Fastenal is a frugal and -subsequently- very cheap employer to work for. - Anonymous employee Fastenal Employee Review

2.0
Mar 22, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The biggest pro -at least in my experience- was that the store I was at DID adhere to a 45 hour work week. None of this "we're here 'til the job is done" stuff, because the job (as most jobs are) is never done. I also did enjoy the few co-workers I had directly working with me.

Cons

They burn you out real quick. Their commission structure is absolutely atrocious. The only way you can move up to a corporate position is by becoming a RM or moving to Winona, MN. Their employment strategy is to hire right out of college because you need a job and when you're fresh out, you're dumb enough to work for peanuts and not burned out from anywhere (probably.) They literally have 1,000,000 different part numbers in their system, so get used to customers knowing far more about every product they're looking for than you do (thus, sales are hard to make.) Also, you'll never memorize their products, so it's a difficult position to get really good at, except the nuts and bolts part.

Explore other reviews about Fastenal

5.0
Apr 30, 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
Jun 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You get to meet great people along the way. POS system is a great tool.

Cons

Fastenal does not do performance reviews. Trying to get a raise is near impossible. When you ask for a raise they upper management says that you need to sell more..... Fastenal seems like it's trying to weed out there tenure employees and higher college grads with no experience and little pay to replace seasoned personnel.

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