route driver

outside sales representative

folder

maintenance technician

route sales representative

Alsco Uniforms

Let me first say, to be fair, that I do think there were people at Alsco who wanted to change things for the better and there were some conversations going on during my 7 months there that may very well lead to those changes. If you're reading this trying to decide whether or not to work there, consider that: things might be different now. That being said, the track record of this branch doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. The year before I started the branch had 110% turnover. The specific position I was in has turned over 7 times in the past 5 years. From the lowest-earning plant worker to the general manager, the majority of the people who worked at this location had been there for less than 5 years. And this isn't a startup, it's a 130-year-old company, and was one of the first branches established, if not the first. So I don't know why it was so dysfunctional, but it was.

I should also be fair by saying that a certain amount of my bad experience came from mentally and emotionally taxing things that were going on in my personally life while I worked there, and that the job wasn't all bad. For instance, my pay was ok; for how miserable the job was it didn't seem like it, but for what's essentially a blue collar management position that requires no specific education or experience, it's not bad. I also had quite a bit of autonomy with my workday and flexibility with my schedule. I worked a pretty consistent 55 hours per week and was able to come in early enough to leave at a time that suited my childcare schedule. There were also free meals like, multiple times per week. There were certain tasks that were pretty fun, there was a lot of driving through some pretty areas, and of course there were people that I liked. But in general I really, really hated my job and, even though I didn't have another one lined up when I left, was really relieved to leave it.

I was told by several people in different positions that my position--district manager--was the worst job in the company, and as far as I was able to tell in 7 months, I think they were right. District Managers at Alsco are like the junk drawer in the kitchen: if a random task comes up and you're not sure where to put it, it goes to the district manager; if something isn't going well and you're not sure who to blame, it goes to the district manager. The volume and variety of hats that the district manager wore; the frequency that new initiatives were introduced and reports were asked for that added to our workload; the degree to which any failure in the process was framed to be the fault of both the person performing the work AND the district manager--it was just a lot.

The drivers were unionized and I have to say, the union took really good care of them. The union contract made it really tough to be a manager in a lot of ways, but it was really sweet for the drivers and I tried to become one. Not just because of all the perks and protection, but most of the driver's made quite a bit more money than I did and worked significantly fewer hours. And I'm not bitter or jealous, good for them, truly. But with all of the former district managers who had switched to driver positions, sales positions, etc (and there were a LOT) within the company, it just seems like the company would have put some thought toward making the managers' lives a little easier or jobs suck a little bit less.
The last thing I want to touch on is culture. On my very first day the general manager, in front of everybody in management and all of the office staff, told the service manager that his idea was "stupid." One supervisor routinely openly criticized the district managers' performances in group emails to the other district managers including using terms like "half-assed," and we got to regularly hear about how much better the culture was at the main hub than at our branch, even though I knew for a fact that the drivers at the main hub were passing messages around to complain about operations, supervision, and HR issues. Granted, I've been in the service industry my whole life and I've been in meetings that got a LOT more heated and combative, and I've had managers that used MUCH less professional language, but I wanted to make sure I included that for the consideration of people applying to Alsco. 

And again, I want to be fair. Yes, there are a handful of people who have worked at this location for, literally, decades. There are some people who make 6 figures and don't have any plans to go somewhere else. There are some people who recommend it to their friends. And, honestly, if my attempts to become a union driver had been successful, I'd still probably be there, working reasonable hours while getting a good workout and making good money, too. And maybe I'm learning that, notwithstanding my history in it, I really just don't like being in management. Some of why I hated the job was certainly due to personal qualities, weaknesses, and failures. But it wasn't all me. Again, when you have as much turnover as this branch did, you have to start asking different questions than "how do we hit our revenue numbers."

The job can be tough. It is very laborious work but also rewarding. They pay you a good wage (I am currently at $20/hr) with annual increases every year.  Excellent benefits for myself and my family at a very good price.  We are union backed so after your 90 days there is lots of job security.  You have the opportunity to sell on your route that can pay 10/1 on some items and 5/1, 3/1 and 1/1 on other Items.  There is lots of paperwork to be done at the end of the day which can be quite cumbersome, however, we are paid by the hour! Loading the truck can take on average of 90 minutes, make sure all invoices for the day are correct and I hit the road.  Typically I have between 10-15 accounts per day.  At every stop I talk with staff and management, I keep it friendly and smile while we work together on what their needs are for the week and future weeks to keep their business running smooth.  One huge perk of the job is free lunch wherever you go.  On top of that, many restaurants will treat you to a complimentary dinner when you bring your family out.  It's all about service.  You do right by your customers and they do right by you.
Picking up soil can be the toughest part of the job as it is quite nasty!... Yes, you will see maggots (and lots of them) spiders, rats and other critters.  If you can look past those and keep your hygiene a top priority you will be fine.  Yes, I come home with aches and pains sometimes but I also get a good workout during the day.  I feel like so many people put out such negative reviews.  The job isn't as bad as people say.  Sometimes you have to suck it up and move on.  Don't dwell on the bad things, see the good in things.  I am grateful for this job and they pay me fairly and every Friday I get paid.  During season I was making anywhere from $1,000-$1,500 per week.  During off season $750-$900.  Because of this job, my wife can work on our business from home, take the kids to school and pick them up every day.  I can pay our mortgage on our home and pay all of our bills.  I have nights off and weekends off it I choose.  If I do decide to work a Saturday I get paid time and a half for it.  With all that being said, take this review for what it is.  If you think you have it in you, apply.  It can be very rewarding.   If you aren't mentally strong enough to push through the physicality's of the job than this job isn't for you.  Thanks you ALSCO for this opportunity!

