Bad Move Lowes!!!!

[Diggin It]

There is an entitlement attitude with many. But you are not entitled to keep your job if it can be done either better, or less expensively by someone else.

This is not about that. This is about paying less to have the same job done, maybe by the same employees, but now employed by a contractor with no seniority.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

If you love that then you'll love the next step...just a chip away and scan you hand....

Next step is you buy it as you put it in your cart, no checkout per se.

 

[Diggin It]

Next step is you buy it as you put it in your cart, no checkout per se.

30 years ago or so, I saw a news magazine type report that showed a prototype of that. System used all RFID price tags. As you left the store, one scanner read everything at once and totaled it. The system also read a payment card on your person somewhere and automatically charged it. You just made your selections and walked out of the store.

 

[the old grind]

This is not about that. This is about paying less to have the same job done, maybe by the same employees, but now employed by a contractor with no seniority.

Heck of it is that you both make perfect sense on this. What sucks is that the folks who work for the stores that carry our necessities have to toil for peanuts, while boutique stores that cater to the wealthy pay high wages to 'pretty folks', who btw really don't have job security either, beyond the whim of their managers and/or sexist BS.

I'm willing to leave Union 'attitudes' out of this for now, but I'm UAW-proud and believe that ALL non-skilled workers would benefit from Union representation, and thus Union protection of 'working' and pay standards. IMO, Labor Unions aren't necessarily as socialist as Mr. W. Reuther was, but are good for an employer because a contract is a contract and rules are laid down.

If that isn't what modern business avoid to maintain ability to squeeze employees for the sake of bottom line, then this whole thread is a bunch of hot air, and maybe we're ignoring the plight of workers vulnerable to such shenanigans as this move from Lowe's. (Sorry again for the rant, but alky has that effect on my autism, and I tend to 'blurt' on C & C breaks. .. ..)

 

[ruffdog]

There is an entitlement attitude with many. But you are not entitled to keep your job if it can be done either better, or less expensively by someone else. If someone has marketable skills, they find another job. If not, reality can be cruel.

Socialism is coming and when it gets here it will not be pretty.

Even the top 1% feel "entitled". We have socialism now ....don't we? Look how much freebie money/land/tax incentives/etc goes to businesses now. It seems all you have to do is mention the word "jobs" and the money starts flowing. Did they actually fulfill their promises....no one wants to talk about that.......

 

[Steppenwolfe]

This is not about that. This is about paying less to have the same job done, maybe by the same employees, but now employed by a contractor with no seniority.

You nailed it. This is going to be the new norm. Fast food is doing it, UPS, Fedex, etc. Think of the ramifications....

 

[RickB]

You nailed it. This is going to be the new norm. Fast food is doing it, UPS, Fedex, etc. Think of the ramifications....

It is not necessary to think of the ramifications. They are all around us, in plain sight, every day.

 

[Diggin It]

Anybody notice they dropped the 'free' shipping for all orders (no minimum) with membership? It's now only on orders over $45

 

[Oaktree]

Anybody notice they dropped the 'free' shipping for all orders (no minimum) with membership? It's now only on orders over $45

There's no free lunch. You pay for that shipping one way or another whether it's a line item at checkout or built into the price.

What bugs me though are the sellers who charge $20 to ship a small item in a padded envelope that probably costs them $5 to actually ship.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

30 years ago or so, I saw a news magazine type report that showed a prototype of that. System used all RFID price tags. As you left the store, one scanner read everything at once and totaled it. The system also read a payment card on your person somewhere and automatically charged it. You just made your selections and walked out of the store.

Amazon has a grocery store in Seattle that is the prototype for that system. No cash registers in site, all digital.

Ron

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Haven' seen any changes at the Lowes in my town. They are crying for employees for jobs they cannot fill both temp and permanent. Most applicants can't pass their drug test demanded by insurance companies. Problem is rampant now in this recreation drug State. I still see the same employees doing the store display changes. Their wages are higher that the floor walkers. They are going more to contractor stocking. Customer service is actually on the upswing since a new manager came in last summer.

