market manager

sales associate

retail sales associate

sales representative

management trainee

Sherwin-Williams

I joined Sherwin Williams through the M/T program, they sell it as a way to grow great experience in management, take crontrol of a store, control P&Ls and work with high budget clients. All with the possibility of growing at a fair pase, with competition pay, great benefits and a great work culture. 

Sherwin williams M/T and Tams Programs are talked up alot more than they actually are. These are glorified retail assistant jobs, with sketchy ways of paying salary, while also somehow fluctuating each week that salary you get with hours you work, but "you're not paid hourly". On top of this their pay is genuinely not competitive to other companies, unless youre comparing this job to retail assistants such as autozone, o'reily auto parts or other small retailers. 

Yes, their benefits are fantastic and could be compared to high blue collared jobs such as production managers and so on. But, they sell this in a way that its better than most companies (when is competitive but not substantially better); and to try and cover up more that the pay is not great. 

They will also try and distract you with baseball tickets, Christmas parties or others things to sweeten life up. Or give salary increases, but once you break numbers down its honsetly just to try and keep people happy, because they arent paying enough.

Systems and structure within stores are extremely out dated, unorganized and unfortunately inefficient. Corporate and management does not care about making your work easier, all they care about it making the best dollar. Unfortunately, they don't believe in the idea or making employees lifes better to get a better quality of work. 

Currently the labor Market is down and they do not pay their labor employees enough, as an M/T or Tams you will be left to pick up the slack with no help. Yes, as managers we need to be involved get in early and stay late, but they will take this to no end and use it. Work life balance is not easily controllable here. 

The training program is good and I think looks good on a resume. But for someone with high expectations of themselves, high goals, and the ability/motivation to get it. This company is not a long term option.

Every district is different. I was located in the upstate of South Carolina, but from my understanding this most of this is fairly transferrable in districts. 

My main advice is to leave options open, take everything with a grain of salt in interviews, the management and jobs, and be patient. Theres a lot of loopholes corporate has found to benefit itself through managers, assistant managers and sales reps. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
My coworkers are great; I also like the contractors that come in. We get all types; we have a defined contribution pension plan that matches up to four percent of salary and some employee benefits like profit share.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
My store manager is very authoritative and tough to work for, lots of heavy labour involved, extremely short-staffed, and the pay is not worth it for the responsibility of doing the job of three people because your a small team and there are no specific departments with separate duties. We are expected to do everything in the store, even if not in the job description. I'll be looking to quit in the fall and also having to drop everything once a customer walks into the store, even if it is necessary or urgent, to do what you're doing. There is a big reason why turnover is very high, and nobody is applying to work here willingly. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Sherwin-Williams has decent benefits, but for full-timers and managers only, you have to wait an entire year to be eligible for your defined contribution pension plan if you can even last that long with the short staff, multiple customers and multiple responsibilities. Contractors/Customers are great, and management can be a hit or miss. Higher management is very disconnected from the reality of the work environment in the stores and only cares about sales and store profit over their employees.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I go into the morning and start on a pre-written list; I check our tint machine and fill if needed and help customers by grabbing products they need, matching their samples if required and cashing them out. I answer phones and once every week clean toilets and sweep and mop the floor. I also have to do cycle counts once a week, wash windows in the summertime and unload and stock deliveries off trucks, organize colour walls, check for hazards, and throw garbage out at the end of every shift.

I was genuinely excited to join Sherwin-Williams after completing two interviews, but that enthusiasm disappeared almost immediately after my first day.

In my experience, the workplace culture was disappointing and unprofessional. From the very first morning meeting, I personally observed management speaking negatively about another manager while simultaneously stating that the workplace was “not high school” and that there was “no place for drama.” That contradiction set the tone for what followed.

During my first week, a significant portion of each day felt unproductive. Employees, myself included, were regularly pulled away from work to listen to complaints, accusations of “defiance,” and threats of disciplinary action. From my perspective, these moments felt unnecessary and demoralizing, especially when team members were clearly working hard to keep operations running smoothly and meet service demands.

