Former SDL for Frito - District Sales Leader PepsiCo Employee Review

1.0
5 Sept 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The flexibility you are given to lead your own teams is excellent

Cons

the resources you are given to with your own teams are not. The training process for both internal and external hires is the same and is an arduous 1 year adventure where you are promised that you will receive a District somewhere within the Region and a full 18 months to learn your craft. In my particular case I was run from a mini district in one state, to a full district 3 hours away from home and then to a job classification that I had no experience in with 2 days of training that was broken up over a two week period. I finally was given the opportunity to run a district in my Zone but was told that I would have to move my family again. We had moved across the state when I first started working for Frito. We found our dream house ion the price range that we were willing to pay and was told it was not close enough to the district I would be working in - it was 30 miles away from my District office. We found another home that was acceptable to my boss - that was 45 miles away from my District office. Selling out of our original house so early caused us to rack up massive credit card bills in order to stay cash rich for a new house purchase. Once I was settled I was told I would be leading a re-engineering project, losing half my district and gaining another 2 cities. The District I had inherited had been underperforming for over 7 years its largest route hadn't had a salesman in over 2 years and been through numerous merchandisers. Unsaleables were out of control. I was told I would be given 18 months to turn the ship around. Going into the summer we had massive road construction in a primary market that all but shut the city down, natural disasters (tornados, withering hale storms, and a devastating drought. My market is dependent on the Agriculture Business if the farmers don't make it I don't make it. 12 months later I was presented with a PIP - Performance Improvement Plan - with 7 areas on metrics and that I had to show improvement in all areas if I was to retain my job. The top 2 were Sales Plan and Unsaleables Plan and the.... My average sales plan was 116% to prior year and I had as high as 250% in some accounts. My boss came into my Market every 4-5 weeks and I had to endure a mental/emotional beating for 10 hours or more. Nothing was never good enough I was told that nothing was right and when I stepped in to help my salespeople I was told that I was doing to much work for them I was told I was putting in too many hours, too few hours, and even once chewed out about having a 5 o:clock shadow and that my shoes were not shiny enough.

Explore other reviews about PepsiCo

5.0
19 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great pay, great benefits, 401K, great set of drivers that are helpful behind the scenes where being a team really matters

Cons

Early start times to wait route picks, long ours, family time balance can quickly get away from you with 1 hiccup of the day.

4.0
6 May 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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