Employer Committing Wage Theft - Sales Representative Odom Employee Review

1.0
9 Jan 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexibility in the daily work schedule and PTO

Cons

I've been working as a Sales Representative for this company approaching two years. The longer i've been here and learn more about how they operate is repulsive at best. Odom recently merged to become Northwest Beverages and they have been using employment practices that are underhanded and potentially illegal. In order to give you a more full and complete picture I will be as objective as possible so you are better informed before you choose to apply at this company. First they pay low hourly wages for a sales position, about the minimum wage per hour compared to Tukwila and Sea Tac areas. I will have worked for two years in which I received one raise that was less than a dollar per hour. Two years of work for pennies in raises! This should give you a good idea as to the hourly pay component. Secondly they have a monthly bonus program and they advertise that you can earn a certain amount, only to find out you will actually never earn that because they have twisted the goal amounts so high you can never reach them. But this will be the way they spin it to you. This last month alone not a single member of my entire team hit the two major goals of total revenue or Rockstar (our largest supplier). Rarely does anyone hit these goals, but they use a work psychology game on you trying to convince you that it is your sales shortcomings as the reason. A scam. The inability to hit your goals due to the unobtainable nature of them will cost you tens of thousands possibly up to a hundred thousand dollars by the time you finish a career here. They pay a bonus for selling Rockstar (our largest product by sales) almost never but you will apportion about half your time merchandising and selling it. It is possibly you will sell Rockstar for the duration of you employment and never receive a penny for it. Now to the employer wage theft....This probably seems like a lofty claim but it really isn't. The third component of your wage will be "supplier incentives", monies that our suppliers our willing to pay a sales rep for successful placement of their products into the stores on your route. The company issues a monthly schedule of suppliers who are paying incentives and what the terms and conditions are to achieve. You go out on your route and make these placements believing that you will be paid, only to find out that Odom has not paid according to the terms agreed upon. This means you performed work and labor under agreed to terms and conditions that weren't ultimately paid by the company. This has happened company wide and to most members of my team. It is a company strategy to do this as members of management at all levels remain completely silent about it. They are purposefully and methodically short paying the incentive monies. They are also not providing a detailed paystub showing how you have been paid these monies, in other words they are obscuring transparency in order to steal. If there are inquiries or this is brought to the attention of management they have been coached in how to avoid addressing this issue. In other words they are pilfering the incentives, possibly receiving monies from suppliers that were intended for the sales reps performing the work. In short they are fleecing their employees. Human resources has been made aware but fails to professionally and completely investigate in an in-depth, comprehensive, objective manner. As well the company chooses a retaliatory posture when you report, even though you follow all procedures as outlined in the employee handbook. Management at all levels are complicit and completely void of morality, ethics, and integrity. Again, these actions have actually happened repeatedly. This is based on facts and numbers, not on opinion.

Explore other reviews about Odom

5.0
22 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great company to work for. Employees are treated fairly and with respect. Supportive team, professional work environment, and opportunities to learn and grow. Management values employees and promotes a positive workplace culture.

Cons

I did not experience any significant drawbacks during my time with the company.

1.0
11 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

free drinks and snacks in the office

Cons

My experience at Odom reflected poor leadership, weak planning, and serious concerns about accountability. The red flags started before I even joined. After a long and inconsistent interview process, the Controller called me out of the blue with a verbal offer before I had full benefits information or a fair opportunity to evaluate total compensation. It felt like an attempt to strong-arm me into accepting a low offer without the transparency and professionalism I would expect for a corporate finance role. After I started, there was no onboarding at all. The Controller did not introduce me to people, did not properly integrate me into the organization, and I had to introduce myself in meetings so others would know who I was. That alone said a great deal about the leadership environment. The larger problem was that the role did not appear to have been properly set up before I was hired. The systems, access, and internal readiness needed for me to fully do the work were not in place. Later, those failures were blamed on other departments instead of being owned by leadership. In my view, the Controller’s conduct during hiring and onboarding raised serious concerns about judgment, professionalism, and accountability. If you are considering a role here, ask very direct questions about onboarding, systems readiness, leadership support, and whether the company is actually prepared for the position they are trying to fill.

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