Toxic and mismanaged - Outside Sales Representative UniFirst Employee Review

1.0
Nov 7, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

401k matching, laptop with cellular data.

Cons

From the initial interview through the first couple of months I thought this would be the greatest job ever, eventually I learned that this place was the exact opposite. During your hiring process you hear all about the great training program they provide and all the great support you will receive to be successful. In reality training while very time consuming is minimally applicable to the job. It is a very “sink or swim” job. With annual turnover in sales above 70% you will find that most “sink”. Regional VP mentioned one of his goal for the current fiscal year is to keep sales turnover below 50%, as if that is not a terrible rate in itself. The term micromanagement is used plenty and not just in Glassdoor reviews but from the within UniFirst Sales Management, though I don’t think that is the right term for what they do. Micromanagement is more nuanced and provides direction on how to perform your job, it could even be a good things for an inexperienced salesperson trying to learn and grow. What you receive here is outright hostility for not meeting your KPIs while receiving no feedback on how to improve, just constant verbal abuse and disrespect from management for needing to improve in the first place. The quota is a unreasonable high, in my region of 20 reps the top salesperson finished at half of quota for the previous fiscal year. Management will tell you that is a reasonable goal and even an average rep should have no issue achieving it. Training is a broad overview and really doesn’t prepare you for the job, the hardest part of this job is finding qualified prospects to schedule meetings with and the training in that area is minimal. KPIs are unrealistic and few meet them regulary, management acts like having 8 meetings, 3 presentations and 1 sale a week is easy while most fall below those metrics. You will quickly find out that UniFirst is just as sleazy as all the competition with all the same service issues and UniFirst plays all the same tricks with hidden fees, price increases as well as charging for products and services not rendered. Everyone you sell to will eventually dislike you. Dynamics is not a user friendly CRM system and the database you call on is filled with current customers, duplicate accounts and business that are in not even close to being uniform prospects. Gas reimbursement is capped and is on your paycheck as taxable income, so your not even getting your whole reimbursement back.

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UniFirst Response
7y
Thank you for your feedback. It is always disappointing to learn that any UniFirst Team Partner feels their experience within our organization is not positive. Perhaps you can utilize our Open-Door Policy and have a conversation with your Manager about these issues. Additionally, please be assured that we encourage all Team Partners to contact the Corporate Human Resources Department directly for any employment concerns.

Explore other reviews about UniFirst

5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible hours, decent pay, not physically demanding.

Cons

Can get very hectic, not much advancement opportunity, low vacation time compared to other industries

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UniFirst Response
2w
Thank you for your continued service and dedication at UniFirst. We appreciate your feedback!
4.0
Jul 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Upper management genuinely cares about their team, and the hiring process is simple and straightforward. Base pay and the monthly stipend are both fair, and I appreciate the company's structure — questions get answered quickly, and you have dedicated team member support. I also like that the role is self-managing, with CDR handling pricing and deal structuring so you can focus on your own performance. Overall, this company really takes care of its employees.

Cons

The pay structure for this role is a bit unique — after a sale closes, the CDR earns commission for the first few months, and then commission transitions over to the drive team. It's certainly not a deal-breaker, just an observation, and I'm not knocking the company for it. All in all, I had a wonderful experience at UniFirst.

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