DO NOT WORK HERE!

I have worked at Lowe's for the past year and it has been the worst work experience of my life. The management staff comes and goes and these people are brutal. They have no respect for employees and will take every chance they get to ruin your spirit. The last few months have been awful, there is a new store opening up a town away and they are downsizing and trying to smoke people out of there, one of these people being me. I've been moved from department to department and I still do not know what will become of me, and I have asked numerous times to be given a full time status, something these people don't hand out too often. Much more could be said but I'm afraid I'm tired of talking about this. Any more questions just reply.

Wow really? I am just going through the application process now. What other infor do you have for me? I am applying for cashier.

What do you want to know?

dundermifflin in New Haven, Connecticut said: What do you want to know?

Well, how much were you paid? (They won't answer this question)

Did you start out at full time or part time?

How flexible are they with a work schedule? ( Do they look at like a school schedule and make room for school?)

i started at 10 an hour, but some employees down the line i heard only got 9, and i only received 1 raise in the year (your supposed to get at least 2, maybe 3). it was about 70 cents by the way. i started at part time and i was refused a full time status many times. and yes they will be flexible for school. the pay is decent, and their flexibility is ok, the problem is they honestly don't care about you. i liked it at first but soon realized it's far from how they represent themselves. Just be cautious, it is after all a job, i just couldn't take it anymore after a while. anything else you'd like to know?

also be aware that i live in CT and our minimum wage is higher than every states so your starting wage could be different than mine.

I met a former Lowes employee who had moved up to a Director position before they dumped him. It sounded like they purposely set him up to fail. They put him in a position that he really didn't qualify for, without any support, and waited for him screw up so they had an excuse to get rid of him. I also know several computer programmers who have worked for Lowes as contractors. They usually only work for a few months because it is a sweat shop. Lately, Lowes has been advertising those programming positions as direct employee rather than contract positions because they have pretty much tapped out the market here. However, none of the contract programmers are biting because of the lousy work environment.

I worked for Lowe's in Hixson, TN, and had a very good experience. Of course, I worked as a Kitchen Cabinet Specialist, not as a cashier, so most of the time I was working on my own and not for someone else directly - which suited me fine. I left to join the Navy in 2003 for patriotic reasons.

Lowe's has a lot of good benefits, esp. 401k, and a relatively decent working environment. I wouldn't stay on as cashier or customer service though as those positions wouldn't suit me. If you are seriously thinking of applying for a position, do it with an eye for moving upward in the company ranks to find a job you like, such as I did. Sure it had its drawbacks, but then what job doesn't? Sorry to hear about the bad experience, but just be aware that those kinds of things happen most anywhere you go to some degree.

Although I'm currently looking at smaller companies that specialize in Kitchen Design, I certainly wouldn't mind going back to Lowe's. Hope this helps.

Eliza in Port Orchard, Washington said: Well, how much were you paid? (They won't answer this question)

Did you start out at full time or part time?

How flexible are they with a work schedule? ( Do they look at like a school schedule and make room for school?)

no you must be able to work from open to close.and the answer for school is no

think about this i have worked for lowes for years and have given a hundred percent of my self and just learned they are doing away with my position and they are going to penalize myself and the other managers by taking away some of our pay if they can not find a managers spot for us and we are not upper managers

eyvonne said: think about this i have worked for lowes for years and have given a hundred percent of my self and just learned they are doing away with my position and they are going to penalize myself and the other managers by taking away some of our pay if they can not find a managers spot for us and we are not upper managers

What was your position at Lowes eyvonne? Then I will tell you of my experience having worked for Lowes for 5 months.

i was a receiving manager i do not blame the store but i fill they should have found new manager positions for us or not taken 17 percent of out wages

i think corporate is no longer looking out for their people.the day i walked into lowes as a shopper i liked the attitudes of the employees and i told people that i was going to get a job there because i liked it just that much but now i am filling let down and betrayed and of know value to the company .the rest of these manager has to have the same thoughts.

eyvonne said: i think corporate is no longer looking out for their people.the day i walked into lowes as a shopper i liked the attitudes of the employees and i told people that i was going to get a job there because i liked it just that much but now i am filling let down and betrayed and of know value to the company .the rest of these manager has to have the same thoughts.

