CarMax reviews

3.5

59% would recommend to a friend

(8,184 total reviews)
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Keith Barr

44% approve of CEO

49% positive business outlook

CarMax has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 8,184 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The CarMax employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Ventas al mayoreo y al menudeo industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

8K reviews
3.0
Jun 22, 2015

Buyer

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Generally most people that you work with are down-to-earth and good to work with. The daily tasks change a lot, which keeps the day interesting. If you're into cars, this is a great position to work in, because you get to drive all kinds of vehicles and learn about true market values.

Cons

They say that they promote based off of merit, but this is not true. To get promoted from Buyer to Senior Buyer you have to jump through a million hoops, go through multiple panels, give presentations, have people analyze you who don't even work in your office critique you, all for a moderate at best raise. They're looking for someone who will talk the Carmax lingo and use all of their super corporate sayings, like "cascade" and "I'll circle back" amongst hundreds of others. You have to work nights and weekends, which gets old very fast. You are not compensated based off of your college degree or background. I know men and women who have their MA (hard times brought them here) and get paid a fraction of what they're worth. People who should not be managing and/or coaching people will get promoted simply because they fit the Carmax mold. They talk the talk and are incredibly bought in. They speak in Carmax language, which would sound ridiculous at any other major company. The feedback is endless. Any meeting you have, participate in, or have an opinion of, you will hear, "let me give you some feedback on that..." or "what's your feedback on that meeting?" The feedback...never...stops.

1.0
Oct 23, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Friendly, nice people work in the lower-level positions like sales consultant, service writer, technician, business office associate, and purchasing assistant, and some sales managers. CarMax had a good reputation for 10+ years at the store I work at. Work spaces are cleaned and the building looks nice. You can move up if you agree to move anywhere CarMax tells you.

Cons

Terrible pay has not changed in years. if you get promoted to manager from inside the company you make 8-10K less than managers hired from outside the company. That's insulting and insane. Richmond headquarters lives in a bubble, no idea how bad the company's reputation is becoming. Location General Managers on up seem to care about their stock options going up and not about the long term outlook for the company. Wake up. Wall Street can punish you if they think this is another Circuit City. If you are a customer, good luck. You will pay thousands more than you should, your service contract may be hard to work with, and you may have to return your car and buy another one more than once to get a decent runner.

1.0
Oct 20, 2013

Sales Managers Care About Their Bonuses - Not Your Rent

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You can make good money with or without a degree if you're willing to work 10-12 hour days 6 days a week, and be available 24/7 on your cell phone.

Cons

The commission is terrible ($160 for selling a car, which can take 2 hours or 2 months), the hours are long (shifts are 9-10 hours five days a week, and you ALWAYS end up having to come in early, stay late, or come in on your day off), and management only cares about the store making budget so they can get a bonus, so they don't care if they give your customer to another Sales Consultant and you lose your commission, because as long as the unit still gets sold, they're closer to their bonus.

Viewing 76 - 78 of 8,184 Reviews

Glassdoor has 8,353 CarMax reviews submitted anonymously by CarMax employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if CarMax is right for you.