and praised for a job well done - on a daily basis. Overall it was a wonderful place to work!
Cons
My biggest issue with Nordstrom was the fact that it's retail. With retail comes a retail schedule, so I hated having to work the evening shift (1:30-9:30PM). It was switched up for variety, but sometimes that would mean that I would work the evening shift and then have to be back the very next morning at 7:30AM for the morning shift. That could get tiring. It was also a little difficult to be relieved for regular breaks. The person working the AM shift would have to wait for the PM shift to arrive before taking a lunch break - and sometimes even a restroom break. Since the phones HAD to be manned at all times, it was difficult to find someone to watch them even long enough to run to the restroom - the phone system was much more advanced than a regular phone, so the average employee on the floor was "afraid" to take over the phones even for a short period of time. When working the PM shift, I had to take a lunch break 2 hours after arriving or else I wouldn't get one. Taking a break that early made me very tired later in the evening when I actually NEEDED a break. Since I do still stay in touch with old coworkers who are still working there, I've heard that this issue has been addressed and improved since I left.