thankless - Category Manager PepsiCo Employee Review

2.0
Apr 4, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Salary meets and/or above industry standard. Lots of hard working and knowledgable employees deep in the trenches. Well known established brands global brands.

Cons

Professional limitations. Past 4 years of annual downsizing has reduced the knowledge pool and minimized the potential for development. Lay-offs appeared to be heavily based on mathmatical formulation of age, service, salary and not so much on underperformers. Promotions at lower levels depends on current location and level with very little regard to current role/responsibilities and accomplishments. Most times promotional opportunities lack support from management and very rarely a courtsey "thanks but no thanks" call from HR. The normal response from management is that PepsiCo doesn't pay for relocation and you cannot advance more than 2 levels above current role. Discouraging that performance doesn't seem to be part of the creditentials. Many internal sabatagours to the numerous "tools" rendering lack of usage, lack of support and very little best in class examples. Heavy demand for internal reporting which limits the time to actually call & support the customer. Challenging collaboration between the individual domestic business units that operator still very much in "silos". BU support very limited and mostly unseen.

Explore other reviews about PepsiCo

5.0
Feb 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good job for the money

Cons

Long hours and physical labor

4.0
May 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Worked for PepsiCo for 10 years across four locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Florida. Gained experience in multiple sales and operational roles while supporting account growth, merchandising, and customer relationships. Florida locations were especially well-operated and efficient. PepsiCo provided competitive pay, solid benefits through Keystone, and a good vacation package compared to competitors in the beverage industry. The company also offered strong sales incentive programs, earning rewards such as Orlando Magic floor seats, Pro Bowl tickets, Apple Watches, and Yeti cups for exceeding performance goals and driving sales results.

Cons

While PepsiCo promotes internal growth opportunities, many promotions and leadership opportunities appeared to favor college internship hires over long-term internal employees. In some cases, newer college-based management pushed corporate initiatives without fully understanding local market realities or account volume trends. For example, innovation products were sometimes forced into low-volume accounts where sell-through was unrealistic. Operationally, certain delivery processes could be improved, particularly with Tropicana products being stored in coolers on trucks for extended periods, which could impact product quality and increase waste. Work-life balance could also be challenging, as sales representatives commonly worked 50–60 hour weeks. Expectations from corporate leadership were often unrealistic, especially when customer representatives and drivers were expected to fully stock stores while servicing 15+ accounts per day. Experiences could also vary depending on whether locations were union or non-union operated.

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