CarMax Reviews
67% would recommend to a friend
(6658 total reviews)
Bill Nash
75% approve of CEO
What people are saying about CarMax
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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "CarMax provides great training and is on the cutting edge of technology for the industry." (in 263 reviews)
- "Pay is low for the role (teammate with same title and less experience makes 12k/yr more than I do)" (in 390 reviews)
- "Poor management made up of people who don't know what they are doing and lack the industry standard common sense." (in 356 reviews)
- "Managers have to write observations on you for everything that you do good or bad." (in 245 reviews)
- "Like any car dealership you’re expected to work long hours and come in on off days" (in 200 reviews)
- "Supervisor want results with out training Rules change weekly No work life balance" (in 184 reviews)
Ratings by Demographics
This rating reflects the overall rating of CarMax and is not affected by filters.
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Found 6,658 of over 7K reviews
Updated Nov 18, 2023
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- 5.0Nov 14, 2023Quality EngineerCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearRichmond, VA
Pros
You are surrounded by very talented people. The product organization is top notch. I have learned so much and find that communication of how what we do as technologists maps to business goals is considered a high priority. It's very refreshing to work in a technology organization like the one at Carmax.
Cons
There are time when things get very busy just based on the number of teams doing projects but leadership helps to focus everyone on priorities by communicating the plan.
- 2.0Nov 14, 2023Customer Experience SpecialistFormer Employee, more than 1 yearDallas, TX
Pros
doordash credit, associates you work with are cool, “OK” benefits and working from home.
Cons
EVERYTHING ELSE. If you are looking for a beginner sales job, this will be okay but DO NOT get comfortable. Leave as soon as you can.. trust me. Very corporate/cult vibes for all the wrong reasons, they do not value their customers or employees at all. I was let go because i couldn’t beat the horrible metric system that is designed to make you into a robot. I was the top performer when it came to finishing the sale and having no returns but because i wasn’t saying line from line what the system wanted me to say i was let go. If people wanted to buy a car from a robot then they will go to Carvana. Buying a car from an actual person should feel like a tailored experience to the customers wants and needs and CarMax has lost sight of that. I can really go on and on but i digress, if you’re not apart of the cult then you will have a hard time there.
1 - 2.0Oct 27, 2023Lead Business Office AssociateFormer Employee, more than 1 year
Pros
Benefits, Somewhat flexible schedule, *very few* but some of the people are great!
Cons
Rumor mill, Childish coworkers and some managers, Unprofessional, Pay never increases and you basically have to move out of state to continue moving up in the company.
2 - 3.0Nov 16, 2023Automotive TechnicianCurrent Employee, more than 8 yearsKnoxville, TN
Pros
They are good about developing associates to the next level if you put in the work.
Cons
They are behind on pay scales. When getting promoted to a salary management it is very likely you will take a pay cut. Not all stores are treated the same. The newer the store type the better the people are treated. Is doesn’t seem like CarMax as a company cares for their associates sense the CEO changed a few years ago.
1 - 5.0Jul 26, 2023Software Engineer IICurrent Employee, more than 1 yearRichmond, VA
Pros
There are a lot of opportunities for advancement! They offer time, resources, and avenues for growth! Most of the teams/leaders I have interacted with embrace change! They strike the balance of inclusivity / acceptance AND pursuing excellence really well! Overall, It's a great org run by great humans, but your experience WILL be what you make of it.
Cons
It's run by people, and it will be what you make of it :) It's a large org, so my experience is not indicative of the WHOLE, just from my vantage point. There is a lack of clarity in how things work from an organizational standpoint because there are a lot of parts to the whole. this lack of clarity bleeds into career advancement. I do disagree with the direction they currently are moving in from a career advancement perspective, there is a lot of onus put on the individual to prove and strive towards.. that IMO has a propensity towards politics, over people. I understand and appreciate the heart behind how they do what they do, but I think there has been a side-effect that is not as desirable! From a technical standpoint, its a heavy organization with a lot of moving parts that makes change cumbersome. Buying/selling used cars is more complex than you may think - and having been in the game as long as they have - you have a lot to change!
3 - 4.0Oct 31, 2023Lead Business Office AssociateFormer Employee
Pros
Job security is a major reason to work for this employer. Imagine so many people got laid off during covid and the car industry kept booming. People either were selling their vehicles or needed a vehicle. Another reason comes from your coworkers. They are just like you and depending on the department you work in, you create a close bond. FT workers get an hour lunch seeing that so many places are going with a 30 minute lunch. What can you do with 30 minutes....barely breathe 😪. You do get a chance to make extra money depending on your sales goal and customer service.
Cons
Scheduling could be a challenge if understaffed. Also, may have to pick up slack from others if they don't show up or refuse to do work.
- 5.0Nov 7, 2023Parts ManagerCurrent Employee, more than 8 years
Pros
The company goes to great lengths to keep associates happy. If you are willing to put in the effort, there are a lot of opportunities for growth. Despite what some customers believe (some have unreasonable expectations), our processes and policies genuinely keep the customer in mind with honest and transparency. They will always try to do the right thing, Very diverse and everyone is accepted for who they are.
Cons
The health benefits are comparable, but not the best on the market. Some positions are underpaid compared to the market. Sometimes the company tries to impose too many white collar ideals to blue collar workers which can seem redundant and ineffective.
- 4.0Nov 7, 2023Sales Transaction SupportFormer Employee, more than 3 yearsTempe, AZ
Pros
The culture is one of a kind and almost everyone makes it feel like family to work there with.
Cons
They are extremely disorganized in leadership and in some cases some leadership (very rare) is less than honest or given too much power.
- 3.0Nov 11, 2023Software EngineerCurrent Employee, more than 3 years
Pros
Carmax has great values on paper but some teams put them into practice and others don’t. On a good team, it’s great. On a bad team, it can be really bad. There are some really stellar first and second tier managers.
Cons
Major variance between teams. Some are fantastic. Some need help. High level leadership doesn’t provide consistent direction to teams.
- 4.0Nov 6, 2023Sr Sales ConsultantCurrent Employee, more than 5 yearsSan Diego, CA
Pros
You can make like 60-70k at a leisurely, steady pace if you do not slack. 70k to 90k you are grindingg. 100k you live there
Cons
Some communication issues between the departments. Moving up is a slow process.
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CarMax Reviews FAQs
CarMax has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 6,779 reviews left anonymously by employees. 67% of employees would recommend working at CarMax to a friend and 58% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has decreased by -1% over the last 12 months.
67% of CarMax employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated CarMax 3.4 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.
According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at CarMax to be management, career development, benefits and the cons to be work life balance .