Working for Alsco in Spokane has its pros and cons. I have worked at Alsco less than 60 days, so I have not received any health insurance benefits or paid time off. That has been frustrating, because I have a spouse and a young child. None of us have been able to go to the doctor yet. Plus, for me, going to work sick and not being able to take the day off hasn't been pleasant. Additionally, there isn't a formal maternity leave policy that consists of paid time off. Alsco is not a good workplace for women who a) have children or b) plan on having children. You will be offered unpaid leave, especially if you are not in upper management. The pay is not enough to provide for a family anyway, so imagine how much it would suck to not be getting paid at all while you're out recovering from having a baby. I don't believe that the pay for my position and educational background (two degrees-Bachelor's and Master's) is fair. $16 per hour and not being allowed to work more than 40 hours per week is unfair, and the salaried management team doesn't seem to care. They put in 45-60 hours per week probably, which I would gladly do for $16 per hour. I have no problem working long hours, because then I'd make more money. But working just 40 hours per week at that hourly wage is less than $550 per week after taxes are deducted (payday is every Friday). I have to save up two checks at a time just to pay my car note, and then another two checks so I can pay rent. The only things I liked about working at Alsco were interacting with our awesome and hardworking drivers (RSRs), and getting to eat a delicious catered lunch before the Christmas holiday.

This is a place to work until you get a better job, plain and simple. If you choose to stay here they will gradually push more work on you and run you into the ground.

Unethical Managers who spend alot of time whining and complaining about  low paid workers they arent even taking care of. Unless your somebodys buddy, kid or mistress (which is very common at this dump) dont expect to go anywhere. There was a female driver who had "relations" with 4 people in management during my time there. 4 PEOPLE!  Because they have so much turnover as well they are likely to keep you where you  are at as "insurance". 

Plant workers here are probably the most exploited Ive ever seen at a business.  Low pay, no benefits, no incentive, on your feet all day performing dirty, physical labor  in a hot loud steamy sweatshop.  Pretty pathetic.  Alot of them are also illegal by the way. Others are criminals. Child Molesters are common here. 

You wont learn anything here other than what its like to work for a really bad employer.  Working here is like going back in time to the 80's. 

This company skimps in every area possible. Product not available. Broken down trucks. etc. etc. etc. And of course the employee will be blamed for all of this, not the managers.

There should be laws against companies like this being able to use the word "American" in their name. This place is embarassingingly bad. 

I made less than 60,000 dollars (total compensation, before taxes) for the 4 years I worked there. Working full time  (37 plus hours a week) by the way.  Also had my car broken into and was on the hook for a medical bill for something related to work.  Dont ask me why I stayed here this long, Im still trying to figure it out to this day. I was horribly naive back then. 

If I have one piece of advice for anyone looking for a job at Alsco it is to run away. From the top down this is a very toxic workplace. Recent management changes have made it even worse. Prior to 2020 it was a boy’s club, but at least there was some sense of being treated like an adult to do your job. Now the culture has changed to not only being a boys club, but to being micromanaged. The “boys” are just different, and the one or two token females in management roles are negative and toxic employees. If you are female you will get paid less than your male counterparts. If you are smart you will be kept in a role that ensures you do most of the work that makes management look good. I”m absolutely shocked by how uneducated upper management is. Also, if you are looking to grow the only way to do that is to either work out of Salt Lake City or be in their MTP program, which is geared towards younger employees, specifically college graduates. I’ve worked here a long time  but it’s time to move on. I have a feeling there will be many more job openings soon with the way things are trending with Alsco. My advice to management is to stop micromanaging. Put some faith in your employees that have already proven they can do the job. Your goals will be met quicker that way. Right now time is being wasted on meetings, phone calls, reports and manager’s tracking their employees. Employees don’t have time to actually do their jobs. Look at your middle management team too. There are some people who have threatened, harassed, and are not qualified to be a team leader that need to be removed or this toxic culture will never change.

