Don't Do This to Your Life - Definition of Bait and Switch - Business Development Representative (BDR) Groupon Employee Review

1.0
Mar 6, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Your colleagues are truly the only good part of the job.

Cons

I have waited on submitting a review for some time, to gauge any positive changes, but no. In one sentence, I cannot express how disappointed I am on what Groupon has become, not only to merchants, but to their employees-you know, the ones SELLING your (terrible) product. From the day you start, you enter the false fairytale that is Groupon. By day 3, you are calling and losing merchants because you have no clue what you're even selling, and all of the diameters/restrictions of such. Depending on perspective, you may enjoy being thrown in; cool. Enter threats of job security moving forward. Within your first two weeks you must pass their "test" which is one of the most confusing open-book tests any of us took. Employees who "took the test together" and had same exact answers, had different results. (First indication Groupon can't do proper math) This wiped out half of all training classes after they "failed." I cannot express this enough, you are constantly threatened with losing your job. They continue to move goalposts even when you're meeting KPIs, metrics, and targets. If they tell you the training period is 6 weeks - ohhh, no, figure a solid 4 months..and no, the commission does not remain the same. They revise the commission structure often and leave you completely confused (even managers don't know). You will be forced to walk away from the very few merchants who are desperate enough to try Groupon. EVERY DAY there is a new restriction of what can be closed, depending on WHO reviews it. Don't let them lie to you that you'll be able to "close anything" after the training. It gets worse after that, limiting you to very small territories and even more restrictions of what we can actually close (though merchants can sign up themselves online with worse margins). In addition, there are a few senior sales reps who will literally STEAL your leads you sourced and contacted, right up until they're ready to close...and bam! Rory got them. Keep an eye out, you'll deal with this exact situation many times. Management has openly acknowledged this, however continues to turn their heads. (thanks for the support y'all) European leadership has run this place into its grave. They know we are miserable but they clearly do not care about a positive office/work culture. There are about 4 managers who know what they're doing, because they've been there for at least a year+...others are literally months fresh and don't have the answers to questions of those they are leading. Keep in mind this is a company that's been around for 15+ years, and their retention rate is.....??? Long story short, you can do better literally anywhere else. The pay is borderline poverty level in a big city like Chicago, and the job itself somehow sucks even more than that. Work literally anywhere else instead..retail, grocery stores, restaurants, the library, and be treated as a human literally making more than Groupon's $19/hr. This place truly takes the cake; I have never worked for a company I trusted less.

Explore other reviews about Groupon

5.0
Jan 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Learned a great deal here. My first big guy job and the responsibilities kept me focused and motivated. I grew a lot as a person at Groupon as well

Cons

Not many cons. People are really cool.

1.0
Apr 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

No pro’s whatsoever. If you’re thinking about joining this company, save yourself a headache and run.

Cons

“Burn and churn” culture with minimal long-term investment in employees. Limited support and inconsistent coaching from management. Quarterly quotas frequently change, directly impacting compensation and making earnings unpredictable. Commission, if you’re lucky to get any, gets paid every 3 months- if terminated, you lose out on THOUSANDS of your hard earned money Compensation does not align with responsibilities—BDRs are often expected to perform full-cycle sales functions similar to Account Executives on a low base salary, ($40,000) Once placed on a performance plan, there is little path to recovery and increased scrutiny follows. High-pressure onboarding environment—new hires are expected to close deals quickly, with limited ramp time. Promotions appear inconsistent and not always based on performance, which can impact team morale and leadership quality. Concerns raised to leadership or HR are not always addressed in a transparent or timely manner.

3
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