Seeing the many negative reviews reinforces my decision to leave Graybar years ago. Nothing has changed. Not mentioned is the malevolent role politics plays at branches and districts.
The comments about low salaries today were true over 20 years ago. I was a customer service rep on a desk responsible for accounts with aggregate sales of over $4 million per year, but my pay was $14,000 per year—which was peanuts even in the late 1980s. Workloads varied with some having much more expected from them than others, including others who had been there longer and should have had more to do, but everyone was paid and evaluated about the same. From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs, with no one really "needing" more pay no matter how productive they were—that was the practice in the best business–Soviet style. Graybar hasn't changed.
For promotions, it wasn't what you knew, but whom you knew. Graybar hasn't changed. Making matters worse was that the company had an official policy of promoting from within and not hiring for upper-level jobs within branches from outside, but on managers' whims that changed, upsetting many loyal, hard-working employees. Those outsiders often did not work out well because they were not familiar with operations below their level. That policy has been out the door for some time and it's a free-for-all today, but things used to be much better for the career employee.
The company began to monkey with benefits in the early 1990s, especially health insurance. Those who say the benefits are good don't know how much better they used to be.
Profit sharing was inconsistent despite good years. In the 1990s there seemed to be many excuses to give nothing or only a few percent, despite apparently excellent sales nationwide. But no matter what, the managers always got their annual bonuses every spring.
The negatives others here give were true years ago. To repeat the mantra: nothing has changed. Steer clear.
Competitors offered me (unsolicited) sales and management positions when I worked for Graybar, but like a fool I turned them all down. You always hope things will get better. They didn't.
