Frito Lay District Manager- Run Away - District Sales Leader PepsiCo Employee Review

1.0
Jul 27, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible work schedule and the front line employees are the hardest working employees in the business and the company has Good benefits.

Cons

Everyone above you wants to give you more work to do. There is not enough hours in the day to do it all. There is a culture that allows customers to treat you however they feel like- which is terrible. The phone rings constantly. Every year they hire new people in and pay them more than you. After 7 years in my position, I found out that every new DSL hired in makes more than me, one of them $10,000/ year more. 15% of your salary is supposed to be in the form of a bonus. 25% of you bonus will be calculated on unsaleables, which is a joke. The Key account managers and region will send thousands of dollars of product into a store, which you have zero control over, it will then go out of date, so you will be held accountable for it. You will never be more than a number and you will quickly find that out. Upper Management is clueless about what a day in the life of a front line employee is all about. 3 years ago we were told that they were putting the "S" back into sales, which quickly was followed up by adding 15 more hours a week of useless paperwork into the job. With all of that being said... you WILL NOT be doing what you think that you will be. As a DSL you will be nothing more than a route driver with a district manager title, countless phone calls, endless paperwork and general feeling of not being appreciated.

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PepsiCo Response
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Pros

Solid structure, goals are attainable, strong leadership.

Cons

Fortune 50 company comes with restructuring and potential employees headcount resizing.

4.0
May 6, 2026
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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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