This pattern continued into my second week. As a new employee still in training, I felt I was criticized for not asking questions I had no reasonable way of knowing to ask yet. In my opinion, effective training should provide guidance and clarity, not feel like a guessing game where mistakes are expected.

The role itself was physically demanding, which was fully expected and typical for the paint industry. That aspect of the job was not an issue for me.

However, I was also concerned by what I personally observed as unsafe practices, such as an emergency eyewash station being used for cleaning cups and left unused afterward, and pallets stored in racking directly on fire-suppression sprinkler lines. These observations made me uncomfortable regarding the overall safety culture.

Overall, based on my experience, I would not recommend this location as a place to work. While I do acknowledge that a small team can operate efficiently, the environment and management approach outweighed any positives for me.

Its a great company to work with, only if you are a part time sales associate. The crazy ride to nowhere begins the moment you become an Assistant Manager. You will be doing things that make no sense and have little to no impact on growing the business. They, like any other generic corporate, say that the store is your business and you are the ones responsible for making it a success and then they ask you to step down if the business is not doing as well as they imagined while opening the store. Every sales based company works on lead generation, but they take it to next level by asking you to do anywhere between 40 to 150 lead gen phone calls every week on top of doing your daily store tasks while not giving you enough people to work with. 

The lead generation non-sense is so ingrained in the district management that their dreams consist of reprimanding employees for not meeting the desired targets. District Management for Lower mainland and Vancouver area is filled with spineless creatures who are good at kissing higher management's back side. They are good at manipulating the sales budget for the store at the last moment, especially once you have hit the desired target, they change it to something else and you end up losing your quarterly bonus. Then They bring all this to you and pin it on you and fudge the numbers on your yearly appraisal so that they don't have to give you a raised salary.

Working as a Part time employee, all you have to do is show up and do nothing all day except clean the store in winter months. I have seen store and assistant managers taking a nap in the office. If you are looking to make a career, this is not the place unless you have no issues in stepping on other people's heads and making a space for yourself as a manager, just like any healthy corporation. Keep this as a part time place to work at during the week for couple days and pursue something meaningful, will be my advice to you.

Wish you all the best and hope you have a better journey than mine!!!!

I had worked for Sherwin Williams for 2 years and had nothing but trouble.  The Management lies constantly to you buy dangling career advancements in your face and telling you that you need to do certain tasks to get those positions.  Once you've over work yourself to complete the tasks given, the job opportunity never happens.  They will hire an unqualified employee above you (for the same position you've applied for) and then you will have to train that person. In my experience the company never told any of the interview candidates that they did not receive a position, you would just see the new employee start working in your store and it created a lot of hostility towards the new co worker.   The Management of the store I was in would be too open with customers and they would let the customers know the inside operations of the business as well as information about employees work behavior and personal life.  The contractors at Sherwin were way to involved in the company "Drama" and "Politics" it is like nothing I have ever seen before.  After leaving Sherwin Williams I still to this day hear false rumors being spread about me by the store Management, members or the Sales Team and other Store Employees.  The Management has the team brain washed into thinking something that is far from the truth.  If you ever going to apply for this company all I have to say is Good Luck or RUN as fast as you can.  I'm glad I had left this company when I did.

Being the largest paint company in the world meant something to be proud of working with Sherwin-Williams. A typical day at work is more of the same from my previous work employment in that everyone has the responsibility to come to work on-time and as-scheduled because coverage in this kind business is very important inorder to meet customers demand, their expectations and the consistency of the quality of work that one should produce and deliver including the products to be sold to customers.

I learned that focus, respect, helping one another and having fun every time when in the work place with co-workers are the keys to a successful team.The culture at the work place is the respect being embodied by each workers with one another - helping one another to get the job done right every time and all the time regardless of the size of the project. With everyone involved in the process, it pride themselves that they are part of it, and with the end in mind that this satisfaction is derived when we collectively pulled together to common goal, and everything is done by team effort which drives positive results every time.

