Following in Sears Foosteps - Anonymous employee Grainger Employee Review

2.0
Apr 16, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Palace-like corporate offices in Lake Forest ( funded via obsolete profit margins ), including health club, dry cleaners and running trails. Downtown office near public transportation. Heritage and residual reputation garner respect from Chicago business community. Compensation packages are based on ( out-dated) retention research, and are above industry average. Allows employees to work virtually on Fridays - or at least many of them choose to WFH. Offers generous perks to interns, including job offers including summer housing and pre-graduation.

Cons

Company had gone through multiple reorganizations. None have been successful in addressing core business issues. Culture is a patchwork of newer employees charged with agility and the "old guard" ( rampant in HR, where dinosaurs roam the halls ) that make a career of smiling and nodding, punching out at 4pm to make their train / beat the rush hour traffic. Market share continues to erode, driven by customer base buying from Amazon ( while management denies this threat, playing violins on the deck as the ocean liner fills with water ) and revenue is further impacted by eroding profit margins with deeper pricing incentives required. Illusion of excellent customer service as its ket differentiator has tarnished and customers characterizes GIS as a "faceless order taker." Gender discrimination is ( still) rampant with known disparities in compensation for equal work.

Explore other reviews about Grainger

5.0
May 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great team, competitive pay, and excellent benefits. Grainger truly invests in its employees' growth—I've been able to work toward finishing my college degree while participating in incredible internal initiatives like the Mentor Program, PDP (Professional Development Program), and the Elevate Badging program. There are so many career advancement opportunities here; the only limit is what you place on yourself. Additionally, the culture is highly inclusive. Employees across different departments and regions genuinely support and help one another.

Cons

With so many programs and opportunities available, it can sometimes be a challenge to balance daily responsibilities with professional development, but it is entirely manageable with good time management.

4.0
Jun 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Benefits are decent and reasonably priced. They offer a 401k match, BCBS insurance, FSA, HSA, dental, vision, life insurance, and accidental D&D coverage. They also do a 3‑to‑1 match for donations to non‑religious 501(c) organizations. There’s a big emphasis on volunteering, with plenty of opportunities to get involved. The building itself is beautiful, with a free on‑site gym, a coffee shop, real trees in the atrium, a waterfall, and a large cafeteria (though the food can vary). They’re also flexible about which days you come on‑site, depending on the team’s schedule. If I needed to switch a Monday for a Thursday, it was never an issue. My manager was also supportive of remote work on days when the weather made commuting difficult.

Cons

Admins do not get an annual bonus. They're really strict on Overtime, really weird about worrying about mini costs. Like they'll spend 50k on a week-long training but freak out if people want to rent a car while being in town. Can't buy lunch for this 3 hour meeting to cut costs, but we'll drop 10k on this other thing. It's also so unfair that some people get to work remotely and others are forced to come in 3 times a week, for the exact same roles. Every meeting is basically online, so it's just silly and a power trip.

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