Total Wine & More Reviews

Pros

Great people, and a lot of opportunity to do interesting things you can't do at normal retail jobs.

Cons

At least for my store - not staffed enough. I wore about 5 different hats when I was a merchandiser. Getting certifications resolves this issue, as they'll want you on the floor more often, but be ready to work hard and probably be stressed out.

Pros

Learn about some products Good relationships with teammates Customers are mostly appreciative

Cons

Too many identical overpriced products No imagination regarding customers wanting unusual or different things We build up brand that are spirits or winery partnership then they flip to national brand, and we're now asked to shill for a more expensive product that is markedly worse So many new stores are now open that the amount of WD and SD products are barely available. We sell through it fast and then the company says it needs to be on display. The following week we only get 1 case in We get to taste products to know what they taste like but only if it's cheap. If it's high end we're expected to lie about how much we like it If it werent for one particular colleague we wouldn't know anything about any product that isnt just like a bunch of others

Pros

Free case 12 bottles of wine every month. Easy customers to deal with. Room to grow and learn.

Cons

Too many corp visits from owners keep everyone tense during holidays.

Pros

Loved the team. TWM associates are generally cheerful and engaging. There is a great camaraderie around shared goals. Every store I worked in had a diverse and energetic team atmosphere. Pretty good training available, although you really only have time to use it off the clock. Managers are flexible in terms of scheduling. If you want/need certain hours, or even to transfer to a different store, they are generally willing to make it happen. Free wine and beer 10 months per year. Not bad at all. Discounts on wine, beer, food, gifts. One of the best perks and why I would say this job is great for part time.

Cons

Low pay. Had to work 50 hours/week to come close to my previous job. And even though they guaranteed me 50 hours when I interviewed, I almost never got that many. Limited advancement opportunities. During interview I was told I would be promoted within 6-9 months. What they actually did was make me an "acting manager" at another store for 6 months. No pay increase, additional responsibilities. After 2 years there were open manager positions at every area store and I was asked once again to work as an "acting manager" for a period of 2 months. Managers are not equally yolked. In a non-spirit market you're essentially split into two sides, sales floor (wine) and front end. The sales floor is responsible for selling WD (literally THE only metric total wine cares about), stocking shelves, setting endcaps and merchandising the aisles. Front end is responsible for not selling to minors and keeping registers tidy. When you're busy you can have sales people pulled off the sales floor and onto the registers, but never the opposite. Crazy workload, very physical. During COVID TWM asked their store teams to do a great deal of new work, adding curbside pickup service, an incredible increase in online orders and daily cleaning routines for the entire store. What did TWM give their employees in return? A temporary pay increase (that was not even available to most of the new hires). The company as a whole had their best year ever, blowing every metric out of the water, and they didn't even take a moment to celebrate. It was just "On to 2021, more goals to beat!" TWM does not care about individual employees at the store level. I didn't want to leave, but I knew when I gave my notice that would be it. No counteroffer, no exit interview, just a handshake and out the door. In theory I should have been the type of employee TWM would want to keep -- I had done their leadership training, wine and beer certifications, did not call out for a shift once in 2 years... but it doesn't matter because they just view store employees as cogs that are easily replaced.

Pros

Great Industry with the leading company in that sector

Cons

Too many Hours. Typically at least 55-60/week. Days off change all the time, so don't make plans.