I always enjoy my co-workers and I showed that to each and everyone in my team that I appreciate them and it inspire everyone to work with with honesty and care.

Working at Sherwin-Williams has been an enriching experience that has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. The company's commitment to employee development is evident through its comprehensive training programs and supportive work environment. Colleagues and management foster a collaborative atmosphere, encouraging teamwork and idea-sharing that make every day engaging and enjoyable.

One of the highlights of working here is the company's dedication to diversity and inclusion. It's inspiring to see how Sherwin-Williams values each individual's unique perspective and creates an environment where everyone's contributions are recognized and appreciated. Additionally, the company's focus on sustainability aligns with my values, as they emphasize responsible practices and environmentally friendly solutions.

Furthermore, Sherwin-Williams offers ample opportunities for career advancement and skill enhancement. The diverse range of projects and responsibilities keeps the work dynamic and rewarding. The organization's commitment to work-life balance ensures that employees can excel professionally while maintaining a fulfilling personal life. Overall, my time at Sherwin-Williams has been immensely rewarding, providing me with valuable skills, supportive colleagues, and a sense of pride in contributing to a reputable company.

My store has starting pay as $3 more than minimum wage which was surprising. The hours are great since the store closes at 6 and is only open 10-4 on Sundays and are closed for holidays. There is also the MTP program so it’s easy to move up into a manager position. It is a good job for students since during the winter it’s quiet so it’s easy to sit in the office and do your assignments or study.

The down side is most stores don’t do an actual lunch break so you end up working while also trying to eat or not being able to eat at all if it’s crazy busy and you’re working by yourself. Another thing that surprised me is you’re not allowed to wear your own sweaters and must buy one from the company with the name Sherwin-Williams on it. Mine cost 80 something CAD but I do believe there are cheaper options, that’s just what my manager had me choose a size from.

Benefits are nice, they aren’t taken off your paycheque and it covers 80% of your health and dental needs. You also start off with 15 days vacation during your first year, get a personal day to take off for whatever reason you see fit, and 40 hours of sick time. Benefits are only for full time employees. 

Extremely corporate culture, which may turn some people off. The location I worked at had a really awesome crew, but not all stores are built the same. 

Pay is typically lower than competitors, and they are not very concerned about retaining/paying for talent. But there are opportunities for growth, as long as you are open to moving to new locations (sometimes in the middle of nowhere). 

There can be infighting across stores for the same pool of contractors, as bonuses for the managers/assistant managers are not co-operative friendly, leading to embarrassing moments of customers getting caught between the bickering of two locations!

Even though it's retail, it doesn't feel like the kind of retail you find in a mall. You will be seeing the same contractors almost every day, so you have opportunities to build connections and relationships, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on the contractor. In Canada, Sherwin is still tiny compared to the competition, so most locations are contractor heavy (more than 90%). Sherwin is much bigger in the States, so this may not apply there. 

Overall, if you want to work for Sherwin in the long term, you have to be very sales focused, as working your way up the chain is all about being a salesman.

All this company cares about is sales. You are a salesperson, no matter your title. The management has no problem leaving one person in 3 roles for months at a time. I've seen people that were there for 6 months put in charge of a retail store alone, and asked to work 55 hours a week to accomplish this.
To add on to this, there are constant examples of favoritism. If you are in the in group, you will get promoted fast. If not, you will be given the worst jobs and actively made fun of, both in person and behind your back. There are also constant relationships in the workplace, including between managers and their direct subordinates, managers and their trainees, upper management and lower management, and sales reps and the managers they work for. This makes it extremely uncomfortable when having to work with these relationships, and many times promotions are given based on a managers current relationship wanting a promotion.
Do not work for this company. Unless you can work some serious sales magic, you will burn out fast.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Market manager 6 salaries reported	$69,250 per year
Sales associate 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Retail sales associate 1 salary reported	$19.38 per hour
Sales representative 3 salaries reported	$79,333 per year
Management trainee 3 salaries reported	$44,833 per year

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