Bench Craft Company review: Bench craft sales: expect unclear expectations and misleading management

I worked at Bench Craft Company as a Sales Coordinator for a period of less than one month, specifically from early to late December. My experience reveals critical failures in transparent expectation setting, effective onboarding, and consistent management practices, making this a cautionary tale for prospective applicants.

1. Explicitly Contradicted Onboarding & Training Period:
During my interview with the hiring manager, I was explicitly informed that my first full month (December into mid-January) would serve as a "training period," dedicated to gaining experience and building towards sales, with the expectation of genuinely making sales "towards the middle of January." This was a foundational promise that directly influenced my decision to accept the role. We were given a general goal of making "100 calls a day" as a measure of activity, not a sales quota.

2. Complete Absence of Communicated Sales Quotas:
Crucially, at no point—neither during onboarding, daily operations, nor in any formal or informal communication—was I, or any of the other five new hires in my cohort, informed of a specific sales quota or minimum sales expectation. This fundamental piece of information, critical for any sales role, was entirely absent from our employment terms.

3. Consistent Positive Reinforcement from Management:
Throughout my short tenure, I showed up on time every day, often arriving just before my shift. My work ethic and activity were consistently praised by managers. When I sought assistance or clarification, managers universally reassured me, stating that "everything I was doing is exactly what they were looking for" and expressing appreciation for my "hustle and work ethic." This direct and positive feedback directly contradicted any implication that my performance was unsatisfactory.

4. Management Acknowledged and Advised on Holiday Season Challenges:
My employment occurred during the peak holiday season. Many of the decision-makers I contacted across multiple industries and even in Canada were unavailable, having taken leave until after the New Year. I promptly reported these consistent responses to my managers. They confirmed that this was "normal during that time of the year" and advised that the priority was to "make a lot of phone calls" for activity, and to "send out emails, leave voicemails, and follow up when they return" in January. This demonstrated a clear understanding from management that actual sales would be difficult during December, yet no adjustment to an (still unstated) sales quota was ever communicated.

5. Opaque and Inconsistent Performance Tracking:
My name was never placed on the public dry-erase board used to track weekly sales for other employees, meaning I had no visible metric to compare my progress against, nor could I even discern what a "normal" or "expected" sales volume was. Other new hires, onboarded at the same time, recorded sporadic sales (1-2 every other week, with some weeks showing zero sales). This further highlighted the lack of a clear, measurable target applied to all new hires.

6. Abrupt and Contradictory Termination Without Due Process:
On a Monday after work, I received an unexpected text message instructing me to call HR. During the call, HR informed me that the company had decided not to "go forward" with my employment. When I specifically asked for the reason, I was told that during "one week," I had made "2 sales" and that the expectation was "3 sales." This was an astounding revelation:

This "3 sales" expectation was the absolute first time I had ever heard any specific sales quota mentioned.
It directly contradicted the initial promise that December was a "training period" focused on experience, not immediate sales targets.
It ignored management's prior acknowledgment of the holiday season's impact on sales.

There was no prior warning, performance review, or opportunity to address this previously uncommunicated expectation.

Conclusion for Prospective Applicants:
My experience at Bench Craft Company points to a severe disconnect between the stated onboarding process, actual management communication, and termination practices. Expect to receive no clear sales quotas, positive feedback that contradicts hidden expectations, and potentially an abrupt termination based on uncommunicated metrics, especially if hired during a challenging sales period. The lack of transparency and consistent application of expectations makes this employer a high-risk environment for new hires, particularly in sales roles. Proceed with extreme caution, or preferably, do not apply.

The image attached are the daily tracker sheets. I tracked my calls and progress in excel within the company email, and on paper every day from the day I started to hold myself accountable. My manager reassured me that everything I was doing was great and they were excited to have me onboard but was still terminated for specific reasons mentioned above.

View 0 more photos