customer service representative

millwright

industrial mechanic

sales representative

equipment repair technician

Cloverdale Paint

I am a highly skilled colour matcher with many years in the industry. I was poached from a comfortable management job at a competitor and promised a certain title. When I actually started there, I was given a lower title and told I had to work up to that position.

I initially loved the culture, as it is the "Place to be". I loved the little booklets and policy manuals they hand out to onboard you as a staff member. I thought, "Great, this company really has itself together". I was promised fast promotions, a trip out West for training (which due to COVID, was postponed, at no fault of the company). For the first 3 months, I absolutely loved my job: It was much slower than I imagined, not the fast-paced jam-packed stores I was used to, so I was really able to take my time with my work.

Things changed after my probation. There is a clique of staff at this particular store, well known to other branches and the upper management. These 3 staff members protected each others' bad behaviour and sabotaged all relationships with new staff. This trio, although individually nice people, made everyday work a nightmare for other staff. They had their "assigned job" and did really nothing else. Basic store procedures were neglected for months. Warehousing was not maintained, skids could sit on the floor for weeks at a time. The store was a mess, it was dusty and rarely stock. Garbage was never taken out which lead to some pretty serious safety hazards. All price labels were out of date, and we would have to adjust prices on the computer if the customers noticed. The three were untidy, all blaming one another for the mess. Product ordering was being mismanaged: either they would order too much because the store was so unorganized, or not enough because the cycle counts were not done so our computer inventory was off. The amount of products wasted from simple poor management was tragic.

Then things took a turn for the serious. Basic safety was getting out of hand: three safety incidents coincided in the same week, all caused by each member of the aforementioned clique. After that, they needed to find a scapegoat, and then bullying got a whole lot worse. Suddenly, after being an A+ employee my whole working life, I was being chastised for every action. The final straw was a full, 2 hour staff meeting, after work hours, where we were forced to provide our own food. For the whole 2 hours, the manager and assistance manager discussed in front of all the staff policies that they, themselves, were breaking, but that we had to follow, for example cellphone use. Breaking of policies were going to lead to serious and escalating implications. I knew that I was not going to win, so I resigned the next day. I was rushed to the hospital with symptoms of stress related trauma.

I know my store was an exception, but I am disappointed with upper management, who know there is a problem with this store. I really liked my area manager, and I really felt like she was trying. The problem was that her location was so far away, and my manager literally needed to be babysat. Even the sales team, who were also incredible and taught me more about the company and products than my own manager, know that there are issues with this location. 

I really wanted this to be a place I would have a long and rewarding career. My manager let her personal issues and friendships prevent her from running what could be a great store, HR let me down when I asked for help, and upper management knows this is happening but just keeps cutting the manager breaks. Why? I have so many questions that I know will never be answered. 

From what I have heard the other stores are NOT AT ALL like this. If things worked out differently, I would have loved to travel to one of their larger stores out west. All in all, I loved the company, and would work for them in another province, but Ontario is being neglected and this particular store is serious trouble!

DO NOTE: This review is for lowermainland locations, specifically in the Tri-cities. This does not apply to locations outside the tri-cities.

They will expect that you will be able to work 11 hour days when short staffed, they will say it is your choice. But if you decline extra shifts, or extended shifts, or changing locations, they will see you as a "not team player". You will fall out of favour if you arent willing to work your body to the point of destruction for the job. They do offer benefits after 3 months, but management will often forget to send off the documents so you likely wont receive them on time; if you complain about it, you will be seen as "not a team player". The benefits do not outweigh the damage that 8-11 hour days of hauling pails of paint around that are up to 65lbs each. Management will also take extended holidays when the location is already short staffed, because they feel entitled. Upper management often makes promises to appear, but wont, and will often pass the buck when dealing with interpersonal issues within the teams. Management puts themselves first, above and beyond the needs of their staff.

There is also a major issue with management/upper management playing favourites. And if you say anything against the favourites, you will simply be removed one way or another.  Management and upper management will find ways to get rid of you if you appear to "cause problems" for their favourite people.  They will allow you to be demoralized and refuse to actually hold problem staff accountable for their actions; They will not see you for what youre worth, only what you will be willing to put up with. Management/upper management do not do any investigating when a complaint is received. They take one side of a story and run with it.  This is a "keep your head low" and stay quiet kind of job if you want to keep it. Otherwise, if you rock the boat at all, you'll be putting a target on your own head.

Management/upper management will basically do anything to not have to deal with interpersonal problems amongst the staff... but if you become a "favourite" then they will bend over backwards for you, even at the expense at the entire stores morale. Be wary what location you work at, I would avoid any/all locations in the Tri-cities of the Lowermainland.

