If you are looking to get started in industrial sales but don't care about ethics Fastenal might be right for you. - District Manager Fastenal Employee Review

2.0
26 Apr 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Because of high turnover you can become Branch Manager very quickly regardless of talent of knowledge. This will at least look good on your resume. You will learn a lot about how public owned business operates. You can meet some great people, that if you stay in touch with, you can recruit later.

Cons

Executive management is highly insentivised by stock options, therefore, all decisions are made for growth and profit. ex: Payroll, benifits, promotions, firing, headcount, locations. Ethics are expected, and actually taught to branch and district personel, but not followed by regional and/or executive management. Headcount model has been prosicuted by the Department of Labor numerous times. Pay is sub par with the rest of the industry.

Explore other reviews about Fastenal

5.0
30 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good job to have during college. People are easy going and easy to get along with. Overall really good experience

Cons

Gets repetitive after a while

3.0
9 Jun 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

They offer training programs through their internal “Fastenal School of Business.” A few good mentors to guide you should you find one and if you’re willing.

Cons

* Work/Life Balance - No official WFH opportunities. Branch employees were told to report, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. 15 days of PTO (10 for vacation and 5 for sick). You don’t earn additional PTO until the start of the year following your 5 year anniversary. * Pay - pay is inconsistent and they find reasons to change your pay by eliminating and changing titles. Pay is below industry standard and is a base + bonus program for most roles. * Boys Club - Especially in MN/WI area. Positions created or filled for cast off tenured employees to find them another spot rather than termination. Promotions based on political moves instead of merit or opportunities for growth. Positions posted for new roles internally but sometimes not shared with teams to allow for those politically motivated decisons to fill a spot. If a role is only posted for 1-week vs 2-weeks, it usually means they have a specific candidate in mind to take that role. * Cheap & Tacky - Required to travel but not all meals are covered. Welcome to stay at hotel that offers free breakfast but no per diem for lunch or dinner. Some meetings or trainings might provide lunch. When traveling for team meetings or trainings, usually required to share rooms - sometimes with other employees you’ve never met. Encouraged to book rooms using discount codes provided by customers. There is a target room rate they’d like you to hit and sometimes it means driving out of the way. They’d rather the expense hit elsewhere such as fuel and travel versus the room rate.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All