Mixed Bag - Anonymous employee Sweetwater Employee Review

3.0
8 Jun 2021
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The guitar gallery does incredible work

Cons

Low pay for warehouse and guitar gallery and some very bad employee treatment including sexist and tyrannical managers.

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Sweetwater Response
4y
Thank you for your feedback. We do not tolerate any inappropriate treatment of employees. If you've experienced anything you consider inappropriate, please contact HR immediately so that we can address this for you. We're here and glad to help. At the same time, please know that we put significant effort into recruiting and training outstanding managers including ensuring that all of our managers go through required anti-harassment and diversity training. In addition, we have put significant efforts to caring for our employees across all levels. These include providing a fee and interest free employee emergency loan program, free in-house mental health services, a free in-house medical clinic with services for employees and their families, free employee fitness center, and much more. We also did a special increase to most hourly wages less than a year ago - including those in our Distribution Center. We'll always keep looking for ways to improve our employee experience but if you have more specific ideas you'd like to share please feel free to reach out to me directly. - Jeff Ostermann, Chief People Officer

Explore other reviews about Sweetwater

5.0
19 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Structure for private lessons -Create your own hours -Pool for new students -Food discount -Benefits

Cons

-I personally did not have problems

4.0
5 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If sales and music are your drives, Sweetwater is as good as it gets. Management in my experience has been very supportive and development-oriented, creating a positive culture around the company. They have a fantastic training program (albeit intense) that trains on both products and sales methods, so even if you're lacking experience in a given category there's plenty of coaching and training to get you ready for the role. Over time, the position can also be quite lucrative which compliments Fort Wayne's low cost of living well. They also offer relocation assistance since all positions are on-site, and a great benefits package. I've been fortunate to become great friends with many of my coworkers and honestly some days don't even feel like work. Ultimately, with this job you get what you put in, and making a solid living to geek out over music gear all day is a pretty sweet gig.

Cons

The job is very demanding - it's a fully commission sales job that revolves around constant customer outreach via call, text, and email. This means starting out is tough financially, and days are usually long. Try to have a savings cushion before you start, especially if you're moving from another city/state. You also work nights, holidays, and rotate through weekend shifts which won't be new for those who have worked retail before, but it's still a tough adjustment. Starting out I struggled from a social aspect as well. Fort Wayne is a cool city, but it's no LA, NY, or Chicago. Long hours at work make going out and making friends or getting involved in community groups/organizations difficult.

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