Carmax is not the company it portrays itself to be - Sales Associate CarMax Employee Review

2.0
Apr 1, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

if youre fortunate to work at a location that the LGM and other managers are personable and care then you can have a good work experience. The basic training is pretty good. Sometimes unrealistic but over pretty good.

Cons

Very cut throat no matter the position you are in. The better you are at your job the least likely you are to be considered for promotion. The "30 day warranty" is a joke. you are constantly expected to lie to customers about "normal" noise when there is a true problem. The 125 pt inspection is a joke as well. The technicians will recommend repairs however a manager will then say no and hope it gets by the customer to later then end up repairing it anyways during the 30 day period when the customer is pissed off and now has no confidence in carmax. Everything is based off of customer surveys. The scale you are scored on is impossible to make any sense of. When looking at the company from an outsiders view the level of professionalism is poor. No one knows what they are talking about but can talk sideways in carmax terminology. If you do know what youre talking about youre told you have "opportunities" in how you communicate messages. It is hard to work for a company thats managers have no prior knowledge of the department they lead. Service managers that dont even know how to check tire pressure or oil level on a dipstick are the ones who tell advisors how to properly explained diagnosis details to customers. All in all. It is a great entry level job but dont let yourself buy into the whole carmax career lies they feed you.

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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