Disconnected but still a good company
Pros
O'Reilly has a philosophy/policy of promoting from within. As an example: My first Regional Manager when I can on with the company is now the president of the company. Store staff, from managers, to commercial managers, to an hourly salesman is "empowered" (for lack of a better term) to meet any needs that a customer may have. This can, and often does, include going outside the company to source a customer's needs. This is not exclusively limited to automotive parts. Any needs that a customer may have, within reasonable request, can be fulfilled if sources are available. In the last 20 years O'reilly has quadrupled in size. The growth has been amazing and has created a great deal of opportunity for many professionals in the aftermarket parts industry. Having witnessed former delivery drivers move upward into District Manager and Regional Manager positions, it lends credence to O'Reilly's promote from within philosophy, to reiterate. Additionally, O'Reilly is a bit paperwork-heavy, but with purpose. A Store Manager is encouraged, and "empowered" (to reuse the term), to run his store like it was his own business and endeavor to turn a profit. That profit that a manager cultivates can be a significant part of his salary. The financially successful managers are bought in and pay close attention to their P&L (Profit and Loss Statement) and manage accordingly.
Cons
Perhaps due to O'Reilly's rapid growth, there is now a disconnect between the corporate office and administrative staff that did not exist years before. Furthermore, the District Managers are the weak link in the company's "chain of command." There is not the accountability that one might think beneficial and many of their Store Managers do not have the support that they need to run their business. It seems that a number of District Managers, who have worked hard to earn that position, now feel that they have the latitude to "take it easy" and the work ethic begins to suffer to the detriment of his managers and store staff. O'Reilly does not pay as well as some of their competitors. I have found that to be a bit disconcerting, given the growth and profit of the company. Of course payroll is the number one controllable expense, but by the same token you need to pay your staff what they are worth and it seems that this is not the case. Many countermen (Parts Specialists) and shift managers (Retail Service Specialists) are lost to the competition from cutting hours to satisfy a nebulous and inconsistently applied margin. If, in a challenging month, you cut an employees hours from 40+ to 32, and already often paying less than the competition, you will lose employees. If a man cannot pay his own bills, when once he was, then you will lose him. District Managers tend to have very high hourly employee turnover due to this issue. O'Reilly's success has been built by the very professional staff that they have cultivated.
