Commission in the minors

I have never had a job where my salary changed based on how much I sold. I know that this is common in many sales industries such as for car salesmen, but my previous baseball experience was just a small monthly salary.

Based on what I have, the jobs I was accepted for, and what other people in similar jobs have, I know of at LEAST 2 ways that the pay scale works in the minor leagues. I never knew how it worked before I started working here, so I just thought I would share this bit of insider knowledge with you.

There are two different types of commission: group and individual. Individual commission is how most teams do it. You get paid for the sales that you bring it - whether it be groups in the regular seating areas or in the more luxury areas just depending on what your ballpark has. The good part about individual commission is that if there is someone in your department that is slacking, you don't have to suffer as well. It also makes it obvious to your bosses how good you are doing. The negative part is that when you're first starting out, it could take a while to make enough sales to get that bonus check and there is a lot more stabbing in the back. Coworkers might steal sales that were supposed to be yours. There's a lot more competition in this type of environment. It is just something that you have to get used to.

The other type of commission is group commission. All of your department's sales get added up together and you reach the bonus level as a group. The good thing about group commission is that depending on when you start, your coworkers already probably have their sales numbers up so you can ride on their coattails. The negative part about this is that your coworkers can easily slack and you pay for it.

Pay scales are different with different teams. Some base your salary heavily on the commission, others just use it as a small bonus. Either way, it's an adjustment to get used to having your salary depend on how good either you are doing or your group is doing.

I didn't mean for this entry to be so long - kudos if you read through it - or skipped most of it that's fine too!

Opening day is right around the corner - I can't believe how fast time has gone at my new job!