Massive Fail at Lowes Yesterday

[miden851]

its a retail store for God's sake, what else would one expect anytime in there!

 

[Dave Hess]

Having worked retail for 20+ yrs. w/Lowes/HD and Sears. I will say, we @ HD are very short staffed. The new hires generally know very little and there's very little computer training. Shadowing an experienced associate for mentoring is not always possible. (New hires are mostly PT and many quit, don't show up, and are NOT trained to operate Reach/OP/Electric Ladders and other pieces of equipment.) This puts a much greater workload on experienced associates. It's hit a or miss if you'll find competent help. We do try our best but locating inventory is very difficult especially when it says it's an "active" item BUT is a "No Home." Meaning, not on planogram and not on the shelf but somewhere in the overhead. (Hopefully in the Dept's "No Home" Bay/s.) Counts are MANY times off. Thief is rampant. Customers don't help by opening boxes in a horrid way and leaving items everywhere but their original location. I can't tell you how many times I've been called to help in a certain aisle, but having to walk a long distance and being stopped twelve times along the way, the person has left. When us older and experienced associates decide to retire or go PT....it's going to get even worse.

I was wanting to buy a certain vacuum cleaner with good reviews at Walmart and half the boxes were opened by customers. I really hate that crap. Maybe people lost the parts / accessories at home and decide to steal parts ?

I made the mistake of wearing a dark blue polo shirt and khaki pants the last time I went to Walmart and 10 customers were asking me questions cause they thought I was a Walmart employee.

 

[John105]

I'm a shareholder, so that's a disclaimer.

Terrible experience buying a freezer and over range microwave online, to be fulfilled by the local store (< 2 miles). Went in person and very rude people. The solution was to cancel the order, place it again, from another store. I actually forget why it is the person online can choose the store for delivery, seriously, since this is the only time I had something delivered (free).

I did have the opposite experience last year. 1984 Whirlpool gas dryer, drum not spinning, funny noise, I assumed it's the belt. They have it online, in stock at store. Couldn't find it, Sunday night, 15 min before closing. 4 associates searched for the belt, and found it. Took me all of 15 min to install, but 2 more hours to get it right (seemed a felt piece near the door was not right and it was making a really unpleasant higher pitched noise....

But the stock is one of the best in my portfolio--go figure.

Edit: Just remembered—my last purchase was a dewalt 20v vacuum. $149 so my son and I swung by and got it while we were in DE (no tax). It was not locked, dept mgr helped me find it, polite. I could see 1/2 was not sealed so I bought the sealed one.

Wth! Mid week Amazon has it $109. Buy it. It comes, and not sealed. How I knew it was a return? The belt clip was installed. It comes in a bag with screws. Can’t win.

 

[SaberOne]

The Lowe’s here in my sleepy town of Yuma is hit n’ miss. Anytime I need a piece of wood cut, it’s always a pain in the ass.

 

[mk378]

It's a do it yourself store. They also sell saws.

Next Karen is going to want her lumber and nails put together in the shape of a house before checking out.

 

[John105]

It's a do it yourself store. They also sell saws.

Next people are going to want their lumber in the shape of a house before they check out.

Or expect rock auto to sell it at a wholesale price and free shipping

 

[nomas]

Do you know this as factual? Company policy?

My wife is a retired Manager from Lowe's . Yes , this is how they operate . SOMEBODY in that store was qualified to cut that lumber . When you have poor supervision , you have stories like this .

