Total Wine & More Manager Interview Questions
& Process

I got a call from a recruiter and after a good 30-40 minute chat, I was sent an online assessment. The recruiter called me back a few days later to discuss the next steps. My interview with a DM was rescheduled twice and ended up being a phone call. It went fine, then I had an interview with a Regional HR that felt off, lasting about 30 minutes. The questions were about sales and operations, which I do daily, but she sounded uninterested and talked negatively about their old systems and manual work. I made my case for my experience, and she seemed to agree, saying the next step was a store visit with a Store Manager. I arrived early for my meeting with the Store Manager, but he claimed I was a day early and seemed annoyed. He glanced at my resume and made a dismissive comment. The interview involved walking through the store, explaining the job, and merchandising. As someone with over 3 years in a Regional role, I felt he was condescending, explaining how tough the job is. I was still excited, but never heard back after the store visit. I tried calling the recruiter twice with no response. I guess I'm overqualified.

The interview started well, but then things went downhill. The recruiter was professional and responsive. However, the District Manager interview was a different story; they seemed uninterested, interrupted me, and seemed eager to finish. When I asked about the next steps, considering I had other offers, the DM mentioned an in-person meeting with a store manager and suggested it would likely happen within a week, saying they 'liked my answers.' I had to follow up with the recruiter after nearly a week for an update. The store manager seemed engaged, and I met some team members. I inquired about the timeline again due to other offers, and the recruiter stated it would be early in the week, with positive feedback and a prompt decision expected. Two weeks passed with no communication, not even a rejection. After accepting another offer, I called the recruiter to inform them, and surprisingly, they answered, initially mistaking me for someone else. They quickly shifted from 'let's get this offer going' to 'we ended up going with an internal candidate' and mentioned they tried to find another role and would be in touch. I was then considered for a supervisor position and spoke with a manager who assured me compensation was not an issue, but again, I haven't heard back in a week. It's unclear why dishonesty or false impressions are acceptable, suggesting this might be a cultural issue rather than an isolated incident.

It was a lengthy process with over 4 interviews, most of which were an hour or more. They really emphasized that the job would involve a sales-like role, where you'd be coaching and counseling associates on how to demonstrate selling behaviors. The first interview was out of the store and lasted over two hours; it was kind of a chatty session. The other interviews were more structured but asked essentially the same questions. They tended to be phone interviews.