Associates being scheduled all over the store instead of their department; just how is this supposed to improve customer service and drive sales?
28 replies (most recent on top)
I used to work in tools (also at one time or another a Millwork specialist, electrical dept and home decor) I had several customers that came in seeking me out because of what I knew about tools and woodworking. This would frequently result in a noticeable up sell. Yes, most can learn and it is better if you have hands on and a creative problem solving mind, having said that if you abuse your employees with a series of 10 hour days followed by a four hour day (really) and a Helter Skelter work environment you will have employee churn and not keep good employees. At some point if you are not offering pay you need to make it a desirable place to work with other incentives...Lowe’s is removing all the other little “perks” that might cause people to stay. It’s why I quit at the first of the year. If you don’t know the difference between a double or single bevel compound miter saw or what a biscuit joiner is people soon lose confidence in you and you don’t lose the sale altogether you don’t stand much of a chance of an up sell.
If they put you on the schedule or try to make you cover another department let them know you don't know anything about it. If they still do that tell the customers that when they ask you anything other then where a product is. It is an unreasonable expectation to have knowledge outside of the department you signed up for when you took the job. Stop enabling them.
@3roi+13tuJ75d
Do you follow employees after their shift is over so you can bother them at home too? What kind of nerve does it take to whinge about your customer experience on an employee forum like this?
Yes... this is the dashboard,and it is to control payroll and get the most out of the best...Play for pay, Jenny told you so!
Went in to order door for a client this morning. After 20 minutes of trying to get the correct door ordered, I left to go to HD. Employee had no clue of how to build the door.
Have you heard of the Kronos dashboard? Prior to the week's schedule, the green light has to be lit, indicating "full" compliance and coverage in every department. Trouble is, it is only coverage on paper and after the green light, the shifting of personnel that allowed full coverage is then negated and then it is back to the same old thing. To accomplish compliance, people from other departments appear to be working in areas in which they have no knowledge and also have not spent ANY time. It just looks good. Smoke and mirrors.
What I just can't understand is why there are the amount of employees still at Lowe's. Lowe's now has a bad reputation on the street as a company not to work for this is why it's so hard for them to hire because no one applies. Those that do get hired just leave because they will not put up with the c-ap. The best thing that could happen to Lowe's is to not have enough employees to operate a store. Only then would they stop this abuse.
Our SSA has no clue what anyone's CCS hours are. Even before that role was created I was scheduled inside the block of time they promised me something like 20% of the time. 10 hour days s—, but having set hours was the only positive. As it is now I'm on the variability of rotations without consecutive days off or the ability to plan events.
There is only one business model. Drive share price by any means possible.
No Reward. Just a Punitive Employee Business model. I left after almost 19 years on the 31st. The company has been on the slide since Tillman left.
The best move for me was to leave.
I cannot believe some of the total ignorance on here. Lowe’s is IN the selling business. If you don’t want to sell or aid in the effort to get sales, then my goodness what the heck are you doing working in retail? Some of you need to go get jobs in a factory or in government, etc.
Get used to it—or get out of retail, is the only advice that this former, long term employee would give to those on here complaining all the time. The days of working set schedules with regular weekend time off and having “walls” between different areas of the store are over. The effort to take cost out of the stores and schedule associates around peak selling periods are only going to intensify.
This scheduling worked so well today, there was no one in paint or home decor from 3 PM to 7 PM.
Ok maybe I should not have included Taco Bell Lady in my retort, HoseA. I'm sure she is a nice well qualified cough person who will really get this executive "team" on the right path! Tacos, chimichangas-pressure reducing valves-90 min fire rated doors...its all the same? Right skip?
"Shaking my Head" nailed this. This whole do more with less strategy is what you do when you no longer strive to be great and have succumbed to the watered down version of success which is defined only by the stock price. We have enabled this company to think this way. Logic tells you that you cannot do more with less at least not for any length of time. You simply become less. Good to great 2.0??? we cannot even grasp mediocrity.
