Sherwin-Williams – “Great for part-time job but look no further”

Pros

Flexibility for college students or someone who needs a second job. Pay for part-time is very competitive. Small store, less employees = great comradery. Doing deliveries gets you out of the store for awhile. Your paint knowledge will expand 10 fold while working here. It is knowledge you can take with you. Employee discount is great; 40% to 50%. 401K was good until the economy took a dump.

Cons

Customers can be demanding. Self-important Contractors treat you badly and think they are the only people on Earth who paint and need deliveries. Contractors should tip more! DIY customers can stress out the best of us. Upper management needs to support subordinate managers much better, especially the ones that actually do their job. Upper management needs to come off their Schaumburg HQ tower and observe the front line more than 1 to 2 times a year. I saw my DM once last year...hmmm...and stop with the favoritism in certain employees who are no more capable than anyone else.

Advice to Senior Management

Look more closely at Store Managers. Many take advantage of their salaried position by leaving early almost everyday. Hold the accountable. Think about promoting within a little more. Many excellent part-timers are lost due to the fact they are overlooked as possible full timers and/or Assistant Managers. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to move up an experienced part-time Sales Associate than to hire and train a college graduate who has never dealt with paint in their life? Come to the stores more often and see the progress of your stores, sometimes its good to get to the front lines once in awhile. Get to know your employees better. Promote from within, promote from within, promote from within. Invest some time into forming positive relationships with your subordinates. it seems social skills are not as sharp as the way they look at numbers.