These Are the Best Major Retailers to Work for in 2019

My first job was at my local mall selling chiffon blouses and overpriced disco pants at a business that has now gone extinct, American Apparel. Among colorful racks of power washed tees and trendy scrunchies, I assisted customers, was yelled at on Black Friday, and got shoplifted on more than one occasion.

To be real, working retail is tough. Customers are mean and entitled, refolding clothes for hours is merciless, and climbing through an overflowing stockroom is headache-inducing. It's the kind of job you want to have in between pursuing your creative goals, or other professional aspirations, but of course, that's not always the case. It's also a job that everyone should have at least once -- it teaches you how to be pleasant to strangers, helps you connect with others, and shows you the value of hard work.

If you're going to work a retail gig, however, you'll want to start somewhere pleasant -- a place that will actually give you health insurance, provide some semblance of work-life balance, and genuinely cares about its employees. Luckily for us, and all of you out there who are looking to land a retail gig, Indeed has compiled a list of the 25 best in-store retailers to work for in 2019, based on employee ratings and reviews on Indeed.com. Here's what made the cut:

The top 25 retailers to work for in 2019

25. Marshalls
24. Hot Topic
23. Kohl's
22. Verizon
21. TJ Maxx
20. Sherwin-Williams
19. Whole Foods
18. The Home Depot
17. Gap
16. American Eagle Outfitters
15. American Greetings
14. Hobby Lobby
13. Sephora
12. Foot Locker
11. Bath & Body Works
10. Nordstrom
9. Publix
8. T-Mobile
7. Best Buy
6. QuikTrip
5. Wegmans
4. Nike
3. Costco
2. Vans
1. HEB

To create the ranking, Indeed sorted through over 180 million ratings and reviews. Of course, not all the ratings were from people who actual work the floor; corporate reviews definitely made the cut, too. However, as a former Vans sales associate, I can confirm that when a company treats their employees well -- from top to bottom -- things will generally be good. The free shoes were an added perk, too.

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Kat Thompson is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @katthompsonn