Pros
Have good relationships with most co-workers and had the chance to learn quite a bit from Master Technicians and other techs, as well as from working with so many vehicles, and so many different vehicles and situations at that.
Cons
Not great pay. About minimum wage for GST's (about 7.50 with $6 flat-rate, which is about $3 per most jobs that GST's do...so you come out to about $8.50 per hour). Flate-rate techs (C techs aka Mechanics) make about $14 flate-rate which comes out to anywhere from $350 a week to maybe $500 or so if you're very very lucky. Management and service writers push jobs so they can get comission, so you're constantly rushed with these walk-in and appt jobs. If mistakes are made or customers complain etc. there's always finger pointing and patronzing BS from service writers or managers that often know little to nothing about auto repair work. The writers and managers that know a little can be worse, trying to come in the shop and play mechanic and tell you what you're doing wrong or give you crap if you make a mistake or don't get a job done unreasonably fast.....but if they break something or mess up they shirk it off or hide it and worst of all RIP OFF CUSTOMERS selling them things because THEY broke it....or cover for a friend by again SELLING THINGS THEY BROKE OR THINGS THE CUSTOMERS DON'T NEED. I've seen customers pay for ENGINES, BODY REPAIR, BRAKES ETC because an employee essentially DAMAGED parts on the car that would've only needed maybe a $200 in repair for what it came in for. NO ADVANCEMENT comes from working at Pep Boys. Typical corporate failure with the CEO and administration having no place in the Automotive Repair field. Should stick to Parts, Accessories and Aftermarket merchandise retail.