I have been thinking about the whole Joe McFarland incident and as a DS in a store with a commandant style store manager and a napoleonic DM I think this thing is going to hit management in the stores hard. I think Marvin, Joe, and Jenny Webs are more angry that managers leaked this out rather than Joe actually saying it. It was stated in the Washington Post article that the Lowedown broadcast is pre-recorded, and it makes sense with all of the graphics and editing that have to be done, now I am sure that someone previews this before it goes out, perhaps Marvin himself probably watches this and gives it an OK before it is broadcast, I doubt very much that this is just recorded and sent out I’m sure there is quite a bit of extra footage that gets cut for time and better camera angles etc. That being said I’m sure quite a few people saw him make the comment, heard this comment and really didn’t care that it was in there if they did it would have been edited out and no one would’ve seen it and none of this would be happening. The fact that this was leaked to the Washington post as it says in the article by an assistant store manager who speaks on condition of anonymity I think infuriates corporate more than the bad press ever will. Marvin, Joe, Bill, Jenny Webs all know that the employees are p-ss-d and mad about how the company is being run, Marvin even said so in his podcast about the FSA’s, they know they are hated, but I truly believe they thought that they were up in an ivory tower they were untouchable, the lowly peasants who work in their stores could never harm them or their plans. Well now a manager in a store fired a shot right into them, they are now in the hot seat by someone that they deemed was unable to touch them. I think in the coming weeks corporate through the regional and district level management are going to drop the hammer on the stores so hard it’s gonna make people’s head spin. I know for a fact that my store manager will snap at anyone who makes a joke, I want to said before podcast it was time for “Carvin Marvin” and I got brought into his office and chewed a new one. So to all the ASMs, DS’s and Store Managers, lets all be careful, because I think they are gonna come back with a vengeance, the worthless little people just put a big dent in their car, all the news about our “profitable quarter” which made Marvin and Joe look good has turned. I doubt they are going to let this slide. Something will come we just need to wait and be prepared.
11 replies (most recent on top)
I’m guessing Joe isn’t going to be on any of the diversity groups they made such a big deal about, huh?
Ex-Lowes now. Over half my retail career was spent with that company in LP. I’m not one bit shocked McFarland said something that id–tic. Marvin listened to him on the LP cuts, no doubt about that, as Marvin has been in the ivory tower WAY too long and forgot his beginnings. Throw in a bean counter AP VP, and it was a perfect storm. Glad to be done with that bunch.
I had a real good sales day the other day. Instead of feeling proud of myself, I felt a dark sense of shame. There is no way this group of clowns deserves this type of output and profit from me. I will try harder not to be so damn good at my job. I will probably need to seek psychiatric treatment because what Marvin,Joe, Bill and David have done to me is not normal. Sad.
Mini Mitts and Marvin, Sounds like a B grade buddy cop movie!
Mini Mitts McFarland. Genius!!!!! OP is the poster of the day. Congratulations sir or madame!
I agree with the most recent post as well as OP, I keep thinking they have to be going bonkers trying to figure out how this got leaked out. They don’t care about the public damage control they care about the control from within. This proves to them that their policies of fear and intimidation are not working and there is dissenting voices in the ranks and that will not be tolerated. They will be focused on the stores like hawks, the store associates smeared their name. They want their pound of flesh.
OP hit on a point that has been rolling around in my head ever since the video was leaked. the PR team issued a response on mcfarlands behalf. chalk full of nonsense that no one believes. meanwhile the real work isnt to repair joe's image but how to regain control. tyrants never see the errors of their ways. they never learn how to become effective leaders.and they certainly have no capacity for humility. joe will seek to regain the power he feels was stripped from him. i imagine a whole new list of rules will come down on the stores to silence whistle blowers and concerned employees. they are probably going overboard behind the scenes to figure out which store the video was leaked from. and i hope all of their efforts to tighten the screws instead of show remorse will backfire even more greatly on them.
just look at how marvin always responds – are you a day trader?! do you own a hedge fund?! he belittles every chance he gets. bare minimum it should be giving joe and marv pause that perhaps their egotistical desire to put their face out there so much is a recipe for disaster.
joe is a dolt. thats pretty obvious. but hes a loyal dolt to a man hired to gut a companys wealth and turn it over to ackman and shaw. this is why he wont be fired.
Oh, there’s already been retaliation in my store. I know more will come. I didn’t realize I worked on a plantation.
Where is Marvin in all this? Hiding? Toeing the company line? What about the board? None of them have anything to say about this b—s—? I’m an investor, I want to know.
Fire McFarland. Absolutely no one had any respect for him, even before this humongous screwup.
Then fire yourselves. You’re all clueless, out of touch, and a bunch of throwbacks to business model that doesn’t work.
Both very well said posts.
This whole thing is so nauseatingly embarrassing and disgusting. How much more can they possibly humiliate us as employees? The shame they bring on this company is just incomprehensible. Our customers are absolutely outraged. Sales have dropped. My friends and family texted me “Fck Lowes. Go to Home Depot”. So many of our contractors who don’t even read newspapers or watch the news or give a c-ap about anything like that, have heard about it, and have called that whole gang at the corporate office “a bunch of pssies”. People are boycotting us. Some customers even said its not just because of the racist aspect, but because MacFarlane sounded like such a huge id–t. They are also clueless, these “professionals “ , these overpaid leeches, hired to retool this company. Well, they are a bunch of tools, that’s for sure.
A strong unionization effort would definitely capture the attention of the Board and major investors, and not in a good way for the current E-Team.
Mini mits, no bubbles, someone needs a foot up their a–, etc etc. When will it be clear that this guy is DISTURBED and needs to go. The cammo vests sounded like a good idea, but he is just reliving some bizarre PTSD inspired vision of running his own private army. He is an embarrassment to the company, an embarrassment to veterans, and needs to be removed. Our store absolute hates the culture he has created. These are the things that make unionizing suddenly look like a viable option!