I recently interviewed for a Business Analyst II Data, Rept&Vis position on the Enterprise Data Business Intelligence (EDBI) team at H-E-B. The process started with a phone call from an H-E-B recruiter, which was followed by three 30-60 minute interviews with various managers and directors over the next weeks, which took a little over a month in total. These were all conversations, and there was no technical screening. The recruiter was very personable, professional, and seemingly organized, as were each of the members of the hiring team. All of my interviews ended on a positive note, and it seemed that I was a good fit for the team, and more than qualified. In the third interview with the hiring team, they began using very positive language, and saying that I would "be getting something in the next few days". The recruiter called me later that week to let me know that the team thought I would be a good fit within a particular vertical (they were hiring multiple of the same position for different teams), and that they were working on getting "something" to me in the next few business days. Early in the following week I received an offer from another company and let the H-E-B recruiter know. The recruiter did not answer my call but she did call me back within 5 minutes of receiving my email to let me know explicitly that an offer was coming, and that they were awaiting final approval. I made it clear throughout my interviews that H-E-B was my first choice and I planned to accept an offer, if one were to be extended. I gave them the date and time that my other offer expired, and they called me on the morning of expiration to give me the offer. The offer was a clear lowball, 10% less than my prior salary, which we had discussed, and 10% less than my other offer in base salary (15% less with bonuses & stipends). The recruiter had discussed a 15% bonus when I began interviewing, and the offer included a 9% bonus. She did not state the title of the job, so I thought it was implied that I was being offered the job I applied and interviewed for. I explained that I was surprised by an offer that was at the absolute floor of the posted range, which was so out of line with previous discussions, my prior salary, and even my other offer on the table. She readily responded that she would ask the hiring team about additional comp. Although we didn't discuss this, it was implicit that I had no other option than to accept and onboard with the other company. When I saw the written offer later I realized that it was for a level one position, rather than the level two position I had just spent a month interviewing for. I asked the recruiter why she had given me a verbal offer, and failed to communicate that I was no longer being considered for the position I was nearly outright told I was getting an offer for. She called the next day, and stumbled through an explanation that did not sound remotely sincere, then offered me a 5k signing bonus for the lower level position, which I immediately declined. I don't believe the hiring team would have insulted, or tried to take advantage of me with this lowball offer, and I don't believe the recruiter and HR team made such a glaring and fundamental error in communication. I think the most likely explanation is that someone made the rare decision to reject me at the final stage of approvals (without meeting me, and without explanation). In any case my time was wasted, I was insulted by the offer, and I was let down by what I thought was a great Texas company. If I didn't have the other offer on the table I would have been in a tough position, and if I had accepted the offer I would have been in an even tougher position, as I would have begun my employment contract out of the range of fair and competitive compensation. Overall I would describe my experience as strange, and a little sketchy. I would consider interviewing with H-E-B again, but there would have to be clear and explicit communication throughout the process.