MMMM eyvonne, I hate to say this but it appears that every Lowes doesn't operate the same.The decisions are made by the Regional Manager, the District Manager, and the Store Manager. Without question business, do mostly in part to the state of the economy, new home sales and mortgage rates. After retireing from a career a 25 year career with Sears and having been retired for 2 years, I decided to get back into the game. A Lowes store was being built 5 miles from my home, so I applied for a position as a Sales Specialist in Millwork. It was my opinion that they wanted younger more agressive individules to mold into members of their management staff, even though I had been in management for more than 25 years. Well, One out of two wasn't bad (still motivated and aggressive in nature)and am currently enrolled in the Sales Managers training program. Oh and did I mention that I recently began my career in December of 07? As a result, I haven't any negative comments thus far except for the hours. The job description however, indicates and average working week of 48 hours except for peeks times of the year when hours can be more around 50. Reality is the mandated hours each week are between fifty five and 60hours and management doesn't recieve OT. I dodn't know whether or not this is in violation of the labor laws in MA, Does anyone out there have an answer?

i worked the same amount of time until 2 years ago when lowes stopped the practice unless you are an assistant manager or above and thank you for your comments

yes

Lowes is a great place to meet guys!

lowes, home depot whats the difference... same type of big box companies that try to keep u down on the pay scale... i worked for home depot for more than fifteen years and because i knew my business they didnt like it ..i was more qualified than the three candidates that went to the assistant manager program and being it the good ol boys club i didnt go... again lowes home depot... no wonder their stocks are faltering... too bad the founding fathers of these co. are too blinded to see their empires crumbling lol

Your case is unfortunate however, I am older than every assistant manager in my store by 20/30 years and due in part to my past retail experience,I was asked by Lowes management to enter the management program (MTP). Upon completion, enter the Sales Managers MTP. I have completed the first and entering the second program. As I had indicated,Like Home Depot every Region, District, Store differs and it appears that yours is the exception. One thing to keep in mind, Home Depot just laid off 760 managers throughout the company.This may be one of the reasons they wouldn't take you into a program at this time. Best of luck to you

hey run2u.. i seriously doubt it... three other guys went to the asm forum and we are over asms in the district and tthe other districts will not take them... good ol boys club... thats hoiw i see it.. i was more qualified than the other three and gave it more than 100%... EVERYDAY... they were not as consistent yet regardless of the lay off it stareted at the corporate level where they downsized postions that were not tangible to continue.. however those associates werent just let go they were placed in programs to bettere asssist them in getting a job elsewhere.... good luck at lowes... best wishes

You mention Home Depot layed off 760 managers..when...where...

The beginning of last month throughtout the company. It appears that they are consolidating Regions/Districts and in an effort to reduce payroll, took action.

carmencarmen, Lowes does the same in one sense, when you end the MTP program in 8 weeks, you need to post for a position. If you're willing to relocate, your opportunities are greater than if not willing. I am not willing to relocate out of state but fortunately can commute to most of the facilities in my District if I choose to. If I do not have an assignment with in a given period, they will offer me an opportunity for possibly less money, and if I choose not to except the position, well, the rest is self explanitory however, by that time I would have earned more than $25,000.00 in income.I don't think they'll cut me loose but nothings a gaurentee. Good Luck to you as well.

RUN2U

THD laid off all store level hr personnel... some functions will be picked up by the scheduler, but most will be redirected to district level hr

k-b designer. Interesting that Home Depot would remove one of the most important and necessary functions in their retail facilities. You're saying that the District can assist all employees with information when it is requested in a timely fashion? I think not and as a result moral will suffer. Lowes is hiring individuals as part of the HRM training program because they realize the importance of that area as it pertains to employees.

