Being a Frito-Lay Sales Rep: It's not just an adventure, it's a job. - RSR PepsiCo Employee Review

2.0
22 June 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Frito-Lay products are of very high quality and are wildly popular. Demand for our products just steadily increases from one year to the next. New products are introduced into the lineup on a frequent basis, and a good percentage of these new products also go on to become very popular and in high demand. Frito-Lay products practically sell themselves. How many other sales people in the world can make a similar boast about their products? Not very many at all. In this respect, a sales position with Frito-Lay is a dream job.

Cons

Because the products practically sell themselves, sales reps become delivery people. A sales route can require 15-20 customer service calls per day- up to $2,000 or more in sales per day, and almost all of that product needs to be merchandised. It becomes a punishing, brutal, high-speed workload which causes an huge amount of physical and mental stress and strain. Every year, that workload is increased- as if the job of a Frito sales rep is actually a large corporate experiment testing the absolute outer limits of human strength and endurance, both physical and mental. Our efforts are under-appreciated and frequently criticized by mangers as they gradually heap more work onto our backs. Despite all of the above, there is still some enjoyment in this job or I wouldn't keep doing it. The pay is good, I never have to pretend to be busy, and our customers are a widely diverse and wonderful bunch of people. That's the part of the job I like the best- chatting and interacting with all of the store owners. I'm working my ass off and so are they- we have much in common in that respect, and I have numerous smiles and laughs with my customers every day. They are good people, and generally hold Frito sales reps in very high regard. And that's because, in my experience, Frito sales reps are also a fine group of good people who really care about their customers, no matter how exhausted they might be.

Explore other reviews about PepsiCo

5.0
15 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Solid structure, goals are attainable, strong leadership.

Cons

Fortune 50 company comes with restructuring and potential employees headcount resizing.

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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