Toxic culture and poor compensation for sales roles - Outside Sales Representative Graybar Employee Review

1.0
Jul 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Company car although it took about a year for them to finally find one to give me. Employee stock, however, its only good if you buy massive amounts.

Cons

Where do I start? As a sales professional, my experience at Graybar in St Louis MO was horrible. Graybar does not value its employees as human beings. My role was travel based covering the state of MO. I was expected to drive 4, 5, 6 hours to meet with a customer, and drive back home tk avoid hotel expenses. This was extremely dangerous. The compensation was laughable and the commission was even worse. Sales reps have to make Graybar about $1M in profit before they will pay out a penny. Lastly, management pulled the ultimate slap in the face to all of the sales reps and capped the uncapped commission during a record year. Absolutely disgusting and shameful behavior coming out of Graybar in STL.

Explore other reviews about Graybar

5.0
Jul 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of experience, hands on learning

Cons

Lack of compensation ( money-wise)

2.0
Jul 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Employee owned so profits are shared with both employees AND employee stock holders

Cons

Graybar is trying to keep pace with the digital transformation of our industry, But, most senior leaders lack the experience needed to execute true digital change. As a result, the company has made several costly missteps. Graybar needs more outside senior talent with a proven track record of building and deploying customer‑facing digital solutions that both simplify the customer experience and reduce Graybar internal labor. Our current AI initiatives are unlikely to deliver meaningful results because our data is too inconsistent to support AI and other inititives. Without significant changes soon, Graybar’s long‑term outlook risks mirroring companies like Blockbuster, Borders Bookstores, Sears, and JCPenney—businesses that failed to adapt when customers shifted to online purchasing instead of relying solely on brick‑and‑mortar service or phone/fax to place orders.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All