RUN2U

actually the hr process atthe home depot is corrupt. unfortunately it is the hr persson who runs the stores and not the store manager. The HR position in california stores was long time in coming to place them out of jobs... they put out so many valuable associates its thier turn. i put alot of trust in the hr system at the home depot and found out that they were not our advocates at all. if the hr position had been used as a tool where associates in good faith could voice their concerns and not get backlash from the management team ie whistleblower then the hr process i feel would have been useful. unfortunately the HRs inconsistently used the point system in a fraudulent way to cover themselves ... and were inconsistent in whether some associatees were documented on mispunches or not . My stores HR position was a joke. To know that my HR authorized 3 unethical write ups after a complaint i made isnt retaliation then they are gonna get theres too. well here it is! unfortunately it came later instead of sooner

Never heard of s such a thing for certain it doesn't appear to exist in the northeast anyway. My cousin applied off of the street as a retired Naval Recruitor for 28 years was hired as an HR manager in a NH HD. I speak with him often and well, lets just say that situations that you have indicated do not exist in his store nor other HD's that I'm aware of. You probably just had a store manager who didn't get involved and wasn't comcerned about the effects that HR caused it's employees. Sorry to hear that.

Run2U

eyvonne said: i think corporate is no longer looking out for their people.the day i walked into lowes as a shopper i liked the attitudes of the employees and i told people that i was going to get a job there because i liked it just that much but now i am filling let down and betrayed and of know value to the company .the rest of these manager has to have the same thoughts.

I feel you, I was recently laid off from Sears Corporate and you would think with over 15 yrs of sales experience I can't even get a job in any of the stores as a department lead.

Don't work at Sears, I was recently laid off from the corporate sector. After my boss called me on the phone to say you kno longer have a job he couldn't even help get me a position within the stores. So much for companies looking out for their employees

Lowes will not hire in a outside person at full time. try applying for part time if you really want to work there

Beg to differ, I was hired full time from the outside and in a management program. We hire people from the outside quite often. Maybe it was the way you interviewed if you got that far. Best of luck

Quite candidly, I'm surprized that you lasted this long. Several years back, before the KMart deal, They laid off all memembers of the store management staff except for the Store Manager and two other members of senior staff. You were fortunate to have lasted this long and should have seen it coming. Best of luck.

Sorry to hear that Evonne, I guess that you have to exercise your option and look for another job. It's unfortunate that the market is so tough. The company doesn't owe you anything and you know that you've become dead ended so cut your losses and move on. I'm certain that there is a company that would just love to have someone with your background working for them. Good Luck

eyvonne said: i was a receiving manager i do not blame the store but i fill they should have found new manager positions for us or not taken 17 percent of out wages

Eyvonne - can you tell me if the receiving dept. actually puts the merchandise on the floor? i'm doing research for a injury claim where laminated shelves fell on a elderly man. Thanks.

i worked at lowes for 18 months. i'm a journeymen plumber and live in michigan. there is no work here and my wife would not let me travel so i worked at lowes. started in outside garden at 10 and then after two months became a sales specialist in plumbing making 12.69 i agreed to work for that price under the condition that i would get a review after one month. the store manager agreed and after two weeks he was promoted and we got a new store manager. the new manager did not care about what was agreed to and i never had a review in the 18 months that i worked there. i made top specialist list my first six months in a row and this did nothing for me. after one year in the position they sliped 60 cents onto my pay without mention and no review. i gave them a 5 hour notice and will never work there again and most likley i will never shop there again.

My husband used to work at Lowe's back in 1996 and was terminated in 2001. He was a flooring specialist. He even received a promotion shortly before they fired him. He was fired for "theft". My husband is very honest and a very hard worker. His problem was that he did not take good inventory of hardware that his installers would use for a job. He didn't keep track of them returning things not needed. He did nothing deceitful. I could understand a warning and taking the loss out of his check. However, they had him escorted out the door. His supervisor even apologized to him, but that he had to do his job. My husband was very well-liked at his job. It came as a big shock to us. Not only was he fired, but he had to pay them the $200 for the value of the "unpaid hardware". They told him that there would be no criminal charges against him. He had to pay the loss of $200.
How do they promote someone and fire them just two weeks later?

