Is Sweetwater a good company to work for?

Sweetwater has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 571 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 18% over the last 12 months. 80% of employees would recommend working at Sweetwater to a friend and 74% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Sweetwater have been left by employees working as Senior Sales Engineer , Sales Engineer and Marketing .

Does Sweetwater pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Sweetwater employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Sweetwater. This rating has improved by 16% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Sweetwater?

80% of Sweetwater employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Sweetwater 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Sweetwater?

Sales Engineer (137) , Senior Sales Engineer (19) , Software Engineer (13) , Marketing (10) , Sales (9) , Account Coordinator (8) , Customer Service Representative (6) , Customer Service Representative (CSR) (5) , Guitar Gallery - Guitar Handler (5) , Guitar Technician (5) , Inventory and Shipping Specialist (5) , Packer (5) , Customer Service (4) , Distribution Center (4) , Product Support Specialist (4)

What are the pros of working at Sweetwater according to real employee reviews?

"Mostly great people on the bottom of the food chain." ((in 69 reviews)); "Great benefits and plus's for being an employee." ((in 47 reviews)); "The culture of Sweetwater is great for the most part but often feels forced and not fed." ((in 32 reviews)); "On site diner Cool coworkers" ((in 17 reviews)); "Sweetwater is an awesome place to work." ((in 13 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Sweetwater according to real employee reviews?

"micro management and cubicles" ((in 43 reviews)); "Low pay" ((in 29 reviews)); "Long hours if you want to even have a chance of making any money." ((in 18 reviews)); "Long hours are a must at the start if you wish to do well for yourself." ((in 13 reviews)); "Bad work life balance" ((in 11 reviews))

What are employees saying about Sweetwater layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Sweetwater layoffs and their outlook for job security at Sweetwater in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Sweetwater locations?

Fort Wayne , Litchfield Park , Fort Wayne , Arlington , New York , Glendale , Ann Arbor , Austin , Houston , Bloomington , Indianapolis , South Bend , Las Vegas , Charleston , Sandy Springs

Sweetwater reviews

4.1

80% would recommend to a friend

(541 total reviews)

Mike Clem

89% approve of CEO

74% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Culture & values

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

4.0

Career opportunities

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.9

Senior management

3.9

Compensation and benefits

Sweetwater has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 541 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Sweetwater employee rating is 21% above average for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.4 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

541 reviews

4.0

Apr 5, 2021

Nice place, with a fun active position

Customer pickup associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Flexible - Nice people - Active - Fun Job

Cons

- Can get busy, especially around Holidays and Tax season, be prepared to do a lot of walking

Sweetwater Response

5y

Thank you for the excellent feedback! I agree that it can certainly get busy during the holiday shopping season but I'm grateful for how all of our team members put in the extra effort to help our customers get the gear they need to make their musical dreams come true! - Jeff Ostermann, Chief People Officer

5.0

Mar 31, 2021

Excellent place to work

Senior software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Sweetwater has a wonderful culture, full of kind and talented people. A core value of the company is going above and beyond to serve customers and fellow employees. The result is a can-do, positive attitude and spirit of teamwork that drives the the company's success. As a business, Sweetwater is doing very well, which allows them to hire good talent and provide them with the tools they need to get the job done. There are plenty of opportunities to work on large-scale solutions. The facility is top-notch, containing a truly good cafeteria, fitness area, cafes, and other perks.

Cons

Not much comes to mind.

Sweetwater Response

5y

Thank you for the great feedback! - Jeff Ostermann, Chief People Officer

4.0

Mar 25, 2021

Great work, ned time to build book of business

Sales engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Really awesome atmosphere - surrounded by like-minded musicians. Employee discounts, on-site diner/coffee shop

Cons

VERY intensive and fast-paced. Most of your time will be spent on the phone (4-5hrs a day on average). Lots of outbound calls and some inbound. You won't start making any actual money until you build your book of business big enough. Luckily they start your base pay off strong during training (3 months) but lower your pay as your database grows. It is VITAL to put as many customers in your name as possible in order to make a considerable amount of money off commission, and that will take some time based on how many phone calls you can pump out a day. Management is very helpful and you don't necessarily need sales experience to do well here. Just a positive attitude and really good work ethic.

Sweetwater Response

5y

Thanks for the solid feedback. I also appreciate you being honest about the hard work that is necessary for someone to do well as a sales engineer. We never shy away from sharing this info during the interview process with candidates. As you mention, with a positive attitude and a good work ethic the rewards and the satisfaction that comes from taking care of your customers can be amazing. (And with that hard work we've also often seen SEs that are able to hit their 3 or 4 year financial expectations ahead of pace in just 1 or 2 years.) Thank you for being a part of making it all possible! - Jeff Ostermann, Chief People Officer

Viewing 388 - 390 of 541 Reviews

Jobs at Sweetwater

Weekend Shift- Distribution Center Associate

Part Time 2nd Shift - Distribution Center Associate

Sweetwater

Sweetwater reviews

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Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Nice place, with a fun active position

Excellent place to work

Great work, ned time to build book of business

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