Honest Gopher review - Inside Sales Representative Gopher Sport Employee Review

1.0
Feb 13, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are some good things about working at Gopher, the base pay is not bad for a sales position, there are some really good people working at lower level and mid level positions and when you leave work for the day, typically it stays at work.

Cons

I want to start this review by stating that I have waited a full year to post this review so that I could post it with a clear head and not miss lead anyone. I am not going to say, don't work here necessarily, but I want you to know what to expect going into it. If you want to see how a company runs that wants all of their employees to work like robots and be micromanaged every second of every day, this would be a good place to work. They want you to buy into their way of doing things where they tell you what to do, you have no input and they do not want to hear anyones suggestions. Go to work, do not ask questions, do not have an opinion and you will do well. They do not care about their mid level to lower level employees, they don’t really even care if you quit, if you are not willing to be a complete robot, they will fill your spot the next week in the hopes that the next person will not mind being treated like a robot. If they can get 1 out of every 4 people to come in and be a robot, they are happy and they do not mind the revolving door of people coming in and quitting very quickly once they see how the organization operates. But, when you inevitably do quit your position at Gopher, you need to make sure you drain all of your PTO, get all of your bonuses paid out and have everything cleared from your desk. Once you tell them you are quitting, they will shut down all of your systems, not allow you back in the building to gather your things and they absolutely will not pay you another dollar or pay out any PTO. We saw this happen all of the time, and it did not matter who it was that quit, they treated them like they were a criminal that could never come back on the property, and they do not communicate with you after you quit. It is truly a unique experience and I have never heard of another company operating this way. If you are contemplating a sales position here, you need to be aware of what you are getting into. It really is not a sales position, you are a customer service rep that takes calls and emails and you send out quotes. The long time sales reps make all of the money and the lower level reps do all the work for them. You have no ability to control what you make in incentives (which really is the goal of any sales position, if you put the time and effort in, you will be rewarded) but that is not the case at Gopher, they set your territory and set your goals with impossible numbers to hit. They give all of the good territories to the senior sales reps and they hit their goals every single month and make really good money because the rest of the team is doing their work by taking their calls, making their quotes and processing their orders. This is not a sales gig, the customers have set budgets and they can only spend what they have and you really can’t give them a sales pitch to buy more. The sales success is all luck, it depends what territory they give you and if you have bad states, you will not make any money because they create impossible goals for you to hit, and remember you are doing work for the senior sales reps. If you are thinking about doing sales, go somewhere where you can actually control your earnings and your time and effort will show in commissions, do not go to Gopher for a sales position. If you do choose to work here, good luck and buckle up. It is sure to be the most interesting position you have ever been in to watch how horrible a company can treat their employees. The upper level management team does not care about you, they will tell you anything you want to hear before you take the position, and then you will never hear from them again unless they want to get after you for not hitting their impossible goals or if you are not acting like a robot and doing exactly what they say every second of the day. If you like being micromanaged to the absolute max, this may be the job for you!

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Gopher Sport Response
2y
Normally, it’s Gopher Sport policy to not contradict and dispute claims made in an employee review. But in this case, corrections are warranted. 1) Our handbook and PTO policy actually state that PTO is paid with a two weeks notice, up to 80 accrued hours. This is standard practice for Gopher Sport as a token of appreciation for those that exit gracefully. 2) Earned incentives are paid after an exit. This includes those salespeople that make their respective goals but exit after that goal period. 3) The only time the above two are not paid is when an employee either does not give a two weeks notice or is terminated Involuntarily. 4) We value employee feedback. We conduct a number of HR and Engagement surveys throughout the year as a matter of continuous improvement. We’re in the people business and our values reflect the service commitment to our customers. We’re disappointed that Gopher Sport did not meet this individual’s expectations for a work environment. The fit was clearly not there and we wish this person the best in whatever employment they find themselves.

Explore other reviews about Gopher Sport

5.0
May 16, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun company, with good office atmosphere. Focused on employee growth

Cons

The lack of autonomy allowed for a good amount of micromanagement.

1.0
May 26, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people are the best part of this company hands down excluding some. Many employees genuinely care about each other, work incredibly hard, and do their best to create a positive environment despite leadership challenges. There is flexibility in some departments, which can be valuable depending on your role. The CREW team deserves recognition for trying to maintain morale and employee engagement, often while working with limited budgets and constraints outside of their control.

Cons

This company was once family-oriented, employee-focused, and a place where long-term careers could be built. Unfortunately, over the past several years, that culture has changed significantly. Insurance goes up every year making it literally impossible to afford life in general because you are trying to be the keeper for your families health. Senior leadership appears heavily focused on metrics and financial performance at the expense of employee development, innovation, and retention. Internal growth opportunities are limited, and capable employees are frequently overlooked for advancement. Employees with strong ideas, initiative, or constructive feedback often feel unheard rather than empowered. Upper leadership has created an environment that feels disconnected from the day-to-day reality of employees. Decision-making often appears top-down, with little openness to feedback or collaboration. There is a strong perception that leadership believes they already have all the answers rather than valuing the experience and insight of the people doing the work. If you are a puppet this is a company for you. A particularly concerning observation has been the apparent lack of female representation in leadership after several women in management roles left or were let go, with those roles subsequently being filled by men. From an employee perspective, this has raised serious concerns about equity, advancement opportunities, and leadership culture. If you're looking for a place with meaningful career growth, transparent leadership, and a culture where employees feel valued beyond their output, this may not be the environment you expect.

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Gopher Sport Response
4w
Thank you for your thoughtful opinions regarding your employment at Gopher Sport and we’re sorry that you departed with a negative experience. Medical insurance premiums is a challenge for all employers in the U.S. and Minnesota. The average increase in Minnesota was as high as 22%. Gopher Sport’s average increase across our options was 13%. Gopher Sport’s HR and Finance teams work closely with our partner brokers to provide the best value possible for our Team Members in our applicable market and are confident in our 2026 offerings. Regarding Career Paths and development, nearly every hourly and salaried individual contributor role has an assigned career path and is documented to all People Leaders in the Gopher Sport Intranet/SharePoint site. Gopher Sport is a privately held for-profit company which strives to maximize our value to both external and internal stakeholders. Part of the Executive and Senior Management’s responsibilities are to ensure strong financial performance for our customers and internal team members. Again, thank you for your many years of employment. We value each of these responses and wish you the best in your future employment.
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