Janna57,

Sorry to hear about your husbands ordeal but was he promoted to the sales specialists position, or from the sales specialists position to a higher position? In all the Lowes stores that I know of, the Install Manager is responsible for insuring that the installer has everything that he needs to complete the job. If he doesn't, then the specialist didn't sell the job correctly. At that point the installer will inform the install manager of the situation and the install manager then informs the Zone Manager of Flooring and the Zone Manager protects the inventory by taking the markdown. this should be the exception and not the rule. Was your husband trainied properly for the specialists position? There appears to be more to the story janna57 but I don't think that this one situation got him terminated.

Run2U (Boston)

Dear hatelowes,

First let me say that I'm sorry for both you and your family. Mostly, I'm sorry that it appears that Lowes lost a good employee. Receiving an increase show up in your paycheck without first receiveng a review appears to be happing in most stores throughout the company and it most definitely should'nt be this way. It is extremely that each employee be given their opportunity to discuss their potential career path and at least, how they see themselves as a Lowes employee. When you spoke of receiving $12.69, I'm assuming that that was your base salary minus commission. If you included your commission earned, what would be your hourly rate? keep in mind however that we're not even bringing benefits in as part of your employment package. Good luck to you.

Run2U (Boston)

carmencarmen in San Jose, California said: hey run2u.. i seriously doubt it... three other guys went to the asm forum and we are over asms in the district and tthe other districts will not take them... good ol boys club... thats hoiw i see it.. i was more qualified than the other three and gave it more than 100%... EVERYDAY... they were not as consistent yet regardless of the lay off it stareted at the corporate level where they downsized postions that were not tangible to continue.. however those associates werent just let go they were placed in programs to bettere asssist them in getting a job elsewhere.... good luck at lowes... best wishes

That may be true carmencarmen, but the "Bottom Line" is that they were part of Home Depots reduction in work force.

Run2U in Boston, Massachusetts said: Dear hatelowes,

First let me say that I'm sorry for both you and your family. Mostly, I'm sorry that it appears that Lowes lost a good employee. Receiving an increase show up in your paycheck without first receiveng a review appears to be happing in most stores throughout the company and it most definitely should'nt be this way. It is extremely that each employee be given their opportunity to discuss their potential career path and at least, how they see themselves as a Lowes employee. When you spoke of receiving $12.69, I'm assuming that that was your base salary minus commission. If you included your commission earned, what would be your hourly rate? keep in mind however that we're not even bringing benefits in as part of your employment package. Good luck to you.

Run2U (Boston)

YOU are correct my pay was affected by sales. the most i received in a month was 136 but it could have been as high as 500. i received in between an extra 80-100 a month for about ten months then they cut stock out of overhead and i never got another dime. spiffs of items in plumbing where very small and i say small such as a 2000 tub you would get around 4 bucks. only special order items tho. so if you stop and look at it i made up to an extra dollar an hour for atleast one monthout of the ten. i now work at ford motor company as a supervisor. not only did i start with health care for my whole family but i received 80 vacation hours the day i started. the one perk i love the most is that i can now work overtime again. so please do not feel bad for me and my family feel bad for lowes. it is a company that will self destruct.

Good for you, and best of luck. If you were looking to work overtime to make extra money,the retail industry wasn't for you. With the econimy being the way it is, fuel prices going through the roof, and let us not forget about the popularity of Japanese vehicles, I don't know whether or not the american auto industry was the correct move. As for Lowes self distructing, won't happen, their to well diversified in many other areas besides retail. Best of luck to you.

RUN2U

Run2U in Boston, Massachusetts said: Janna57,

Sorry to hear about your husbands ordeal but was he promoted to the sales specialists position, or from the sales specialists position to a higher position? In all the Lowes stores that I know of, the Install Manager is responsible for insuring that the installer has everything that he needs to complete the job. If he doesn't, then the specialist didn't sell the job correctly. At that point the installer will inform the install manager of the situation and the install manager then informs the Zone Manager of Flooring and the Zone Manager protects the inventory by taking the markdown. this should be the exception and not the rule. Was your husband trainied properly for the specialists position? There appears to be more to the story janna57 but I don't think that this one situation got him terminated.

