Verizon has been quietly implementing a stricter policy that employees claim is causing customers to experience long lines in stores. The requirement comes as the carrier has been making major operational changes in recent months as its new CEO, Dan Shulman, works to reverse years of customer losses.
Shortly after Schulman became CEO of Verizon in October 2025, he said during an earnings call that he planned to “aggressively transform” the company, further explaining that recent price increases and friction in the customer experience were driving customers away.
The company has lost 2.25 million postpaid phone customers in the last three years.
According to an internal memo sent to workers, Schulman laid off 13,000 employees in November to “simplify” the company’s operations, create “new value” for customers and “build a faster, stronger and more proactive Verizon.”
By May, Verizon conducted another round of layoffs, this time affecting hundreds of employees at its headquarters in New Jersey, Business Insider reported.
Verizon policy sparks tension in stores
Amid this change, Verizon employees are claiming on the social media platform Reddit that the company is doubling down on the strict store policy to boost sales; However, this is reportedly causing friction.
In a recent Reddit post, a Verizon employee claimed that all employees are required to introduce every new product to customers helping in the store “regardless of the circumstances or the customer’s needs.”
He says this is why there are “such long waits” at store locations, sometimes taking more than two hours for a customer to speak to an employee.
“We were made to slap or write down every item on every citation,” the Verizon employee wrote in the post. “If a customer comes into the store to cancel service we have to offer each of the following: a new line, a tablet or watch, home internet, 4 utilities, insurance on everything, all high priority upgrades on the offered account, and home device protection with every customer.”
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The employee also said they are required to “check with managers between quotations for approval to ensure each item is offered.” If employees are not turning off most of the sales items a manager will become involved.
Employees also need to put pressure on customers to buy new products for their businesses or employers.
“If you have a business or can convince your employers to transfer your phone account we have to ask you 3 different ways,” the employee wrote. “And every customer is submitted for a lead as a call back, whether they make a purchase or not. Managers have to upload the form for every employee transaction to make sure they’re micro-managing their sales floor.”
Additionally, the employee alleged that Verizon had recently raised sales expectations and cut commissions.
“My sales goals for November and December (busiest time of year) were the same as my goals in February, plus they ruined our commission plan, so now we make half the money for twice the work,” the employee wrote.
The employee said that Shulman “has done a good job in ruining the company and destroying morale at the expense of pleasing the shareholders.”
Verizon is quietly implementing an in-store policy that’s causing frustration. Shutterstock/Brandon Klein
Verizon employees and customers focus on in-store experiences
In response to the post, some Verizon employees said they were having similar workplace experiences at their stores.
“I am currently an employee and leaving,” one employee wrote in the comments section. “This keynote is a 100% accurate representation of what’s happening in the stores… They micromanage every little thing to the point that you’re debriefed in the office every few days.”
More Verizon news:
Some Verizon customers even took to the comments section to experience these pushy sales tactics from representatives when visiting stores for service.
“I recently went to a store to upgrade my phone. I objected to all of them, but was told no. They came back with a quote that added a new line and 2 phones, an upgrade for me and the same new line that I did not ask for. This added $136.00 per month,” commented a Verizon customer.
Another customer wrote, “I was offered all those things when I just went to get an iPhone.”
Verizon defends operation amid criticism
Amid allegations that the policy is slowing down wait times for customers in stores, Verizon Chief Sales and Service Officer Kevin Zavaglia said in a LinkedIn post on June 2 that “most customers don’t have to wait at all for service”.
“Our overall average wait time of just 7 minutes is decreasing year over year,” Zavaglia wrote in the post.
He also said Verizon recently launched a “new compensation model, designed to reward premium pay for performance.”
“We have seen significantly higher payouts than historical plans, especially for our top performers,” he said.
Verizon struggles to beat rivals in consumer satisfaction
The changes at Verizon came after Shulman said during an internal meeting with employees in December that the company’s customer satisfaction scores “are worse than our competitors”, partly because employees lack the “financial flexibility” to work.
A J.D. Power survey in January found that Verizon’s consumer satisfaction scores for postpaid phone plans lag behind mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), as more consumers prioritize seamless interactions with their carriers over network quality.
“Attracting customers with network quality and pricing is the first step,” Carl Lepper, senior director of technology, media and telecommunications at J.D. Power, said in a statement. “True loyalty comes from how easy it is for customers to work with the carrier once they are in the system, especially when it comes to resolving issues, managing bills, and getting answers quickly.”
How Verizon Ranks in Postpaid Phone Plan Consumer Satisfaction:
Postpaid phone customers give traditional US wireless carriers average ratings 603 On a 1,000-point scale.
Of the three big national carriers, T-Mobile ranked highest with 631 score, while Verizon earned a score 593 and AT&T received 587.
MVNO performed better overallaverage 630 Scores in consumer satisfaction for postpaid phone plans.
Consumer Cellular tops MVNO category with scores of 721Then on Google Fi Wireless 685. Spectrum Mobile ended the group 614. Source: JD Power
Despite lagging behind top competitors in consumer satisfaction, Verizon’s recent turnaround efforts are yielding positive results.
According to its latest earnings report, Verizon welcomed 55,000 new postpaid phone customers in the first quarter of 2026.
Despite this growth, Verizon continues to suffer customer losses. Due to its wireless retail postpaid phone churn, the number of smartphone customers canceling service reached 0.97% during the quarter, up 2 basis points year-on-year.
“Wireless customer churn remains high, reflecting the tough competitive environment, but Verizon is doing a much better job of attracting new customers than it did a year ago,” Morningstar analyst Michael Hodel wrote in an analyst note in April.
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This story was originally published by TheStreet on June 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Retail section. Add TheStreet as a preferred source by clicking here.
