Commissioned Sales is NOT for Everyone - PA - Sales Consultant CarMax Employee Review

3.0
Feb 8, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

•Insurance Benefits are good •They seem to feed you all the time, at least once a week •Local management genuinely cares about the people that work for them •Opportunities to work with charity events as a team from location.

Cons

•While your sick-leave is accumulated per pay period to allow for you to be sick up to 2 weeks a year, but as a commissioned sales person you are only paid at minimum wage for your sick-leave taken. The company requires you to wear everything except your pants and shoes •Carmax branded. All shirts, Jackets, Sweaters, Hats, and even your water bottle have to be purchased through the company store at your own expense. It isn't until you make "President's Club" that they give you any type of allowance for company store. That is a minimum of 90 vehicles in a 6 month period with a 55% attachment rate for the vehicle extended service plan to qualify for. When you leave the company they will not take back your clothing items you had to purchase. •Poor work life balance, if you are struggling to make it for a month, management will tell you to work extended hours •Poor Scheduling, Unless you're "President's Club" your schedule is determined for the needs based around the fact that "President's Club" employees pick their schedules. This means don't plan on ever getting off before 9:00 at night. •Stores that aren't Cross Functional or on the new Omni-channel are required to have e-office 3-days a week. This a a 3-hour period where you are scheduled to take inbound calls and web leads. This will make you unavailable to schedule appointments or take walk-in customers during this time. During off-peak times, you may received none or one lead for the whole 3 hour period. •Management uses "President's Club" as a crutch for every issue may have with your schedule or pay, stating that its "Because of President's Club" or"If you were In President's Club" •You are paid minimum wage or $160 per car plus commission on extended service plans, GAP, and accessories, whichever is higher, with the minimum wage being recoverable, meaning if you don't make it one pay period, they will take your pay out of your next pay periods until its paid back. When you make "President's Club" this goes up but the average sales consultant in the company makes $35-40k a year and "President's Club" Sales consultants on average make $40-60k a year. With the same amount of hard work and dedication, and available pay scheduled at competitor dealerships, you can make much more money elsewhere. •Local management doesn't seem to have any way to convey issues faced to lower employees to the company as Carmax seems to lack a "Grass Roots" program and seems to face problems with free food and other things that don't solve problems but try and distract people from the issues.

Explore other reviews about CarMax

5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing benefits with 6% 401k matching and tuition reimbursement.

Cons

Highly reliant on the quality of management at the store location.

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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