When I was employed with Alsco in Wichita Falls, the warehouse we loaded and unloaded our linen out of was EXTREMELY stress free, fast, organized, uncluttered, personal, and well kept. After working for a few months, the plant itself decided to relocate in town and no longer partner with the processing plant in Lubbock. Since the linen was now local (with ALL new employees besides the 8 route drivers and management) we had to adjust to not receiving our orders - due to lack of being processed, sorted, labled and counted - leaving the plant late (leaving Wichita and starting route at closer to 7-7:30 rather than 6 or before), angry customers, running behind on routes, working on weekends, figuring out and fixing paperwork and electronic errors, not being able to avoid extreme clutter and fighting over bins, having a lack of bins, and much much more. Management had been good to me, only complaint was that it seemed like nobody knew how to fix issues due to moving locations and communication throughout the building was very poor. Plant workers quickly became overwhelmed due to lack of training before opening and nobody even spoke English! Very frustrating. I do, however, regret losing my employment to the company itself because once my route  began, my customers were amazing and I was able to travel to places I had never been to (or heard of!) and would love to visit again. Great opportunities, good pay, benefits and lots of open road creates a 4 star review from me! Former Route 23 driver, truck 14701

I worked at Alsco I disliked the job because there were no advancement opportunities. People had been working there for 16-20 years and still made the same amount of money and did the same jobs. They showed favortism toward certain employees instead of enforcing rules and fairness. It would be extremely hot and they wouldn't want to provide us with fans. When offered the job I was told the schedule was monday-friday from 5am-1pm. After hired, I worked 5am-5pm. They made Saturdays Mandatory instead of optional after promising many new hires that they would have weekends off. A typical day at work would start at 5. You would be standing in a line for 4 other people all day putting napkins on a conveyor belt. They would come get you out of the bathroom if you were gone for over 3 minutes. We would get 10 minute breaks that were actually 7 minutes. Management didn't care about the heat. They would want you to work even if you were sick and throwing up. They really didn't want to give breaks. The hardest part of the job was the schedule. They expect you to not have a life and would create mandatory work because they knew everyone needs their job and wouldnt stand up to the unfair treatment and lies. The most enjoyable part of the job was the people. They are some of the nicest coworkers you could ask for.

Alsco is one of the oldest companies in the commercial launch industry. In spite of this, working there was nothing short of waste of time. They start their week with "Growth Meetings" which are basically a run down about losing business, bad product outcome, failed deliveries and so on. They don't have any plans or ideas of how to fix their own processes to help their situation. As a Sales consultant, it is very difficult to get new customers when the first instance of delivery is tainted with dirty or stained linen. In addition, the management has no structured plan to improve and are transitioning into Salesforce to better their numbers without focus on quality of products offered or current client retention. 
Management is mostly tenured and there is an utter lack of professionalism. They focus on stealing competitor's accounts and are not ethical in their approach to invoicing. 
The base pay offered is too less and the commissions are usually delayed. Be careful when you negotiate with them as they have a tendency to lie about expected earnings and commission structure. In fact, they have the worst pay structure in the industry are also the worst in customer retention. 
I would not consider recommending Alsco Uniforms to anyone. 



I was a college student working here for the summer, and I have never had such a bad experience at work in my life. First off, I was harassed for two months by the same guy, who was also harassing other women there, before management would fire him. They did not want to get rid of him, despite his criminal history, because management did not believe any of us until enough of us would complain about him, which then they fired him. HR never wanted to speak to anyone because they don't care about their employees, and the leadership here was non-existent. Business cannot thrive without leadership, and for some reason they would not hire people into management that would be the best fit for this. Everyone was always stressed out and grumpy, so it made your life even more miserable while at work. You started work very early in the morning, only got one break that was only 30 minutes, and worked until late in the evening. Pay was very minimal, and should have been more with how physical this job was. Retail employees get paid way more, so you would think for this type of work environment, they would want to be more competitive. The turnover rate was so high that the average time an employee would stay was one week. Overall, the worst experience and would never recommend working here to anyone.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The Union benefits are truly amazing. Most coworkers are really cool. The District Managers at the branch level are really encouraging and most of them know how hard it is to be out there on a truck. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Upper management is a practically a Soviet era regime. Disagree or question their judgement and it’s off with your head or away with your job. The Union is the only thing that stands between them and firing a quarter of their staff everyday. There is no such thing as collaboration at Alsco. It is truly a totalitarian regime that runs the show. The threat of getting written up for basic human error is present on a daily basis. The trucks are shaky mechanically at very best. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It is a totalitarian regime in Florida. No collaboration and the upper managers run a culture of fear. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Start at 4:30 am. Load your truck until 6 or 6:30. Hit the road between 20 minutes and an hour to your first stop. Deliver linens, write the order for the next visit. Merchandise the linens in storage. Switch out the mats, pick up the bags of soiled linen and repeat 8-24 times a day. Head back to the shop and unload your truck. Do some preloading for the next day. Clock out between 6 and 7 pm.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Route driver 522 salaries reported	$23.17 per hour
Outside sales representative 345 salaries reported	$68,583 per year
Folder 393 salaries reported	$15.52 per hour
Maintenance technician 272 salaries reported	$27.22 per hour
Route sales representative 242 salaries reported	$23.69 per hour

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