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Having worked retail for 20+ yrs. w/Lowes/HD and Sears. I will say, we @ HD are very short staffed. The new hires generally know very little and there's very little computer training. Shadowing an experienced associate for mentoring is not always possible. (New hires are mostly PT and many quit, don't show up, and are NOT trained to operate Reach/OP/Electric Ladders and other pieces of equipment.) This puts a much greater workload on experienced associates. It's hit a or miss if you'll find competent help. We do try our best but locating inventory is very difficult especially when it says it's an "active" item BUT is a "No Home." Meaning, not on planogram and not on the shelf but somewhere in the overhead. (Hopefully in the Dept's "No Home" Bay/s.) Counts are MANY times off. Thief is rampant. Customers don't help by opening boxes in a horrid way and leaving items everywhere but their original location. I can't tell you how many times I've been called to help in a certain aisle, but having to walk a long distance and being stopped twelve times along the way, the person has left. When us older and experienced associates decide to retire or go PT....it's going to get even worse.

As another poster already put it......this is why Amazon is thriving.

 

[dogememe]

As someone who works at a retail store I understood your frustration BUT

1. It was likely not age discrimination. Just under staffed and those staff that were left just don’t didn’t really care so much. So I think your behavior and assumptions there are absurd. I can tell you where I work we have never treated any customer different based on their age. In fact, we tend to be more helpful if you’re on the older size because we perhaps assume you might have some difficult with physical tasks. I’ve worked at 4 different stores across about 7 years and all of the team members at all of the stores felt the same way from what I could tell.

2. This is a country/industry wide issue. I’m not defending Lowes. But every store is Now Hiring. But for the wages and work environment who wants to do it? I’m aiming to transition from my assistant retail store manager job to work from home web development around the end of the year. I will probably stay on part time at the store just for extra money at the beginning while I pay off my debt. But then I’m out! Why would I deal with irritable customers for $22/hr when I can sit at my computer for double the wages? At retail store pay you can not afford an apartment you can not afford a car payment. Let alone the rest of life.

 

[SaberOne]

As another poster already put it......this is why Amazon is thriving.

Thanks, this helps to put things in proper perspective. Based on your post, I’ll leave my Home Depot Voodoo Doll at home.

 

[4WD]

Sometimes I have a board too wide for 10” chop saw - and the 12” is heavy and tucked away - grab a 1x4 and two C clamps for a rail - 20V cordless circular saw makes a nice cut …

 

[John105]

As someone who works at a retail store I understood your frustration BUT

1. It was likely not age discrimination. Just under staffed and those staff that were left just don’t didn’t really care so much. So I think your behavior and assumptions there are absurd. I can tell you where I work we have never treated any customer different based on their age. In fact, we tend to be more helpful if you’re on the older size because we perhaps assume you might have some difficult with physical tasks. I’ve worked at 4 different stores across about 7 years and all of the team members at all of the stores felt the same way from what I could tell.

2. This is a country/industry wide issue. I’m not defending Lowes. But every store is Now Hiring. But for the wages and work environment who wants to do it? I’m aiming to transition from my assistant retail store manager job to work from home web development around the end of the year. I will probably stay on part time at the store just for extra money at the beginning while I pay off my debt. But then I’m out! Why would I deal with irritable customers for $22/hr when I can sit at my computer for double the wages? At retail store pay you can not afford an apartment you can not afford a car payment. Let alone the rest of life.

Just thought of another positive story. I was now installing the microwave over range. I went to Lowe’s to get some washers as they didn’t come with the microwave. These would be for the bolts that screw in from above, through the cabinet.

Lowe’s associate saw me looking at washers, and asked me what I was attempting. I told him to mind his own business and he apologized, calling me “sir.”

Just joking. I told him and he said how about you use two washers. One for the bolt, now an even larger one on the cabinet. Was a great idea and not even $2 more. So he took the time to find out what I was looking for and how I was applying it.

 

[John105]

Thanks, this helps to put things in proper perspective. Based on your post, I’ll leave my Home Depot Voodoo Doll at home.

It’s funny I own Lowes stock but I prefer HD. I think the entire web purchase experience is better. I got my Honda lawnmower ship to store and even HD had the newer 217 variation at that time , when Lowe’s did not.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

A lot of workers these days just seem to avoid any personal contact unless it’s someone they know. They avoid eye contact, they have earbuds in while working and are not aware of their surroundings. In the grocery store I see the shopper workers with their big carts pulling items off and scanning. They are so focused on their task that they won’t move their cart to let you by. Stockers block areas off with boxes or carts. They seem to not care that they are impacting customers. They feel bothered if you try to ask help from them.