Run2U (Boston)

I just don't understand it. I was in shock that day. I was highly offended by the "theft" part of it. I know that we sure weren't sitting around with flooring hardware from Lowe's. It is very likely that he screwed up, and perhaps was not doing his job properly. But, according to my husband, he had no prior complaints about anything. In my line of working, there are steps to termination. First, you receive a verbal warning, then the written, and finally the termination, if you continue with the action.

I can assure you that my husband is an honest man. We have been together for twelve years. And, he is a dedicated hard worker. But, it is all good now. He doesn't deal with people much. He has a job that he loves. He is a horse groomer/trainer.

Lowe's lost a good man. It is possible that he did not do his job, right. And, could have used some further training. Maybe, I don't know. I did not work there. I can only go by his word. All, I know is that he is an honest man.

Him being happy by doing something that he likes is most important janna57. Best of luck to you both.

Run2U in Boston.

IS there anyone who has worked at Lowes who can give me some help on job functions and safety training? I'm trying to help a 73 year old man who had 10 laminated shelves fall on him in a Lowes store.

Thanks.

Diana,

I guess I'm not sure what you mean by indicating you are trying to help a 73 year old who was hit by shelving. Are you representing him as an attorney? Is the 73 year old an employee of Lowes or a customer? Did the shelves fall off of the racks and hit him? Please be more specific, I'm sure that I can answer your question once I understand the circumstances.

Run2U

eyvonne said: no you must be able to work from open to close.and the answer for school is no

It all depends on the store. I've worked in two different stores and know that the other surrounding stores are flexible with students schedules. Even as a department manager myself and my boyfriend being a specialist at another store, they allow us to have the time we need for school. It's a give and take situation. If they give me the flexibilty that I need, I'm willing to work the schedule they give me. I've realized in the few years that I've been with Lowes that it's all about attitude. If you're friendly, do the job you're paid to do, you can do anything. Within the last two years I've managed to start out as a seasonal employee with full time hours, with a flexible schedule to a department manager getting ready to be promoted to a zone manager. If you don't like your job with lowes, maybe it's time to look for another. Retail isn't for everyone.

As I had indicated eyvonne, it varies from store to store and region to region. I have a zone manager who is completing his last year at a major university in MA. He was hired 2 years ago and indicated that he wanted to finish his education so that he would be considered for other opportunities in his future with Lowes. He graduates next month, and entering the Ops MTP in July.

RUN2U

RUN2U - I'm working on a lawsuit with an attorney and we're trying to determine who would have been responsible for stacking the laminated shelves and if there are training standards for stocking these types of materials. The 73 year old man was injured because the bin of shelves were stocked so that they were falling forward and pressing against the chain at the top. In other words they were overstocked. Any input would be greatfully accepted. You may contact me off list at paralegal2003@earthlink.net if you prefer.

Sounds Good Diana, I'm sending an email to your attention.Subject will be entitlaed "Info from Run2U". I hope that this information is helpful.

My son has worked for Lowes for almost 10 yrs and from what I can see they are a very abusive company and have no sense of family values! He has worked his way up to a mgr. position and was told recently that he is on warning or some such silly childish phrase. My son works 60-70 hours a week and has 4 children and a wife to feed. the dept he manages is supposed to have 25 employees part time and 10 full time...well they have currently ony 7 full time persons! I have a very good friend who is aretired federal labor commissioner and I intend to check with him to find out if Lowe's is in violation of wage and hours regulations. My son was told while on a 4 day vacation to get in to the store or he would lose his job.
This place sounds like a sweatshop to me and it is in the midwest.

The best thing that lowes could do is to fire all of their regional people and promote from the stores to the upper leve management positions because now they are not a desireable employer to be associated with!!!