Wurth: 750 euros a month to learn to sell screws

Wurth: 750 euros a month to sell screws on commission

Is it worth joining Wurth? The offer received by a 25-year-old candidate in A Coruña is clear: a junior contract, three months of training at 750 euros net, a company car, fuel, a tablet, a phone and a 7.5-euro meal allowance. From then on, everything depends on commissions. The question running through the industry is whether that fixed salary, which hovers around 700-750 euros according to several accounts, is enough to live on while building a client portfolio.

Wurth is a German multinational specialising in screws and fasteners with a presence across Spain. Founded in 1977 as Würth Tornillos de España S.A., today it sells anything that can be used to fix, join, glue and assemble. Its business model is based on a network of sales reps who visit workshops, industrial sites and farms. The product is good, say those who have used it. The price, they also say, is expensive.

How much does a Wurth sales rep earn

The fixed salary is low. Several messages agree that the base salary is between 700 and 750 euros, with meal allowances and a company car on top. During training, the candidate earns 750 euros net. Afterwards, once assigned a territory, pay depends on commissions. One account states that "you'll hardly get past 1,000-1,100 in salary" during the first few years, because the sales target increases by between 15% and 35% a year. In other words, you can sell more and earn less.

Another account, from someone who has been with the company for 6-7 years, notes that "every year you earn more than the previous one, but it never goes past 1,200 euros." They still drive the same car they had when they started. Salary pogre, then, is not guaranteed.

What a Wurth sales rep's day-to-day life is like

The job is tough. You have to visit clients, many of them garages or small industrial businesses, and sell products at prices that are not always competitive. "The job is a pain because they have to go begging to sell a box of screws," one message sums up. The advantage, according to some, is that once a client trusts the brand, repeat purchases are loyal. The downside is that competition is tightening: Leroy Merlin, local hardware stores and other distributors offer lower prices.

The opening hours also draw criticism. One customer says they arrived five minutes before closing and the shop was already shut. "They have an incredible civil-servant schedule," they joke. In addition, stock availability is not always what you would expect.

Career path and staff turnover

Turnover is high. Several messages confirm it: "Wurth is famous for its extremely high turnover among its sales reps." Another says that "of the new hires with 3 months of training, I don't think a single one has lasted past 6 months in a year." The company, however, offers paid training and experience in a sector, technical sales, that can later be used to jump to competitors such as Hilti or Fischer.

The candidate himself sees it this way: "I think the job will be tough. But the company seems serious, and it's always experience for other companies." That is perhaps the most common reading: Wurth as a school, not a final destination.

The price controversy and competition

The price of Wurth products is a recurring topic. One message compares: "things I buy directly from the factory for 0.014 euros/unit (minimum order of 2,000 units), Wurth sells for 1.10 euros/unit (order of 100 units)." The difference is enormous, even if the product may be of better quality or come with associated service. Another customer justifies it: "they sell a good product but at a crazy price, for clients who don't have much time to shop around for deals."

That niche — the professional who doesn't want to waste time comparing — is what keeps the business going. But it is also a niche that competitors can attack with more aggressive prices.

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With these conditions, the decision to join Wurth is a personal calculation. For a young person with no experience, the paid training and company car are a safety net. For anyone looking for stability, the 750-euro fixed salary and high turnover are warning signs. The company has declined to respond to the criticism, but the numbers are on the table.