If you like apologizing to customers, work here. - Outside Sales Representative Graybar Employee Review

1.0
Feb 19, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You will not make money working in sales for this company

Cons

Management is disingenuous and does not reveal the true compensation plan. After your second year you will be forced into a lower salary and commission plan. They offer a profit sharing plan, but fail to mention that you will not qualify for it until after 18 months with the company. Has the worse compensation plan of any electrical distributor.

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Graybar Response
8y
Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear you were not satisfied with our sales compensation program. We introduced a new sales compensation program a few years ago that allows for uncapped commissions plus a base salary, allowing our sales representatives unlimited earning potential. This plan drives profitable growth by rewarding top performing salespeople for their contributions. We are always trying to continually improve and be the best we can for our employees.

Explore other reviews about Graybar

5.0
Jun 11, 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
Apr 6, 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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