Great company, exhausting process to move up... - Senior Buyer CarMax Employee Review

4.0
Nov 20, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

*Great people *Great opportunities for growth *Generous 401K matching program *Nice bonus structure *Generous restricted stock grants for management *Great local community focus

Cons

*Once deemed a growth-candidate, it can take MONTHS to get to a point where you are ready to interview for a promotion (the process gets more complex the higher you go) *Bonus is based too closely on store performance instead of individual performance *Restricted stock grants take three years to vest before they begin to pay out *Senior management is disorganized and operate mostly behind closed doors *Pay is decent but more and more the company seems to be paying less and less for the same job as it tightens its belt for growth

Explore other reviews about CarMax

5.0
May 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You are your own boss

Cons

Slow days can be demotivating.

4.0
Jun 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The perks of working at CarMax are quite extensive. Associates are offered an aggressive 401k program, Stock Purchasing Plan, in store discounts on sales and service, access to the CarMax Wholesale system, excellent healthcare, plenty of PTO, and at my location we are given as much OT as we want. My coworkers are generally good people, that I enjoy being able to work along side day in and day out. Management is very understanding in regards to calling out sick family emergencies, and schedule requests.

Cons

Despite doing the work of 5 people, and very politely asking for a raise management will not give me more than my 3% annual raise which is the single biggest let down. The bonus change of 2025 being labeled as "exciting" was straight corporate gaslighting unlike anything I've ever seen. Since the start of 2026, as of this review being written we have lost 7 associates largely due to pay, and I am soon to join those associates. Management from the store level up to corporate needs to understand that to retain their top performers they need to be compensated like a top performer. Some members of management are cliquey and moody which is very frustrating to deal with. Quality of Management varies wildly from store to store as well

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