Ask about employee retention before you start - Product Management Specialist Grainger Employee Review

1.0
22 Aug 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice work environment, great on-site health club and cafeteria, excellent resources, high-growth industry -- making hay off of global warming.

Cons

You either fit the Grainger corporate culture or you don't...and a significant number (25%?) of employees wash out here in the first year and a half. That's why reviews are so great - those are the survivors. Grainger has the most intense political environment of any company I've ever seen. Everything is gamesmanship - who you know, who you can know, who you don't know. Some managers attend 12 meetings a day, because meetings *are* management jobs. Doesn't really matter what you get done because everything will change as soon as positional musical chairs begins. People move jobs a LOT at Grainger - often after they've only been in a job for 9 months.

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4.0
6 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Benefits are decent and reasonably priced. They offer a 401k match, BCBS insurance, FSA, HSA, dental, vision, life insurance, and accidental D&D coverage. They also do a 3‑to‑1 match for donations to non‑religious 501(c) organizations. There’s a big emphasis on volunteering, with plenty of opportunities to get involved. The building itself is beautiful, with a free on‑site gym, a coffee shop, real trees in the atrium, a waterfall, and a large cafeteria (though the food can vary). They’re also flexible about which days you come on‑site, depending on the team’s schedule. If I needed to switch a Monday for a Thursday, it was never an issue. My manager was also supportive of remote work on days when the weather made commuting difficult.

Cons

Admins do not get an annual bonus. They're really strict on Overtime, really weird about worrying about mini costs. Like they'll spend 50k on a week-long training but freak out if people want to rent a car while being in town. Can't buy lunch for this 3 hour meeting to cut costs, but we'll drop 10k on this other thing. It's also so unfair that some people get to work remotely and others are forced to come in 3 times a week, for the exact same roles. Every meeting is basically online, so it's just silly and a power trip.

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