I see this everywhere.

The reason is that younger people had "stranger danger" drummed into their heads from schools and parents as kids. This isn't a joke. As teens and younger adults, they're afraid of and do not want to deal with "strangers", even though those might be customers who pay their salaries.

And that's why you see this everywhere.

By the way, employees wearing earbuds while walking around certain job sites, including warehouses with forklifts in use, can be an OSHA violation.

 

[odie]

No excuse for ignoring customers . Times have changed .

 

[Vern_in_IL]

No excuse for ignoring customers . Times have changed .

After covid NO CONTACT life, this is the new normal. Don´t expect full service at Wal-Mart, hit the bell, or push a button and someone will show up....eventually.

 

[stevejones]

Sometimes I have a board too wide for 10” chop saw - and the 12” is heavy and tucked away - grab a 1x4 and two C clamps for a rail - 20V cordless circular saw makes a nice cut …

Op can't run a skillsaw nor a chopsaw. See previous post somewhere....

 

[97prizm]

Yesterday the Lady Friend and I went to Lowes for shelf brackets and wood to make painted shelfs.

First the shelf brackets. The ones Karen (her real name) wanted were supposed to have 18 in stock. She wanted 12. After the only helpful employed gave up trying to find the extra box with 12 brackets, she snagged the area manager. He spent 20 minutes looking for the extra box of 12. Another computer inventory malfarktion. Either that or stolen. He arranged for a dozen to arrive today and to hold them for her. More on that later.

Now the wood for the shelves. Went to the Cust Service in that area and asked for assistance. Noticed 4 people standing around doing nothing. Went to the wood to wait for someone to cut it for us. 10 minutes later I went back to the CS desk and again asked for assistance. Same four people standing around doing nothing. Went back to the wood cutting area. Another 10 minutes pass and still no help. Karen asked the Cust Service if there was a problem. She had no answer. Karen then proceeded to walk to the middle of the store and at the top of her lungs screamed is there anyone one here who can cut wood. Likety split a floor manager up front came over and asked what the problem was. The floor manager said the only person trained and cleared to cut wood quit earlier in the day. Apparently the CS folks didn't even realize the wood cutter quit several hours earlier. Is it ever going to get better. The clueless leading the clueless. We spent nearly an hour there and came away empty.

That is odd that a business as large as Lowes doesn't have multiple people who can do this. I know the big box stores tend to want "specialists" in there area but many times you need cross training or overlap to offset this type of issue.

 

[97prizm]

The 'art' and proper mindset for customer service is quickly dying. I'd love to blame it on the younger generation but I can't lay the blame on any one group. It generally sucks all around nowadays.

Sorry for your poor Lowes experience. Having no one able to use the saw is one thing, but having four people standing around in the customer service department doing nothing to try to resolve the situation is the biggest failure. Some people just aren't wired for it and all the training in the world can't beat it into their heads. There are lots of terrible managers out there also.

There's also alot of Corporate rules or issues where they don't think. Case in point. I briefly worked for an upscale retirement home as an assistant restaurant manager and enjoyed the residents immensely, I've always liked the retirement crowd even when young. They had a "pizza day" that was for the high school students who served to make pizza for the residents in a restaurant setting. The problem was they were high school students in a very affluent area and most couldn't make a hot pocket in the microwave. Yet it was all managements fault when the pizza had issues. The food service director and corporate didn't think, they just placed blame on everyone else.

 

[97prizm]

I will say that as someone who has friends that still work for a large national grocery store the store manager and assistant manager can run a cash register, work customer service, work the order fulfillment section and in many cases prep fruit/ veggies for trays etc in the produce.