Sonic Automotive Reviews

Pros

Fun culture, Managers are understanding about work/life balance and stable industry(used)

Cons

Political at upper levels has trickle down effect if you are a "nice Guy" you may not succedd in managment here.

Advice to Senior Management

Work in the trenches atleast once a month before passing judgement.

Pros

Good money for lube tech.

Cons

Over 60 hours a week and only make 30 hours of pay.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat your employees better.

Pros

Health insurance is good but flawed.

Cons

Always changing pay plans for the worst, long hours, working holidays, large packs, outrages recon charges, low gross and low bonuses. A very greedy company only concerned about their stock holders, not the well being of the employee.

Advice to Senior Management

You should all wear lipstick and hose to match the way you do buisness.

Pros

Not much to say here. The only pro that comes to mind is the amount that the company eats to provide a halfway decent benefits package to its employees.

Cons

Poor work life balance, greedy management, promotions based on numbers instead of leadership ability, hostile work environment, management that pits employees against each other.

Advice to Senior Management

Hypocrisy is a cardinal sin. The executives have pipe dreams about Sonic being one of the best company's to work and shop. However, they seem to completely disregard employee complaints about store level management, policies, and procedures. Store level management has created a very unhealthy work environment.

Pros

good central location that was close to home and access to the tollways and highways. It's a big company with decent benefits and compensation.

Cons

High turn over rates in this company. They do not qualify their employees well or evaluate them once they are hired so managers can become dictators and senority is common when it comes to special treatment of employees. too many people seen smoking around work and during work.

Advice to Senior Management

treat people the way you would want to be treated because karma will come back and get you. Just because the store is doing well as a whole does not mean that everyone working for the company is happy. unhappy employees means unhappy performances.

Pros

Its a corporate environment where you can easily move from one dealership to another if you are not happy where you work. Transferring position is easy and you are given priority for hire verses new comers

Cons

Long hours and the commission structure is not as as good as private dealerships.
You will feel expendable at times

Advice to Senior Management

They need to value their employees by recognizing their hard work. The long hours are strenuous and the working every weekend will take a toll on their family life. Most employees that I came across with are either divorced, a single dad or are having using with dating and finding someone who can work with their schedule.

Pros

It was great at first benefits, bonuses not just monetary, free lunches, gift cards, holiday parties at nice resorts, etc. Flexiable scheduling, Good starting pay.

Cons

But when the economy started to go down hill, the employees lost 401 matching, no more bonuses for employees of month or CSI goals, no more holiday parties. Basically, all the extras the employees got for putting up with poor management at times and rude/nasty clients alot of the times was cancelled due the economy. We were told to be lucky we have a job. Nice Company, huh.

Advice to Senior Management

Support your employees more, bring back the extras and the morale will go back up

Pros

Scott Smith, the President of Sonic. He has consistently backed up his own words to "do the right thing" and I truly believe he means it when he says, "the company will succeed only if the employees do". If you are looking to work in the kinky car dealers of the past, you are looking in the wrong place here.

Cons

Long hours and not all General Managers have taken on Scott's attitude towards their employees. I am hopeful that it will filter down over time. It all starts at the top.

Advice to Senior Management

Get your General Managers to buy in to your beliefs or replace them with people that do. Stop raising the bar on GM salaries. Any GM that would believe they are worth 30 to 50K a month should tell you right there they aren't the person you need in this company.