Ron

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Going back to the ops articles, they cut maintenance staff and assemblers. Very few, if any companies hire their own maintenance staffs. Just not done today, contracting out anything not your core business makes sense.

 

[ovrszd]

30 years ago or so, I saw a news magazine type report that showed a prototype of that. System used all RFID price tags. As you left the store, one scanner read everything at once and totaled it. The system also read a payment card on your person somewhere and automatically charged it. You just made your selections and walked out of the store.

Awesome. Next step is to "chip" me. Then I don't hafta carry a wallet. I remember reading about a similar system somewhere, can't remember where though.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Your phone has chipped you already.

 

[the old grind]

1) We're warned against seeing 'skimmers' placed over card slots to gather/steal CC numbers.

2) We're advised to carry 'RF/EMF-shielding' wallets, purses, and handbags, so that a passerby can't read our card with a small hand-held 'scanner'.

3) If you can walk through a doorway and have your card read, it really doesn't jibe with 2) above for me.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

1) We're warned against seeing 'skimmers' placed over card slots to gather/steal CC numbers.

2) We're advised to carry 'RF/EMF-shielding' wallets, purses, and handbags, so that a passerby can't read our card with a small hand-held 'scanner'.

3) If you can walk through a doorway and have your card read, it really doesn't jibe with 2) above for me.

Good point but, The most damaging cc theft is from altered software on the cc machines that get your card number and pin. Most skimmers at gas pumps are placed inside the pump. Skimmers over card slots are rookie league.

 

[Oldpath05]

Another bad move from Lowes. This past week I looked for some long ratchet straps, one place I checked was Lowes, seem like that site didn't know what a ratchet strap was and what that had was not much, so went back to HD, they had a better selection then what I thought they would have and by far the best price on this size of anywhere, so I bought two..... https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-2...ION_BOSS_STH-_-Product_URL__WA73595225withTHD

Then I looked for 1-1/2 heavy duty, didn't have what I wanted in that but the 2" was a good deal and their sight searching is much easier then Lowes, althogh the habdle was a bit bigger then I thought, still a good deal....

 

[Jim Nelson]

The last time I was in Lowes was about 12 or 15 years ago. I went in looking for parts to put a drain system at the end of my patio slab and as I was going through the section picking out my parts one of the employees came up and asked if I needed help. It was early in the am so I guess he wasn't in the hide and watch mode yet. I told him "No I'm fine,I've got nearly everything I need". Well this seemed to be the wrong answer so he asked me what I was doing and I told him. He was an older guy and a bit grumpy so he told me I was going about it all wrong and started taking pieces out of my cart and changing them for other stuff that would never work for what I was doing. I told him to just leave me alone as I knew what I needed.He raised his voice and started to tell me I was wrong which didn't work with me so I just turned around and walked off, leaving the cart and everything right there. He came after me telling me in a very loud voice that I couldn't do that.I had all that I wanted and stopped and turned around and as he nearly ran into me I said "Listen you stupid s.o.b. I've been married nearly 50 years and if I want to start an argument I know exactly where to go and it isn't some 2 bit hardware store". He was set back for a couple of seconds and I headed on out. He started after me again but by this time a couple of other employees saw what was happening and stopped him. I really think he would have followed me out and it would have become physical if they hadn't stopped him. I've never been in another one of their stores.

 

[TractorGuy]

Home Depot has been kicking their butt in my neck of the woods. The local Lowes employees all have an attitude and don't know anything about anything if you found one to ask. I have been renovating my master bath and have spent a couple thousand dollars at HD in the last month. Every time I go in they have what I need and someone that knows where it's at if I don't find it pretty soon. My only beef with the HD is they have all but eliminated check out registers. I generally leave through the lawn and garden or contractor entrance where they haven't gone to self serve checkout stations.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

When I was building my house 22 yrs ago we only had an old, small Lowe’s in town, so I traveled much further to HD.
After I built, HD came to town, then Lowe’s built a nice big store.
Lowe’s usually has better lumber.
Now we have 2 of each store in town, but I go to Lowe’s as they are on my side of town.

As far as the help, they are about the same.