I was a new dm. I had years of experience in my first department and finally getting a dm spot made me excited. I had something more to work for, I had a better reason to come in and try to my best. I didn't make the cut and never thought I would. "Too new". Now service managers, some of whom I really do respect and some I don't, are learning but generally failing.
Overrides are impossible for cashiers and selling departments to get. We're being told to use service managers for customer issues instead of asms but most have very little experience with those kinds of problems, not without help atleast. It's been mandated to not be negative about the change and to deal with it or "else", basically.
I'm one of the very few DMs who got moved to a "whatever" location. I don't want to be where they put me, but it's not hard and I can do it just fine. I'm not allowed to move. Most of the other dms have been moved to departments they don't like, want or can handle. Some are calling out a lot, the others are just complaining.
Specialists aren't happy. Multiple specialists are leaving/trying to leave. Full timers like I was with aspirations to go higher see no reason to stay with job opportunities closing and anything "slightly" higher like a specialist position being both in flux and highly sought after by multiple department managers at every store.
We're being told multiple departments that have 2-3 full timers and 1-2 part timers are getting their department hours cut and they're losing people to other departments. Most days is a skeleton crew already, I don't know what those departments can do with 1 opener and 1 closer almost every day.
I used to talk about how I really liked the company, the benefits, job possibilities and starting pay. They're undoing all of that and I am no longer going to stay here. I have 12 months to pack up and find a new job. I'm expecting to get less pay but I bet I can find a company that will either work around schooling or have a better set schedule. I apparently need to go back and get that four year degree. I wanted lowes to be a longer stop in my trek to getting it; I wanted to hold over as a DM for longer but that is no longer possible.
I still have a lot of friends and coworkers that I like seeing and working with but I'm depressed going in every day; not because I didn't get a service manager spot but because the company I wanted to love is gone.