Is Sweetwater a good company to work for?

Sweetwater has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 571 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 19% over the last 12 months. 82% 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 4.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Sweetwater. This rating has improved by 17% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Sweetwater?

82% of Sweetwater employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Sweetwater 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 4.1 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?

"It is a pleasure to be surrounded by so many great people." ((in 67 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 34 reviews)); "Great 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 39 reviews)); "Low pay and no chance for advancement." ((in 29 reviews)); "Long hours if you want to even have a chance of making any money." ((in 20 reviews)); "Long hours are a must at the start if you wish to do well for yourself." ((in 12 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

4.2

82% would recommend to a friend

(541 total reviews)

Mike Clem

90% approve of CEO

74% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (541 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Sweetwater has an employee rating of 4.2 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 24% above average for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.4 stars).

Reviews by job title

541 reviews

3.0

Jun 8, 2022

Pay and benefits are subpar

Guitar gallery - guitar handler

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The people that work here are awesome and if you like music seeing all the guitars is pretty fun

Cons

Pay is bad, there's an incentive system that docks a dollar per hour off your pay for the whole week if you miss a day whether you missed work because you had a horrible car accident or just didn't feel like going. It's $100 per pay period for the standard health insurance, that mixed with the pay leads to a pretty undesirable job.

Sweetwater Response

4y

Thanks for sharing your feedback. I wanted to clarify 2 points…. 1) The incentive system is designed to reward our team members for strong attendance by giving them an extra $1 /hr when they work their scheduled shifts (no unexcused absences) and don’t incur any tardies. Over 90% of our team members earn this extra pay each pay period and we’re really glad we’re able to deliver this to them. 2) We have multiple health plan options available with premium credits that are provided to employees who take part in a basic health screening once per year. For employee-only coverage under our High Deductible Plan, employees earning their full wellness credit pay only $18 per pay period for full medical coverage. The traditional plan is just $42 per pay period. If you have questions or would like further clarification on how these options are managed, feel free to talk with a member of our HR team. - Jeff Ostermann, Chief People Officer

4.0

Apr 30, 2022

GREAT company, not so great pay for their expecations

Account coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Awesome benefits, amenities, and other intangibles. One of the largest and fastest growing online music retails in the country (or world). Coworkers are eclectic, most are interesting and great to be around, and management truly listens to suggestions and is thoughtful about their approaches to employees and customers. Lots of innovation and creativity. This is a GREAT starting place for anyone who wants to be a Sales Engineer.

Cons

Expectations for this particular position are very high and pay doesn't seem to reflect that. Turnover rate for ACs is relatively high, maybe 12-18 months for the majority. A handful have been there for 3-5+ years, and most who have been over 12 months are looking for another job or want to move to another position within the company. I

4.0

Mar 27, 2022

Solid place to grow

Sales engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of benefits, friendly work environment, generous days off, good pay for established books of business

Cons

Ramp up time can be slow for some, new pay structure not as conducive to early high income, no work from home option, sales schedule lets out no earlier than 6pm and there are many nights and weekends.

Viewing 175 - 177 of 541 Reviews

Jobs at Sweetwater

Music Store Sales Engineer

Home Audio Copywriter

Sweetwater

Sweetwater reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Pay and benefits are subpar

GREAT company, not so great pay for their expecations

Solid place to grow

Jobs at Sweetwater

Sweetwater reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Company ratings over time

Jobs at Sweetwater

Sweetwater reviews FAQs