Enjoyed working with all Graybar employees and Suppliers. - Outside Sales Representative Graybar Employee Review

3.0
2 Jul 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Graybar is a market dominant electrical wholesale distributor representing nearly every electrical OEM brand with office locations nationwide. As a result, Graybar typically receives the best costing available from any Supplier which makes their pricing competitive yielding healthy profit margins and commissions to Salespeople. Corporate health benefits and automobile plan were attractive.

Cons

Overall compensation is not market competitive. New hires are not accepted well by seasoned branch employees. There are obvious differences in philosophies and significant "generation gaps" between the new hires and "old school" employees. Employment with Graybar was once considered a long term career opportunity; Simply go to any branch and one can find numerous staff who have been employed for 20-30years. In general, change is not handled well and there is increasing tension between Electrical and Data-Telcom Sales teams. There was little communication between the competing sales divisions.

Explore other reviews about Graybar

5.0
11 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Strong department leadership in current role

Cons

Many senior team members with decades of stored brain knowledge that is hard to share

3.0
6 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Many opportunities to learn about distribution and management. Pto is three weeks per year plus holidays and over a s Week of sick time. If you work here longer, you can buy enough company shares to receive a sizeable dividend each year. You are allowed to buy about 5% of your salary in company shares per year and then receive usually 20% of that back per year. The profit sharing plan contributes 10% of your salary to your 401k account but you need to be vested to keep it all.

Cons

You will need a second job to live. Sales reps make way more and do half the work but they report to their managers much more. If you are a CSR, sales people feel entitled to treat you however they want and their manager will back them up. You are watched by coworkers and management like a high surveillance prison especially when you're new but they will leave you alone if you're good at your job after a year or so. Graybar brags about how much revenue and profit they make but middle and upper management suck it all up leaving scraps for the workers who made it for them.

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