Almost 8 years with the company and although there have been changes, the fundamental problems are still there. Heavy lifting is a requirement if you are working in the store so be mindful of your health. Customers expect a lot, don't compromise your mental health having to deal with problems that management should be taking care of. 

Very disorganized head office and corporate structure. Inexperienced individuals have input and influence on projects and roles that should not concern them. Out of touch management at head office while others are there because of seniority and time spent with the company. Not sure if hiring based on previous experience in roles was purposefully overlooked. Most corporate offices have similar problems but do not advertise "The Place To Be". I'm sure CPI will reply to this asking for more information or wanting to clarify points, but that's just PR damage control. Core senior management has to understand that empowering inexperienced people does not equate to success. Those hired for those roles should be given the opportunity to utilize their expertise. It was a good ride but moving onto a place where I'm not micro managed would be great. 

A typical day at Cloverdale Paint consisted of filling orders, taking orders, shuffling stock, unloading and unpacking stock orders, shipping out customer orders and making sure orders are picked up.
I learned many things at Cloverdale from the products to getting to know each customer, I also learned how to operate a forklift. Just a few things among many other things that I learned at Cloverdale Paint. The Managment team was involved and aware of most things that were going on at the store. Although I did find that my assistant manager was much more involved in the store then the Manager was. My Co-workers for the most part were okay, although some didnt know how to work hard and others complained a lot. I only had conflicts with one co-worker that was unable to be resolved. The hardest part of my job was keeping track of the million and one tasks that I had to complete within a timely manner. The most enjoyable part of my job was talking with the customers and finding out what things could be improved.

The typical day would be dealing with sales reps, contractors, and retail customers. 

Taking orders by phone, email, or in person. 

You would learn so much about the paint industry and how to deal with different groups of customers. 

The hardest part is learning about each product that the company sells.  

I would not recommend that you stay here longer than you need to. Barely any job growth. 

Basically, a dead end job dealing with cancerous materials. 

Pay is between $18-$21/hr generally for CSR. So have fun living with roommates and eating ramen noodles to survive. 

You could get an annual bonus of $4,000+. Unfortunately, half of it is vested. So, you would have to stay for at least three years to get it. 

Wage increase is determined by the board of directors of Cloverdale Paint. So your manger have to send a wage increase request on your behalf. It has to be approved by the regional manager and go up to the chain of command. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Absolutely nothing they're not health and safety conscious and play the favoritism card with lazy workers that have been there when the previous company was bought out.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
They only care about themselves never the worker

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very dirty ..dusty,unhealthy.
The culture is a me me me attitude with management even talking bad about workers to other workers

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Very stressful the management is there to build cases about you even if untrue just to hold you on a string and the stress is unbelievable

What is the best part of working at the company?
This company is very family oriented. They were amazing to work for. I was always supported no matter what was happening in my life and they worked around my schedule and parenting obstacles. If I were closer I’d work here again I was sad to leave!!! 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Some coworkers were not always the best but others were amazing. Management was incredible 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
You’re treated like family. It’s a team setting everyone works together. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It depends on the day. Some days stock some days mixing large orders and other days many matches. All very important

What is the best part of working at the company?
Working for Cloverdale paint is more than a job, they become your family. It is a local family that has owned and operated the company for over 90 years. The company moto is "it's more than paint, it's the people" and they stand by it with customers and employees alike. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There can be very early mornings and extremely busy times. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Fun and fast. If you do good work you get to have fun 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Very customer focused from fresh coffee all day to fun colour matches

The people you work with and your managers make or break the job. If I didn't have great, supportive coworkers, I would have quit a long time ago. 

The workload can be very heavy at times, and every day is usually very fast-paced. I find that some of the contractors/regulars who shop here can often be impatient and rude, even if you are doing your job correctly. This is the main thing that has bothered since I started working for Cloverdale. That's somewhat unavoidable when you work retail, but with the specialized and heavier workload, it can feel more intense. 

The hourly wage is a bit higher than the usual minimum wage, and there is opportunity for increases.  

The Kelowna branch is always laughing and making work fun to be at. Strong, tight knit group with exceptional management in a company where you're not just a number to H.O.
Very fast paced and busy but management will work with you to accommodate days needed off or preferred shifts.
Can be stressful at times with complicated customers but the employees work as a team to help mediate the stress and keep things running smoothly. 
The company is great but the Kelowna branch by far is a shining example of a great work environment to be in. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Customer service representative 166 salaries reported	$19.07 per hour
Millwright 3 salaries reported	$46.45 per hour
Industrial mechanic 5 salaries reported	$41.40 per hour
Sales representative 3 salaries reported	$76,945 per year
Equipment repair technician 6 salaries reported	$23.42 per hour

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