Pros
Grainger was a good company to work for. They offered a good base salary, very affordable health insurance, an excellent benefits package, and a somewhat flexible work schedule. Grainger employs some of the brightest sales people you will ever meet. The culture is very professional and they do seem to care about their employees. The CEO, Jim Ryan is Top Notch.
Cons
The problem with working in the MRO industry is the competition. There are an endless number of companies selling the exact same products and services at a fraction of the price that Grainger charges. The sales rep ends up discounting products to the point where there is no profit left. Grainger likes to talk up the "unlimited" income potential that it's sales reps can make, but they raise the sales goals twice a year to a point that is unattainable. You WILL end up working for your base salary only. In addition, if you fail to hit your goal, which is a completely arbitrary number with no basis in reality, you will be targeted for termination. They almost set it up so that they turn over their sales force on a regular basis. This is not a rant against the company, but a reality of the competitive position that they find themselves in. They are the highest priced MRO provider by far, and at some point will have to completely change how they go to business. Its hard to sell a "value proposition" over price when your competitor will give the same service and the same products at a third of the cost. You just can't talk your way around that. On a positive note, the company has good top level Management and they will find a way to compete, I just would not want to be a member of the outside sales force in the coming years, Not much job security.