Look...I am as willing as the next person to give advice outside of my department and outside of my comfort zone but in doing so, I am doing the customers a disservice and also doing the bidding of the managers who want to prop up or inflate the bottom line by cutting payroll. it puts the pressure on all of us. It is like the Wizard of Oz where the scarecrow is pronounced to have a brain because Oz says so and gives him a plaque attesting to this. I suddenly will not be knowledgeable in flooring or millwork or appliances because the customers assume I am and put the pressure on us to be all things to all people all the time. It is pretty obvious what the goal is and also what expectations there are from management now that we are one big (happy) family.
1) The Taco Bell Lady probably took a pay cut to work for Lowe’s.
2)answer to this -I spent 60 minutes trying to help someone today. Nobody in the department came by. We googled and used the Lowe’s app. I felt like a carpet installer giving advice on taxes.
—- as a former employee that was shopping. A customer in plumbing was looking for an answer. The plumbing associate wasn’t around, so the lumber person came over. That person was a former co-worker that didn’t know me but knew of me. The lumber person told the customer I “worked” there and walked away. I ignored it and the customer started accusing me of ignoring him. I laughed in his face and said. Sorry, I quit this job, when the employee said “I worked” there it was past tense. The customer was furious and said, I’m going to your manager. I just laughed, said good luck, I retired and took the part I was buying to self checkout. Last I saw was the fool pointing at me to some new manager I’d never seen. I hope the lazy lumber person got away with it. He’s the future of Lowe’s.
Your "department" went with your old name tag.
about an hour ago by Name
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Post ID: @1xri+13tuJ75d
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Someone who gets it. Removing your department from your name tag was no coincidence. They’ll push cross-training so you’re expected to assist any customer in any department. If you don’t know the answer, you’ll have to do your best to figure it out. Like another poster mentioned, Google it and/or use the Lowe’s app.
Nobody in their right mind would try to sell anything without commission. No incentive.
about 2 hours ago by Dope
2 reactions (+1/-1)
Post ID: @1ihp+13tuJ75d
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Tell that to every Sales Specialist that came onboard after spiffs were no longer a part of the deal. Most of the Sales Specialist working for the company today weren't entitled to the spiffs even before Marvin and crew officially put an end to it.
Your "department" went with your old name tag.
“Your job is to sell, no matter where you are in the building that is the matter in hand.“.
Wrong, @sshat. If your job is to sell, you get commission. Otherwise, you are a “customer service associate”.
Nobody in their right mind would try to sell anything without commission. No incentive.
At our morning meeting this was brought up; we were told to ignore where Kronos schedules us, just work in your department. So we have 5 people in flooring with no one in millwork, hardware, or tools.
For customers that just require direction TO a product that may work fine. For customers that require detailed explanation on HOW exactly to personally execute a project that can be a problem. I have maybe a dozen associates in our store that are knowledgeable enough that they could probably hold their own in practically any dept. Unless you advocates of this "put people anywhere" personally know how to build a house entirely on your own I would argue your not qualified to field many of the types of questions we receive in the field. Do you know the building codes in you state/county? Do you personally know how to qualify a customer for the multitude of installs we perform and execute the sale/contract without mucking it up? Do you know how to answer a customers barrage of questions related to same? Do you know how to lookup/order product? Do know how to properly set expectations, explain process and lead times? Do you know how to re-key a lock, cut product, etc? Do you know how to work all of the power equipment in the store? Obviously corporate thinks we work at Walmart, not a home improvement store where a large portion of our customers are seeking knowledgeable assistance. The lack thereof often causes them to turn around and go elsewhere.
I spent 60 minutes trying to help someone today. Nobody in the department came by. We googled and used the Lowe’s app. I felt like a carpet installer giving advice on taxes.
Other retailers are doing this as well. It's the "do more with less" strategy. They will probably schedule less people, but expect those who are scheduled to know every department - so you bounce around. This is retailers in their finale death throes.
Taco Bell Lady didn't start until this Monday, and has nothing to do with personnel decisions, good try there Garbage Anonymous.
Your job is to sell, no matter where you are in the building that is the matter in hand. So that being said, wherever you are you are doing your your job as long as your helping a customer. Simple.
They can put any where they want but your job is really fluid. Don't get caught in a Blood Clot or a slacker manager may have a issue with you.
Garbage. Voodoo economics. 3 card Monte. Phantom employees manning departments to assist consumers...only problem is they don't exist. Nice work, Marv and Small Hands and Jen and Taco Bell Lady! A 3 year old could see through this BS.